³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

The Rosetta space probe left 2014 on a high note and the mission was coined Science's Breakthrough of the Year. Now a series of seven new papers based on data sent back from the instruments on-board Rosetta has been published in a special issue of Science. This new data pieces together a fascinating picture of what Comet 67P looks like and how it behaves. Dr Stephen Lowry from the University of Kent is part of the team behind one of Rosetta's instruments, ORISIS, and he explains what we have learned so far about this comet.

Northern White Rhinos
Conservation experts are gathering in Kenya for emergency talks on efforts to save one of Africa’s great animals from extinction, the Northern white Rhino.

Blind Breast Cancer Examiners
There are over 75.000 new cases of breast cancer each year in Germany and it is the most common form of cancer in women. Around 17.000 women die every year and it is the biggest killer of women between 40 and 55. More younger women are being diagnosed with breast cancer, too, yet regular mammography screening does not start until you reach 50. Frustrated by the system, a German doctor has piloted a new scheme to try and improve early detection with the help of women who are blind.

Evolution of Human-Like Hands
Sophisticated manual dexterity and the ability to forcefully grip objects are uniquely human traits, and it was these capabilities that allowed early hominids to make and use tools. However, exactly when human-like hands evolved in our ancestors is a point of contention among paleoanthropologists. Evidence from the fossil record tells us that stone tools do not appear until 2.6 million years ago so there has been an assumption that human-like hands also evolved around this time. Now, however, a new study investigating bone tissue patterns on hand bones of our ancestors challenges that assumption. Dr Tracy Kivell, from the University of Kent and one of the researchers on this paper, explains why.

Hot gossip
Gossip has a bad reputation and for the most part, and deservedly so. Yet, on-going research appears to suggest that gossip does serve a useful purpose. Not least because our brains may be hard wired for it. Researchers in Boston have used a technique known as binocular rivalry (showing different images to left and right eye at the same time) to suggest that gossip acts as an early warning system, that the brain automatically redirects your attention onto people you've heard negative remarks about. Even though this process happens at a sub-conscious level, your brain is sifting through and weeding out anyone in your surroundings that you may be have good reason to distrust.

Technology and democracy
For the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's Democracy Day, Arvind Gupta, head of National Technology for India’s governing BJP Bharatiya Janata Party, Twitter’s general counsel, Vijaya Gadde, Rick Falkvinge, the founder of Sweden’s Pirate Party, and Emma Mulqueeny, founder of Rewired State, discuss the relation of technology to democracy. On the positive side the Arab Spring, public data sharing and wireless networks have improved lives in cities, and crowd-sourcing platforms such as Ushahidi which aim to curb violence in elections. But then deficits are also dramatic - the mammoth and invasive NSA surveillance and cyberbullying campaigns such as that evidenced by Gamergate – to name one or two.

Science Hour was presented by Jack Stewart with comments from Jonathan Amos.
Producer: Deborah Cohen

Photo: Rosetta. Credit: European Space agency