What's the buzz

Security flaw found in Apple’s latest iPhone

It seems Apple’s latest iPhone is not that safe, for a security flaw has been found that allows strangers to bypass the handset’s passcode-protected lock screen with a few button presses.

Most users set up a password to prevent others from accessing the phone’s contents, but a Brazilian man posted a video of himself on the internet showing a quick way of getting around it.

He taps the “emergency call” button, then enters three # signs, taps the green call button and immediately presses the button on the top of the phone that locks the screen, reports the Guardian.

That simple procedure gives access to the phone app, which contains the address book, voicemail and call history - but it does not allow access to texts, emails or any other iPhone apps.

Putting ice on injuries could slow down healing process

A new research has suggested that slapping a packet of frozen peas on a black eye or a sprained ankle may prevent it getting better. For the first time, researchers have found that it could slow down the healing as it prevents the release of a key repair hormone. It could also lead to new therapies for acute muscle injuries that lead to inflammation.

The study suggests muscle inflammation after acute injury is essential to repair. A team from the Neuroinflammation Research Centre at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio discovered inflamed cells produce a high level of a hormone called insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) which significantly increases the rate of muscle regeneration.

During the study, scientists studied two groups of mice. The first group was genetically altered so they could not form an inflammatory response to injury. The second group was normal. All mice were then injected with barium chloride to cause muscle injury. The first group of mice did not heal, but the bodies of the second group repaired the injury.  When they studied the muscle tissue they saw the healthy mice produced a high level of IGF-1 in their inflamed tissue.

Country of birth and childhood asthma risk

The researchers pooled data from five previous epidemiological studies to investigate the prevalence of asthma in children in the Boston neighbourhoods of Chinatown and Dorchester.

Among children born in the US, low socio-economic status and exposure to pests were both associated with having asthma. Neither association was present in children born outside of the US. “In earlier studies, we found that country of birth was associated with asthma risk, which led us to the current analyses,” said Doug Brugge, senior author of the study.

“Much of the existing research follows US-born children from birth to see if, and potentially why, they develop asthma. It might add to our understanding of what causes asthma if we knew why foreign-born children seem to be less likely to develop asthma,” he said.

The five studies were conducted from 2002 to 2007, sampling a total of 962 children aged 4 to 18 years. There did not initially appear to be a significant relationship between pest exposure and asthma; but when the researchers took birthplace into account, they found that US-born children who were exposed to pests were 60 pc more likely to have asthma than US-born children not exposed to pests.