An anti-viral gene called BTN3A3 (often found in people’s lungs and breath tracts), which blocks most bird flu from jumping to people, has been identified, helping scientists predict which bird flu viruses could cause outbreaks in humans. The discovery was made by the World Health Organization’s chief scientist, Prof Jeremy Farrar, at the MRC-University Centre for Virus Research.

The team compared how our genes worked when faced with either a human or bird flu virus, and found that BTN3A3 blocked most bird flu viruses, but not the seasonal flu viruses people catch regularly. The study also found that some of the bird flu viruses which have occasionally infected people, such as H7N9, also have genetic mutations (变异) which means they can bypass the blocking effects of BTN3A3. This means the presence of BTN3A3 in a bird flu virus may be a strong signal that it could cause a wider outbreak in people, they said.

“Identifying BTN3A3 resistant variants (免疫变种) when they first appear in birds might help prevent human infections,” said Dr Rute Maria Pinto, the first author of the study. “Now, when we find cases of bird flu, we can basically examine sick birds and find out whether the virus can overcome the BTN3A3 gene, simply by looking at its order and determining if this virus is likely to infect humans,” she said. “If the virus can in fact overcome BTN3A3, then stricter measurements should be put in place to prevent spreading.”

The paper comes after a new type of H5N1 bird flu virus, which transmits easily among wild birds, has caused destruction in animals globally. There have been concerns that the increased spread offers more opportunities for the virus to infect people, especially as more and more mammals (哺乳动物) have been infected. And Prof Massimo Palmarini, a co-author of the report told the BBC that just over 50 percent of virus samples from birds and seven cases in people were resistant to BTN3A3.

Have you ever dreamed of visiting a planet in the Milk Way (银河系)？While the trip sounds exciting, it would take years and years to reach your destination. So in the future, bedtime for astronauts may be more than a few hours of regular shut-eye. They would have to sleep for years.

European researchers are now conducting hibernation(冬眠) experiments. The study may help them understand whether humans could ever sleep through the years it would take for a spaceflight to distant planets. “If there was an effective technology, it could make deep-space travel a reality,” said Mark Ayre of the European Space Agency last month.

What seems like science fiction is not completely unlikely. Researchers have been able to use chemicals to put living cells into a sleep-like state. They have now moved on to small, non-hibernating mammals like rats.

A major challenge is the fact that cells can be very simple systems, whereas body organs are far more complex. “It’s like moving from a simple Apple computer to a supercomputer,” said Marco Biggiogera, a hibernation researcher at Italy’s University of Pavia. Just like bears and frogs, the hibernation of human beings would cause a person’s metabolism (新陈代谢) to lower so they would need less energy.

Medical research, however, is just half of a spaceflight hibernation system. There is the challenge of designing a suitable protective shelter(栖身所). Such a shelter would provide the proper environment for hibernation, such as the proper temperature It would also have to monitor (监控) life functions and serve the physiological needs of the hibernator.

According to Ayre, the six-person human Outer Planets Exploration Mission to jupiter’s moon (木星的卫星) Callisto, could be an opportunity to use human hibernation. The mission aims to send six humans on a five-year flight to Callisto, where they will spend 30 days, in 2045.

Generations of parents have told their children to practice their musical instruments. They have good reason for it: learning an instrument is not only associated with better educational attainment but also cognition (认知) and even intelligence scores in children. But does this musicality translate to better cognition (thinking) later in life?

A recent study showed that musical people had better memory and executive (决策的) function than those with less or no musicality. This makes sense as continued engagement in cognitively stimulating activities, such as playing an instrument, should result in continued brain health benefits.

Singing is a very popular musical activity as it allows joining musical groups, such as choirs. But does singing provide the same cognitive benefit as playing an instrument? According to the study, singing can result in better executive function but not memory, suggesting that playing an instrument has additional brain health benefits. However, when singing is done in choirs, there is good evidence that being engaged in social activity is good for our brain health.

Many people might remember the famous “Mozart Effect”, which was based on a 1993 study showing that when students were played Mozart, they scored higher on intelligence tests. Sadly, the current study found having played the recorder for three years at primary school might not have that big an impact on our cognitive performance. So, passively listening to music doesn’t seem to provide any cognitive benefits.

Playing an instrument or singing seems to have benefits to our brain health in aging, according to the study. What is yet to be established is whether this would also help prevent future cognitive decline or dementia. Still, considering the overall cognitive and social benefits of learning an instrument or singing in a choir, it might be worth engaging in such cognitive stimulation as we age. Our parents would be proud of us.