This is the ninth of a series of reviews, looking back at a year of science according to topic and theme. This one celebrates science as enlightenment. Some of these discoveries make us consider the world in a new light, some act as timely reminders of things we already know, and others complicate a previously simple picture. They tell us that no matter how much we think we know, it’s all a little more complicated than that.
The OXTR gene acts as a dock for oxytocin, a hormone frequently billed as a “love hormone”. Among Americans, a specific “G” version of OXTR makes carriers more likely to seek emotional support from their friends. But for Koreans, whose culture frowns on seeking support from one’s social circle, the opposite happens. People with the G version are less likely to turn to their peers in times of need. To top it all off, both of these effects only showed up when people experienced a lot of stress. The study reminds us that the same stretch of DNA can lead to very different deeds, depending on individual circumstances. Environments and cultures set the stage on which genes expresse itself.
Seahorses and pipefish took a big leap from models of fatherhood to vampiric cannibal abortionists. The females lay their eggs into a pouch in the male’s belly and he carries the developing babies to term. They may seem like a shoe-in for a Dad-of-the-year award but two studies this year showed that males can turn into cannibals. They can absorb the young in their pouch for their own nutrition. What’s more, they’re more likely to do this if they’ve mated with an unattractive female.
The oceans are in trouble. Every year, a mountain of research spells trouble for watery wildlife, as climate change heats the oceans and makes their waters more acidic. This year, one of the most alarming studies showed that tiny green creatures called phytoplankton are disappearing. This couldn’t be more important. Phytoplankton are the bottom of the ocean’s food web, and they produce much of the planet’s oxygen. Their numbers have fallen by around 1% per year over the last century as the oceans have become warmer, and if anything, their decline is getting faster. Our blue planet is becoming less green with every year.
Newspapers are full of examples of powerful people behaving badly, from the diplomats in the Wikileaks cables to the peers in the UK’s expenses scandal. Power, it is said, corrupts, and Joris Lammers has solid evidence for this. He showed that powerful people are more likely to behave immorally than those with less power, but paradoxically less likely to tolerate immorality in other people. They frowned more strongly upon speeding, tax-dodging or keeping stolen goods, but were more lenient about doing it themselves. Even thinking about the feeling of power can trigger these double standards.
Tamiflu is our main line of defence against the H1N1 flu virus but seasonal strains of H1N1 have been shrugging it off since 2007. Now we know why. H1N1 has developed a mutation called H274Y that prevents Tamiflu from sticking to its surface. On its own, the mutation also weakens the virus, and scientists wrongly believed that it wouldn’t cause a problem. Instead, it spread like wildfire because of H1N1 strains had already picked up other changes that compensated for H274Y. These innocuous “permissive mutations” sowed the seeds of resistance, eventually allowing the virus to pick up the H2747 mutation at no cost to itself. It reminds us that evolution works in unpredictable ways, and without any greater plan in mind.
Do national parks and reserves do more harm than good? Some argue that these protected areas save wildlife at the expense of poor people, who can’t use the land for farming or resources. But such objections are unfounded. By actually comparing similar communities on a small scale, Kwaw Andam found that protected areas in Costa Rica and Thailand have actually helped to alleviate poverty. The areas bring opportunities from business and investments, promote tourism, and improve local infrastructure.
In 1980, smallpox was declared