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Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for June 27, 2010:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Physicists explain why superconductors fail to produce super currents- Carbon nanotubes form ultrasensitive biosensor to detect proteins
- Quantifying human behavior one MoCap data point at a time (w/ Video)
- Why mercury is more dangerous in oceans
- Carbon sequestration: Boon or burden
- Technique enables precise control of protein activity in living cells
- Same types of cell respond differently to stimulus, study shows
- Gestational diabetes linked to serotonin and dietary protein
- Scientists say blood test could predict menopause
- Jet Lag Sends Brain Ahead A Time Zone, Leaves Kidneys In Another
- Microsoft in legal duel with cloud computing star Salesforce
- ATM hack promises teller machine jackpot
- US unveils plan to make online transactions safer
- Chromosomal variations found in early passage female embryonic stem cells
- Space shuttle missions likely to be postponed: NASA
Space & Earth news
Image: The Earth From The Moon
All cameras are susceptible to scattered light. You may have seen scattered light in pictures you have taken looking towards the Sun. Sunlight reflects off the optics and sometimes off the structure of the lens, and often appears as a gradient of brightness across the image.
Hong Kong air pollution blamed on political system
(AP) -- Democracy activists are not the only ones unhappy with a slow pace of electoral reform in Hong Kong.
Big Lunar Eclipse
(PhysOrg.com) -- This Saturday morning, June 26th, there's going to be a lunar eclipse—and for many residents of the USA, it's going to be a big one.
MIT releases major report: The Future of Natural Gas
Natural gas will play a leading role in reducing greenhouse-gas emissions over the next several decades, largely by replacing older, inefficient coal plants with highly efficient combined-cycle gas generation. That's the conclusion reached by a comprehensive study of the future of natural gas conducted by an MIT study group comprised of 30 MIT faculty members, researchers, and graduate students. The findings, summarized in an 83-page report, were presented to lawmakers and senior administration officials this week in Washington.
Scientists Explore the Mystery of Active Region Outflows
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Japanese Hinode spacecraft that launched in September 2006 contains the Extreme-ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS), which provides measurements of properties of the solar corona such as its temperature, density, and dynamics (flows and turbulence).
Scientific expertise lacking among 'doubters' of climate change, says Stanford-led analysis
The small number of scientists who are unconvinced that human beings have contributed significantly to climate change have far less expertise and prominence in climate research compared with scientists who are convinced, according to a study led by Stanford researchers.
GOES-13 captures 2 major hurricanes: Darby trailing Celia
There are now two major hurricanes in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and they appear to be chasing each other in imagery from the GOES-13 satellite. Hurricane Celia is a Category Five hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, and Hurricane Darby to Celia's east has just become a Category Three hurricane (a major hurricane).
Expecting Tropical Depression Alex in the Caribbean
Forecasters on June 25 had given System 93L in the western Caribbean an 80 percent chance of developing into Tropical Depression Alex, and weekends seem to always birth tropical depressions. The GOES-13 satellite captured a visible image of both System 93L and a second low east of the Leeward Islands that has a much lesser chance of development this weekend.
NASA infrared imagery shows well-defined eye in Category 5 Celia
Celia has exploded into a monster hurricane in the Eastern Pacific, and is now a Category 5 storm over open waters. NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image (that shows temperature) of Celia's clouds and clearly shows an eye in the storm. Celia's eye appears well-defined and is between 15-20 nautical miles wide.
Little spent on oil spill cleanup technology
(AP) -- While oil companies have spent billions of dollars to drill deeper and farther out to sea, relatively little money and research have gone into finding new, improved ways to respond to oil spills in deepsea conditions like those in the Gulf of Mexico.
Storm theatens Gulf of Mexico oil spill clean-up
Potentially dangerous Tropical Storm Alex, which experts say could complicate the Gulf of Mexico oil spill clean-up, has formed in the Caribbean Sea, US forecasters said on Saturday.
What Weathermen Know About Climate Change
Climate change is a topic that impacts the weather not only globally, but also locally. While some people may be concerned about the melting ice sheets at the far corners of the Earth, what most really want to know is "how will global warming affect me?" -- and they often turn to their local weatherperson to find out.
As Oil Spill Grows, So Does Need For Data On Health Effects
Since the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded on April 20, spewing untold millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, cleanup crews have been working feverishly to mop up oil at sea and prevent the slick from reaching Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida shores. It's hot, dirty, heroic work, but toxicologists and health professionals say it's not the only work that needs to be done.
Partial lunar eclipse visible in western skies
(AP) -- Skygazers got a treat Saturday when a portion of the moon crossed into the Earth's shadow during a partial lunar eclipse visible in the western United States and Canada, the Pacific and eastern Asia.
Documents show vast cleanup of Plum Island land
(AP) -- Government documents obtained by The Associated Press show extensive efforts since 2000 to remove vast amounts of waste and contaminants from Plum Island, site of top-secret Army germ warfare research and decades of studies of dangerous animal diseases.
Ariane rocket places two satellites into orbit
An Ariane 5 rocket Saturday successfully placed two satellites in orbit, after twice delaying the launch for technical reasons this week.
Space shuttle missions likely to be postponed: NASA
The two final US space shuttle missions before the shuttle program is phased out will likely be postponed, a NASA spokesperson told AFP.
Carbon sequestration: Boon or burden
The idea to sequester carbon is gaining support as a way to avoid global warming. For example, the European Union plans to invest billions of Euros within the next ten years to develop carbon capture and storage whereby CO2 will be extracted at power plants and other combustion sites and stored underground. But how effective is this procedure and what are the long-term consequences of leakage for the oceans and climate? A Niels Bohr Institute researcher has now cast light upon these issues. This research has just been published in the scientific journal, Nature Geoscience.
Why mercury is more dangerous in oceans
Even though freshwater concentrations of mercury are far greater than those found in seawater, it's the saltwater fish like tuna, mackerel and shark that end up posing a more serious health threat to humans who eat them.
Technology news
Elpida Completes Development of 2-Gigabit GDDR5
Elpida Memory, Japan's leading global supplier of Dynamic Random Access Memory, today announced that it had completed development of a high-density, high-speed, low-power consumption 50nm process 2-gigabit GDDR5 using copper interconnects (product name: EDW2032BABG).
Starbucks' free Wi-Fi shows disturbing shift: Marketing to jobless
I'd always figured free Wi-Fi was one of those things guaranteed in the Constitution. I mean, isn't it self-evident? Air, water, Wi-Fi?
World Cup kicks Twitter 'tweets' to record high
Twitter said Friday that World Cup football kicked the number of "tweets" fired off at the micro-blogging service to a record high of 3,283 per second.
First U.S. offshore wind energy project faces lawsuit
Environmental groups plan to file suit in federal district court Friday arguing that the nation's first offshore wind energy project, approved recently by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, violates the Endangered Species Act.
News Corp. sells Beliefnet to BN Media
News Corp. sold Beliefnet, a multi-faith spirituality website it purchased two-and-a-half years ago, to an investment group on Friday.
Quantifying human behavior one MoCap data point at a time (w/ Video)
Two actors wrapped in motion sensors circle each other, as engineering researchers stand at the perimeter of a USC Viterbi School of Engineering laboratory, taking note.
US unveils plan to make online transactions safer
(AP) -- In the murky world of the Internet, how do you ever really know who you're talking to, who you're buying from or if your bank can actually tell it's you when you log in to pay a bill?
ATM hack promises teller machine jackpot
Computer security researchers are heading to Las Vegas with a software hack that gets bank teller machines to spew out cash jackpots.
Microsoft in legal duel with cloud computing star Salesforce
Packaged software king Microsoft and cloud computing prince Salesforce.com are duelling in US courts, with each accusing the other of violating its patented technology.
Medicine & Health news
Bird flu: In the plumage the secret of virus spread success
International team of Italy-US scientists reports discovery of a new mechanism of avian influenza virus circulation and transmission in nature.
Can too much HDL be harmful to women with type 1 diabetes?
Elevated blood levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or "good" cholesterol, typically thought to protect against heart disease, may do the opposite in women with type 1 diabetes, according to a University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health study being presented at the 70th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association.
No heart benefit from Omega-3 in women with type 1 diabetes
Consuming higher amounts of omega-3 fatty acids does not appear to lower heart disease risk for women with type 1 diabetes, according to a University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health study being presented at the 70th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association.
Minor kidney damage in people with type 1 diabetes leads to increased mortality
People with type 1 diabetes who have early and asymptomatic kidney damage, as indicated by small amounts of protein in the urine, are six times more likely to die compared to the general population, say researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. Their study, being presented at the 70th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association, also found that when kidneys remained normal over time, people with type 1 diabetes had no greater risk of death than their healthy counterparts.
Promising results in treating depression
Only 6 percent of Minnesotans treated for depression at primary care clinics report that they're free of symptoms within six months, according to a new report by MN Community Measurement, a health-care quality group.
Cancer drug Avastin may cause kidney damage, study finds
A widely prescribed cancer drug noted for its ability to choke off blood vessels that help tumors grow can cause significant kidney damage in some patients, a team of Long Island scientists has found.
Studies identify genetic links to kidney disease, kidney failure
Researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) will make two presentations at this week's 70th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association, June 25-29, in Orlando, Florida.
Jet Lag Sends Brain Ahead A Time Zone, Leaves Kidneys In Another
Human beings aren't built to cross time zones. After an international flight, it takes days for the body to overcome the fatigue and nausea of jet lag, the biological price of doing business in the modern world.
Scientists say blood test could predict menopause
(AP) -- Doctors could one day use a blood test to predict decades in advance when women will go into menopause, scientists say.
Gestational diabetes linked to serotonin and dietary protein
The cause of diabetes during pregnancy is directly controlled by serotonin, a chemical produced by the body and normally known as a neurotransmitter, and is influenced by the amount of protein in the mother's diet early in pregnancy, according to new findings of an international team led by researchers at UCSF.
Biology news
Ascension Island 'extinct' parsley fern rediscovered during International Year of Biodiversity
The rediscovery of a fern, long thought to be extinct, is part of a rescue effort to save the plants of the tiny UK overseas territory of Ascension Island in the South Atlantic - a fitting success story during the UN's International Year of Biodiversity.
A cell turns into a virus factory
Bunyaviruses are poorly researched, despite their diversity and importance in relation to animal and human diseases. ETH Zurich researchers led by virologist Ari Helenius have now discovered the tricks used by the Uukuniemi virus, a representative of this distinguished virus community, to sneak into cells.
Bumble bee visits a fritillary
Bumble bees can see which fritillary has the most nectar. Pollination by the bees protects plants against moulds.
What is killing Argentina's right whales?
Fatal strandings of southern right whales around Argentina's Valdes Peninsula have soared in recent years, and worried scientists are not sure why, the International Whaling Commission heard Friday.
Warming Climate Means Trouble For Southwest Plantlife
This month, fires have charred tens of thousands of acres in New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona. After more than a decade of drought, these large seasonal fires are increasingly a part of life in the Southwest, and fire can be revitalizing in many conifer forests.
Soil-borne pathogens drive tree diversity in forests, study shows
What determines plant diversity in a forest? It's a question even Charles Darwin wanted to unravel. But most research into forest diversity demonstrates only patterns of species survival and abundance rather than the reason for them - until now.
Chromosomal variations found in early passage female embryonic stem cells
Human embryonic stem cells hold great promise for studying and treating disease and for the practice of regenerative medicine. However, more must be learned to ensure the cells that may one day be transplanted into humans are safe.
Same types of cell respond differently to stimulus, study shows
Using new technology that allows scientists to monitor how individual cells react in the complex system of cell signaling, Stanford University researchers have uncovered a much larger spectrum of differences between each cell than ever seen before.
Technique enables precise control of protein activity in living cells
Cancer occurs when human cells move and multiply inappropriately. Within cells, a process called phosphorylation serves as an on/off switch for a number of cellular processes that can be involved in cancer, including metabolism, transcription, configuration, movement, cell death and differentiation. This process is controlled by a group of enzymes called protein kinases that - working together and separately - modify the structure of proteins, changing them and allowing them to control cellular processes.
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