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The Spectator
Other Science News This Week:
Cocaine Vaccine, Alcoholics and Depression, Saturn's Rings
by Ben Trachtman '12Science & Technology Editor
October 09, 2009
Vaccine for Cocaine Use May be Found
Scientists working with the National Institute on Drug Abuse have developed a vaccine to counter the effects of cocaine use. The vaccine prompts the production of antibodies, the body's natural defense system, which bind to the active molecules in cocaine, making them too large to enter the brain. Because they cannot enter the brain, they do not produce the characteristic high associated with the drug. The researchers hope that this will cause people to stop using the drug altogether.
The vaccine has applications for similar uses for virtually every other drug, but not including alcohol. The study was not a perfect success, however. The antibody response was triggered in only about 40 percent of the participants, a very low percent success rate for a vaccine. Although the vaccine blocks the high caused by the drug, it also does not sate the craving for it, making its worth diminished in people with an already-established addiction. Nevertheless, it is a huge breakthrough in the field of addiction treatment.
Alcoholics May Be Less Depressed
A recent study shows that there may be a connection between alcohol and depression, but not in the way you might think. The study indicates that those who never drink might be at higher risk for depression than even the heaviest drinkers. There are several reasons offered for this relationship, not all of which have to do with alcohol. For example,people who don't drink often might have fewer friends than those who drink frequently, or might have chronic diseases and believe it's healthier not to drink. There are too many intervening factors to jump to the conclusion that alcohol battles depression—but we can't rule it out either.
Another Ring Found Around Saturn
Astronomers have discovered a new ring around Saturn. The Spitzer Space Telescope, operated by NASA, detected the new ring recently. It is far larger than any of Saturn's other rings; the now second-largest ring is about ten times the size of the planet, whereas the new ring is 300 times Saturn's size. The discovery of the ring helps explain one of the mysteries of Saturn's moon system: why the face of one of its moons is perpetually covered in some dark substance, now known to be dust from the enormous ring.