To test the benefits, Australian researchers examined the effect of full-length nylon and spandex hosiery on the ankle swelling. The uncomfortable condition, called ankle oedema, is caused by a build-up of fluid.

However, physiologist Stephen Lambert wanted to demonstrate whether the graduated compression tights used to help athletes recover from strenuous competition could also help air-travellers.

Researchers enlisted about 60 Qantas pilots and passengers to test the hosiery, wearing it on one leg of a trip and flying tights-free on the return leg.

Sunscreens not effective

Contrary to popular opinion, expensive sunscreen creams will not provide protection against the sun but in fact increase the risk of skin cancer.

According to experts, expensive cosmetic sunscreens that can cost up to 10 dollars per teaspoon, are failing to provide adequate shield.

Christopher Zinn, spokesman of Choice, an Independent consumer group revealed that SPF couldn’t be substituted with sunscreen. The important thing with sun cream is that you need to use a lot often,” Zinn said.
“Moisturiser with SPF is a great idea, but its no substitute for sunscreen,” he added.

Experts believe that people don’t apply the required thick layer of sunscreen needed to provide protection.

Agriculture: Need to adjust

A new report has suggested that the negative impact of agriculture on climate change can be mitigated by some adjustments in the sector in future.

According to a report in Environmental News Network, agriculture, including land-use changes for farming, is responsible for an estimated 17 to 32 per cent of all human-induced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Among the major contributors to the greenhouse emissions within the agricultural sector is the massive overuse of fertilizers.

According to Greenpeace, more than half of all fertilizer applied to fields ends up in the atmosphere or local waterways, and each year, the equivalent of 2.1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide in the form of nitrous oxide, a GHG some 300 times more potent, is emitted because of fertilizer use.

But, according to the new report, the sector can move from being a major greenhouse gas emitter to being a carbon sink.

Sharpened X-ray imaging

Swiss researchers have devised a novel technique to produce dark-field x-ray images at wavelengths used in typical medical and industrial imaging equipment.

Dark-field images, which provide more detail than ordinary x-ray radiographs, could be used to diagnose the onset of osteoporosis, breast cancer or Alzheimer’s disease. They might also help identify explosives in hand luggage, or pinpoint hairline cracks or corrosion in functional structures.

As compared to traditional x-ray images that show a simple absorption contrast, dark-field images capture the scattering of radiation within the material itself, and, thereby, expose subtle inner changes in bone, soft tissue, or alloys.

Antarctic volcano erruption

Scientists have for the first time found evidence of a 2,000 year old volcanic eruption from beneath Antarctica’s most rapidly changing ice sheet.

According to a report, this eruption caused by an under-ice volcano was found on the West Antarctic Ice sheet by a team of scientists from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).

For detecting the volcanic eruption, the team used airborne ice-sounding radar, which led them to discover a layer of ash produced by a ‘subglacial’ volcano, which extends across an area larger than Wales. The techniques also allowed scientists to determine that the eruption had occurred 2000 years ago (325 BC), with the volcano still active.

The discovery will help determine the future of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and refine predictions of future sea-level rise.