VOA ' s weekly science and technology radio magazineArt Chimes | Washington , DC 12 February 2010 MUSIC : " Our World " themeThis week on Our World : Hopeful test results for a new malaria vaccine . .. the debate over genetically modified foods continues . .. and the promise and peril of looking for new medicines in the oceans . BROOKE : " They are deliberately mowing down these deepwater coral ecosystems that are thousands and thousands of years old . And that ' s not going to come back - not in our lifetimes , not in many lifetimes . " Those stories , a physics lab in your computer , and more . .. I ' m Art Chimes . Welcome to VOA ' s science and technology magazine , " Our World . " Promising results reported in malaria vaccine trialMalaria kills about a million people each year , mostly young children who haven ' t lived long enough to build up adequate immunity . A new vaccine addressing that deficiency has shown promise for protecting this most vulnerable population . Jim Hawk has the story : HAWK : Around 300 million people get malaria each year through mosquito bites , but most recover and eventually build up natural immunity to the disease . PLOWE : " Malaria , and especially the falciparum form of malaria that ' s most common in Africa , still kills almost a million people a year . Most of those are in Africa , and most of those are young children and babies who don ' t have immunity . " HAWK : Dr . Christopher Plowe is a professor at the University of Maryland ' s Center for Vaccine Development . He led an international team which developed a new malaria vaccine . The parasite that causes malaria is spread through the bite of an infected mosquito . Currently , the best treatment is prevention - using insecticide - treated bed nets and mosquito eradication campaigns . While there are medications to fight the disease , the malaria parasite is becoming resistant to many of the available drugs . The new vaccine contains a protein from the malaria parasite plus a booster compound called an adjuvant . It targets the parasite as it starts to multiply in the blood . PLOWE : " This is a blood stage vaccine that prevents the parasites from invading the human red blood cells - that ' s the part of malaria that makes people very sick . " Other vaccines that attack this stage of the parasite have been tested , but this is the first one found to work effectively . Although based on a single strain of malaria , there ' s hope this new vaccine can protect against the half - dozen malaria parasites known to exist . The first phase of testing has just been completed in West Africa , by researchers at the University of Bamako in Mali . They vaccinated 100 children , and found the drug stimulated strong and long - lasting immune responses , as measured by the presence of antibodies in their blood . HAWK : Plowe says a larger follow - up study with 400 children in Mali has just ended , although the results have yet to be compiled . If the vaccine is as effective as researchers hope , the final stage of clinical trials can then be planned . The study is published in the online version of PLoS one , a journal of the Public Library of Science . I ' m Jim Hawk . Children seen to benefit from medical journal ' s reversal on vaccine - autism linkEarlier this month , a prestigious medical journal disavowed an article it published more than a decade ago that linked autism in children to a common childhood vaccine . The original article raised widespread concern about the safety of the vaccine , prompting many parents worldwide to stop vaccinating their children . As VOA ' s Jessica Berman reports , vaccine proponents hope the retraction will eliminate doubts about the safety of the vaccines . BERMAN : In 1998 , a high - profile article published in the British medical journal , The Lancet , announced a link between autism and the MMR vaccine , used against measles , mumps , and rubella . There had been no established cause shown for autism , a disorder that affects a youngster ' s social skills and ability to interact with the outside world . In the original paper , British gastroenterologist Andrew Wakefield described a small sample of 12 children , eight of whom showed evidence of autism shortly after receiving the vaccine . However , subsequent investigations by British regulators led to charges that Dr . Wakefield falsified data and was paid by the parents of autistic children . In 2004 , as scrutiny and criticism of the study intensified , ten of 13 co - authors of the 1998 autism article publicly disassociated themselves from from it . A telephone call made to Wakefield asking him to comment on the Lancet retraction was not returned . Over the past decade , as the vaccine - autism link gained traction among some groups , the scientific community has been unable to confirm the connection . Paul Offit , a vaccine researcher at Children ' s Hospital in Philadelphia , says at least 12 studies have been done worldwide concluding repeatedly that the MMR vaccine does not cause autism . OFFIT : " We ' ve reached the many hundreds of thousands mark of children who did or didn ' t receive MMR to see whether risk of autism was greater in the vaccinated group and it wasn ' t ; consistently , reproducibly , redundantly . I think that the problem is not that the science hasn ' t been done ; the problem is there are people who simply don ' t believe the science . " BERMAN : Offit says a number of other studies have been done searching for a biological cause for autism . OFFIT : " There are some very interesting studies . It ' s all very interesting . You never hear about it because I think that the anti - vaccine forces have taken this story hostage , much to the detriment of children with autism . " BERMAN : Numerous vaccination opponents contacted for this report either didn ' t return telephone calls or declined to be interviewed . Since the Wakefield paper , experts say there ' s been a rise in the number of measles cases worldwide . University Of Texas psychologist Katherine Loveland , who specializes in autism , thinks the retraction by The Lancet will reassure parents of small children . LOVELAND : " I would definitely vaccinate my child . And the reason is I know that the risk from getting those childhood diseases , which we tend to forget can be killers , the risk of them is so much higher than any hypothetical risk of an increased chance of getting autism . " BERMAN : Vaccination proponents say they are hopeful that The Lancet ' s retraction of the 1998 autism article will , at the very least , help restore public confidence in the safety of the measles , mumps and rubella vaccine . Jessica Berman , VOA News , Washington Controversy over genetically modified foods boils over after India bars GM eggplantOn last week ' s show we reported on a new genetically modified , or GM , vegetable , an eggplant engineered to produce its own insecticide , to improve yields and reduce the need for chemical spraying . But this week , officials in India - a country that was expected to be a big market for the modified eggplant - refused to allow commercial planting of the vegetable until more tests are done to demonstrate its safety . It ' s the latest example of the ongoing debate about the risks and benefits of crops which have been geneticaly modified to tackle some of the world ' s biggest challenges in agriculture , from drought and floods to pests and disease . VOA ' s Steve Baragona reports . BARAGONA : Supporters say the GM eggplant would improve yields and reduce the use of harmful pesticides . Opponents say they are a threat to human health and environmental safety . These are the same battle lines that were drawn even before the first GM crops were introduced in the 1990 s . And they haven ' t changed much since then . That ' s despite the fact that for the past 13 years , GM crops have been grown and consumed without any evidence of a major health or environmental problem . An estimated 100 million hectares of GM crops were grown in 25 countries in 2008 . That should put the opposition to rest , says Nina Fedoroff , a plant geneticist and a U . S . State Department advisor . But it hasn ' t . FEDOROFF : " The only way that I can stay patient is to recognize that this is not unique to GM foods , and it is not new . " BARAGONA : Fedoroff says one reason that hostility to GM foods persists is because scientific advances often move faster than public acceptance . In the 19 th century , opposition to a new smallpox vaccine continued after scientists were convinced it was safe and effective . Fedoroff and a group of scientists from U . S . universities , international institutes , and seed companies write in this week ' s issue of the journal Science , quote , " There is a critical need to get beyond popular biases against the use of agricultural biotechnology . " The article notes that there will be 3 billion more mouths to feed by mid - century while climate change threatens food supplies . GM , they say , is one of the technologies that can help meet the challenges . BARAGONA : But the urgency supporters feel to move GM technology forward is matched by the intensity with which the opponents say , " slow down . " Mira Shiva , with the Indian group Doctors for Food and Biosafety , is one of them . She says , look at the experience with some pharmaceuticals . SHIVA : " Numerous drugs that were said to be very safe , over time they were found not to be safe . It happens . But they could be withdrawn . You cannot withdraw genetically modified [ crops ] at all . You cannot withdraw [ them ] . So , god forbid [ that ] tomorrow there are problems . " BARAGONA : Doug Gurion - Sherman used to look for problems with GM crops as a regulator with the U . S . Environmental Protection Agency . He ' s now with the Union of Concerned Scientists . And he says one reason the doubts about GM crops persist is because even after more than a decade of use , some questions have gone unanswered . Gurion - Sherman says the data requirements for toxicity , for example , only call for 90 - day tests , and they are not sensitive enough to detect problems if they do arise . GURIAN - SHERMAN : " Until the proponents of the crop , who have adamantly resisted strengthening regulations , understand that public confidence is going to depend on regulatory agencies that can be counted on , that huge public mistrust is going to remain . " BARAGONA : And this question of trust will come up again and again . New GM crops are being developed that promise to cope with some of the world ' s biggest challenges in food production : tolerance to drought and salty soils , and more efficient use of fertilizer , for example . But , as India ' s moratorium on GM eggplant shows , these innovations will likely remain on the shelf unless the public trusts the regulators who say these crops are safe . Google plans test of super - speed Internet serviceGoogle , the giant Internet search and advertising company , has been extending its brand lately . Last month they introduced their smart mobile phone , Nexus one . And this week , Google said it would begin a limited roll - out of ultra - high - speed Internet service in the U . S . , providing customers with connections that can move one gigabit of data per second . That ' s about 100 times faster than the typical broadband connection users here now enjoy . Google said in a blog posting that the service would be available to 50 , 000 customers at first , with as many as a half - million more eventually receiving the service at what company spokesmen called " competitive " rates . They said a web connection this fast would allow users to download the digital file of a high - definition , two - hour - long feature film in five minutes , or allow doctors at a rural health clinic to stream very large 3 - D medical images to a specialist in a distant city . The company calls this an experiment . It ' s unclear whether Google plans to compete against established internet service providers . Website features interactive science experimentsYou won ' t need a one - gig internet connection to check out our Website of the Week . This time it ' s an educational site where principles of physics are illustrated with interactive animated experiments that you can perform on your own computer . PERKINS : " The PhET website is a collection of 85 simulations for teaching and learning science . So our main goal is to help students better understand the science of the world around them , but instead of telling students how something works , our simulations let them discover important science concepts for themselves and really learn and engage through scientist - like exploration . " Kathy Perkins is co - director of the Physics Education Technology , or PhET Interactive Simulations website , at phet . colorado . edu . Despite the name , the site also includes animated simulations in biology , chemistry , and other disciplines , as well as physics . You can build your own solar system , model the hydrogen atom , or explore the properties of a gas as you change its temperature and other variables . Another simulation allows you to design and modify a simple electrical circuit . PERKINS : " So when you open up , you can drag out wires and batteries and bulbs . And as you connect them , as soon as you complete a circuit , you ' ll see the light bulb light up and the electrons shown in the wires circulate around the circuit . " The simulations look like entertainment , but Perkins says the design of each has been tested for its educational value and can be used in the classroom , or you can just run the sims yourself and learn by doing online at phet . colorado . edu , or get the link from our site , VOAnews . com . MUSIC : Michel Petrucciani - " Laws Of Physics " You ' re listening to Our World , the weekly science and technology magazine from VOA News . I ' m Art Chimes in Washington . Does non - verbal communication translate across cultures ? When we communicate , we don ' t just use words . Non - verbal communication is important , too . If you ' re talking face - to - face , things like facial ｅxpression , eye contact , and how close you stand can be an important part of the message . There ' s also what researchers call " non - verbal vocalizations " - sounds that send a message without using words . But how universal are these messages ? That ' s what Disa Sauter wanted to find out . SAUTER : " And we were specifically interested in emotional ｅxpressions in the voice - so things like laughter , crying , sighing , grunting - those kinds of noises that we all make , but what do they actually mean ? " What do they mean and , more specifically , do they mean the same things to people in different cultures ? SAUTER : " So to look at that , we studied a group called the Himba , who are a culturally isolated group , so a group that doesn ' t really have anything to do with other groups . And they live in the north of Namibia in Southwest Africa . " The Himba participants in the study live a life that is about as isolated as you can be in the modern world . The other group in the study included native English speakers in Europe . People in both groups were asked to make sounds that expressed emotions like joy or anger without using words . So for example , they were told to make a sound like they just realized they had eaten some rotten food . Researchers recorded the sounds , then played them for people in the other groups to see , for example , if the Himba recognized the sound of disgust that the Europeans made , and vice versa . Listen , first , to how a Himba expresses disgust , then how it sounds when a European does it . [ sounds of disgust made by Himba , English ] They sound a lot alike , which may be why both groups recognized the sound registering disgust . Sauter found that the sounds conveying negative emotions could be understood across cultural boundaries more readily than the sounds of positive emotions . She says that could be because negative emotions might be older , in our evolutionary history . SAUTER : " And that could mean in a sense that they are more important . So we need fear to be able to react appropriately do a dangerous situation , to run away ; and also it ' s important in a situation of threat to warn those around us - who are likely family members and close friends - to warn them of the danger that we ' re facing . " Positive emotions tended to sound more different , like this ones signifying achievement expressed by an English speaker and a Himba . Sounding that different , it ' s not surprising that each group had a hard time identifying that and other sounds representing positive emotions . Sauter says it may be because positive emotions are more about creating and strengthening bonds within one ' s own group , so you might not want others to know about it . SAUTER : " The exception to this is laughter , which seems to be something that we ' re prepared to share with strangers and friends alike , which I think is fairly reassuring , actually , that there are positive emotional signals that can communicate across all cultural boundaries . " We reached Disa Sauter at her current office at the Max Planck Institute in the Netherlands . She was at University College London when she did her research , which was published online by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , which also gave us permission to use the audio clips used in the study . Prospecting the oceans for new medicinesMaking medicine from things found in nature isn ' t a new idea . Aspirin , for example , originally came from the bark of willow trees . Now drugs derived from ocean animals are slowly making their way onto pharmacy shelves . Reporter Samara Freemark checked in with one researcher who is prospecting in the sea for a potential medical breakthrough . FREEMARK : Marc Slattery is trying to find a cure for cancer . Slattery is a pharmacology professor at the University of Mississippi . But he doesn ' t really spend much time in the lab . Instead , he ' s usually in a wetsuit , scuba diving off the coasts of places like Guam and Antarctica . He ' s taking samples from tens of thousands of corals and sponges . He ' s looking for that one special species that might make a chemical that could cure disease . He calls it , ' diving for cures . ' SLATTERY : " In many ways , it ' s like going out and playing your super lotto or whatever . You pick your eight numbers and you see if you hit or not . " FREEMARK : The idea is pretty simple . A third of the medicines on shelves today were derived from plants and animals that live on land . So ocean researchers got to thinking that the organisms they studied probably also produced a lot of useful chemicals . Take corals and sponges . They can ' t run away from predators , so instead they squirt out chemicals that poison the fish that try to take a bite out of them . Marc Slattery says those toxins are bad for the fish - but they could be good for people . SLATTERY : " Those particular compounds that tell a fish ' not today ' are the same ones that might tell the AIDS virus ' you can ' t replicate ' or tell a cancer cell ' you ' re dead ' or those kinds of things . " FREEMARK : So Slattery and other researchers like him clip off bits of sponges and corals . When they get back to the lab they extract the chemicals . Once they ' ve extracted the chemicals , researchers test to see if they have any human application . If a compound looks promising , it moves on to clinical trials . Those trials can take decades , which is why ocean - derived drugs are only now starting to hit the market . I wondered how ocean conservationists felt about diving for cures . So I called up Sandra Brooke . She studies corals at the Marine Conservation Biology Institute . Brooke says she does worry that diving for cures could lead to over - harvesting . BROOKE : once something becomes valuable to people , there ' s a resistance to closing access to it . It becomes harder to regulate it . " FREEMARK : But she says corals are under much greater and much more immediate threats . The biggest culprit is industrial trawling . That ' s when fishermen scrape reefs off the ocean floor so they can get to the fish . BROOKE : " It ' s just like the clear cutting of the forest , except it ' s one on a much vaster scale . They are deliberately mowing down these deepwater coral ecosystems that are thousands and thousands of years old - some of the oldest animals ever measured . And that ' s not going to come back - not in our lifetimes , not in many lifetimes . " FREEMARK : There ' s also the fact that oceans are changing as the climate does . Those changes mean corals are becoming weaker . Marc Slattery thinks he might be seeing that in a Pacific reef he ' s been studying for fifteen years . SLATTERY : " When we went back and started looking at it , we noticed that there was a change in the chemistry through time . As things have heated up on the reefs , there ' s a physiological effect that has cascaded down into their ability to produce the chemistry we ' re used to seeing . Early on it was so apparent , it was always there , and now they seem to be able to produce less of it . " FREEMARK : That ' s means that today the cure for cancer might be out there in some coral reef , but it could be gone tomorrow . For The Environment Report , I ' m Samara Freemark . Support for the Environment Report comes from the Joyce Foundation , and the Great Lakes Fishery Trust . You can hear more stories and subscribe to the daily podcast at EnvironmentReport . org . MUSIC : " Our World " themeThat ' s our show for this week . We ' d like to hear from you . You can email us at ourworld @ voanews . com . Or write us at - Our WorldVoice of AmericaWashington , DC 20237 USAOur program was edited by Rob Sivak . Bob Doughty is the technical director . And this is Art Chimes inviting you to join us online at voanews . com / ourworld or on your radio next Saturday and Sunday as we check out the latest in science and technology in Our World . Listen : Our World MP 3