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LIFE SCIENCES SUPERBUG CRACKED If India is haunted by superbug NDM-1, MRSA spells trouble across the world. Now the secrets of MRSA superbug’s resistance have been cracked. This can pave the
way for new drugs to fight infections. It is known that antibiotics work by binding to a site inside a bacterium that pumps proteins essential for its survival. This interferes with protein
production and the bugs die. Scientists found MRSA carry a gene, CFR, which stops antibiotics from attac hing to the site—and also allo ws it to keep pumping proteins. _Science, April 28_
HEALTH SCIENCES LOW ON IQ Prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides— used in food crops—can lower a child’s intelligence. A study has fou nd that for every tenfold increase in the
pesticide level detected in pregnant women, there was a 5.5 point drop in her child’s IQ at age of seven. Children with the highest exposure sco red seven points lower on a standardised
measure of intelligence compared with those who had the least exposure. _Environmental Health Perspectives, April 21_ CLIMATE SCIENCES EXTREME COLD EVENTS TO CONTINUE Although the planet is
warming, events of extreme cold will persist on each continent for the next century. But they will be less frequent. Using nine global climate models and assuming moderate levels of
greenhouse gas emissions, the researchers compared the climates of 1991-2000 with 2091- 2100. They also found that southeast and northwest of the US will be the most vulnerable to extreme
cold. The analysis can help countries prepare to face extreme cold events apart from global warming. _ Geophysical Research Letters, April 27_