Genetic studies of body mass index yield new insights for obesity biology

Obesity is heritable and predisposes to many diseases. To understand the genetic basis of obesity better, here we conduct a genome-wide association study and Metabochip meta-analysis of body mass index (BMI), a measure commonly used to define obesity and assess adiposity, in up to 339,224 individuals. This analysis identifies 97 BMI-associated loci (P < 5 × 10(-8)), 56 of which are novel. Five loci demonstrate clear evidence of several independent association signals, and many loci have significant effects on other metabolic phenotypes. The 97 loci account for ∼2.7% of BMI variation, and genome-wide estimates suggest that common variation accounts for >20% of BMI variation. Pathway analyses provide strong support for a role of the central nervous system in obesity susceptibility and implicate new genes and pathways, including those related to synaptic function, glutamate signalling, insulin secretion/action, energy metabolism, lipid biology and adipogenesis.

A continuous flow packed bed photocatalytic reactor for the destruction of 2-methylisoborneol and geosmin utilising pelletised TiO2

Taste and odour compounds, especially geosmin (GSM) and 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB), cause major problems in both drinking water and aquaculture industries world-wide. Aquaculture in particular has experienced significant financial losses due to the accumulation of taint compounds prior to harvest resulting in consumer rejection. UV-TiO2 photocatalysis has been demonstrated to remove GSM and 2-MIB at laboratory scale but the development of a continuous flow reactor suitable for use in water treatment has not been investigated. In this study, a pilot packed bed photocatalytic reactor was developed and evaluated for water treatment with both laboratory and naturally tainted samples. A significant reduction of both 2-MIB and GSM was achieved in both trials using the packed bed reactor unit. With the laboratory spiked water (100ngL-1 of each compound added prior to treatment), detectable levels were reduced by up to 97% after a single pass through the unit. When the reactor was used to treat water in a fish farm where both compounds were being produced in situ (2-MIB: 19ngL-1 and GSM: 14ngL-1) a reduction of almost 90% in taint compounds was achieved. These very encouraging promising results demonstrate the potential of this UV-TiO2 photocatalytic reactor for water treatment in fish rearing systems and other applications.

The Science of a Lost Medieval Graveyard: The Ballyhanna Research Project

he Science of Lost Medieval Gaelic Graveyard tells the story of the discovery in 2003 of a graveyard and the foundations of a small forgotten stone church at Ballyhanna, in Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal, as part of the N15 Bundoran–Ballyshannon Bypass archaeological works. This led to the excavation of one of the largest collections of medieval burials ever undertaken on this island. Over 1,200 individuals were excavated from the site at Ballyhanna during the winter of 2003–4, representing 1,000 years of burial through the entire Irish medieval period. The discovery led to the establishment of a cross-border research collaboration—the Ballyhanna Research Project—between Queen’s University Belfast and the Institute of Technology, Sligo, which has brought to life this lost Gaelic graveyard.

This book shows how cutting-edge scientific research may aid our understanding and interpretation of archaeology and reveal new insights into past societies. For example, the use of ancient DNA analysis represented the first biomolecular archaeological evaluation of a medieval population to date and provided evidence that cystic fibrosis was much less prevalent in the medieval period than today. The Science of Lost Medieval Gaelic Graveyard is about a community who lived in Gaelic Ireland, about their lifestyles, health and diet. It tells us of their deaths and of their burial traditions, and through examining all of these aspects, it reveals the ebb and flow of their lives.

The book is accompanied by a CD-ROM which includes supplementary information from the Ballyhanna Research Project and the original excavation and survey reports for all of the archaeological sites on the N15 Bundoran–Ballyshannon Bypass.