Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for June 29, 2010:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Scientists report first monolithic terahertz solid-state transceiver- Solar camera strap could put an end to dead dSLR batteries
- Male Mexican mollies grow mustaches to attract mates
- Zapping Titan-like atmosphere with UV rays creates life precursors
- 'Quake' reveals how eyes and ears keep us balanced
- 'Galactic archaeologists' find origin of Milky Way's ancient stars
- Depressed mice could aid research on drug-resistant depression in humans
- Can you make a snail forget?
- Key mechanism in the brain's computation of sound location identified
- Putting muscle into birdsong: Wide range of pitch is due to vocal muscles more than air pressure
- Voyager 2 at 12,000 Days: The Super-Marathon Continues
- Deaths in the family cause bacteria to flee
- Scientists develop technology to produce sugar from photosynthetic bacteria
- Diamonds and the holy grail of quantum computing
- Key component indentified that helps plants go green
Space & Earth news
US approach to farming should change to meet new challenges, expanding needs
U.S. farmers are under pressure to produce more, pollute less, fulfill consumer preferences, and make a living -- all with increasingly scarce natural resources and the uncertain effects of climate change, says a new report from the National Research Council. To help U.S. agriculture evolve to meet these demands, the report concludes, national agricultural policies and research programs should look beyond focusing only on low costs and high production and adopt a holistic perspective to farming that encompasses multiple end goals.
Trashing the ocean
(PhysOrg.com) -- UC Irvine professor William Cooper follows the trail of plastic debris that's spreading from the coast to the deep sea.
Space Image: Ghostly Encounter
(PhysOrg.com) -- The surface of Saturn's moon Dione is rendered in crisp detail against a hazy, ghostly Titan. Visible in this image are hints of atmospheric banding around Titan's north pole.
Meteorologist's weather technology aids soldiers, civilians
(PhysOrg.com) -- From battlefields to civilian settings, David Stauffer's combination of weather and technology saves lives. Stauffer, a senior research associate and associate professor of meteorology at Penn State, and his research team helped develop the Meteorological Measuring Set - Profiler (MMS-P). The Profiler is an automated computerized weather forecast system that runs in the back of specially equipped Humvees to provide detailed "nowcast" information to the Army.
Healthy watersheds can sustain water supplies, aquatic ecosystems in a changing climate
The U.S. Forest Service's Pacific Northwest (PNW) Research Station has published a report about the role of forests in the stewardship of water in a changing climate.
'Hitchhiker' EPOXI: Next Stop, Comet Hartley 2
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Deep Impact/EPOXI spacecraft flew past Earth Sunday (June 27) at approximately 3:03 p.m. Pacific time (6:03 p.m. Eastern time), as planned.
ESA to set tiny hair-like Webb Telescope microshutters
Tiny little shutters as small as the width of a human hair are a key component in the James Webb Space Telescope's ability to see huge distances in the cosmos, and they have now arrived at the European Space Agency. Those little "shutters" are actually called "microshutters" and they are tiny doorways that focus the attention of the infrared camera on specific targets to the exclusion of others. They will focus in on objects like very distant stars and galaxies.
TRMM satellite sees Darby's remnants still kicking up isolated showers
A trough is an elongated area of low pressure and that's what the remnants of the once major hurricane known as Darby are becoming today. On June 28 at 6:55 p.m. EDT NASA and the Japanese Space Agency's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured isolated areas of rainfall off the western Mexico coast from Darby's remnants.
GOES satellite sees Celia's remnants a shadow of her former self
The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-11 captured a visible image of Celia's remnants on June 29 at 8:45 a.m. EDT revealing it to be a light swirl of clouds in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
NASA data see Alex's core aligned, growing toward hurricane strength
Two instruments aboard NASA's Aqua satellite have provided some critical information to hurricane forecasters about tropical storm Alex as it threatens the northern Mexico and southern Texas coasts. Data from those two instruments were used in the National Hurricane Center's forecast at 8 a.m. EDT today, June 29 as they provided information on Alex's structure, direction, cloud top temperatures and convection.
Is oil spill also fouling the air?
(PhysOrg.com) -- UCI researchers find disturbing amounts of certain gases above massive Gulf slick. More study is needed.
Mars Rover Seeing Destination in More Detail
(PhysOrg.com) -- Mars rover team members have begun informally naming features around the rim of Endeavour Crater, as they develop plans to investigate that destination when NASA's Opportunity rover arrives there after many more months of driving.
Planet and star are indeed moving together
(PhysOrg.com) -- A planet about eight times the mass of Jupiter has been confirmed to orbit a Sun-like star that's some 300 times farther from its own star than Earth is from its sun.
Arctic climate may be more sensitive to warming than thought, says new study
A new study shows the Arctic climate system may be more sensitive to greenhouse warming than previously thought, and that current levels of Earth's atmospheric carbon dioxide may be high enough to bring about significant, irreversible shifts in Arctic ecosystems.
'Galactic archaeologists' find origin of Milky Way's ancient stars
Many of the Milky Way's ancient stars are remnants of other smaller galaxies torn apart by violent galactic collisions around five billion years ago, according to researchers at Durham University.
Voyager 2 at 12,000 Days: The Super-Marathon Continues
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's plucky Voyager 2 spacecraft has hit a long-haul operations milestone today -- operating continuously for 12,000 days.
GOCE giving new insights into Earth's gravity (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- The first global gravity model based on GOCE satellite data has been presented at ESA's Living Planet Symposium. ESA launched GOCE in March 2009 to map Earth's gravity with unprecedented accuracy and resolution.
Technology news
Foxconn plans China plant amid suicide scrutiny
(AP) -- Foxconn Technology, a supplier to Apple Inc., looks ready to build a huge new factory in north-central China despite the company's own misgivings about city-sized manufacturing facilities after a spate of suicides among its young migrant work force.
Computer modeling to build better mud bricks
Rammed earth and stabilized mud block or brick are cheap, easy to make, usually durable materials widely used for building homes and low-level structures, especially in developing countries. Despite their widespread use and long history, the structural properties of these materials are not well understood, so how they could be manufactured to better withstand destructive natural forces, such as earthquakes and weathering, remains a goal.
Google scrambles to save Internet license in China (Update)
(AP) -- China is threatening to revoke Google's business license over the company's decision to redirect Chinese traffic to computers in Hong Kong that are not governed by the communist government's censorship practices.
Future looks sunny for Bangkok's tuk-tuks
Prapai Hemsuwan gunned the engine of his emerald green three-wheeler, sending it into a fit of rasping coughs and causing clouds of black smoke to belch into the air.
ON24 launching virtual briefing centers
A company called ON24 thinks businesses that have ridden out the global financial chaos are ready for Virtual Briefing Centers that let them save time and money with online gatherings.
MapQuest beta version has a cleaner, simpler look
(AP) -- MapQuest was long the leader among websites giving people online directions, but Google Maps surpassed it in 2008. MapQuest wants those eyeballs back.
MOG, Rdio new entrants to $10-a-month mobile music
(AP) -- Two more companies are jumping into the mobile streaming music field with applications that work on iPhones, giving consumers new ways to listen to millions of tracks on the go for about $10 a month.
S.Korea's SK Telecom invests $100m in Malaysia
South Korea's top mobile network operator SK Telecom Tuesday announced a 100 million dollar investment in a Malaysian firm to tap into regional high-speed Internet services.
Security glitch exposes WellPoint data again
(AP) -- WellPoint Inc. has notified 470,000 individual insurance customers that medical records, credit card numbers and other sensitive information may have been exposed in the latest security breach of the health insurer's records.
Future computing in the ether
(PhysOrg.com) -- As computer networks become more complex and pervasive, and their development is in a state of constant flux, leaving their design and management to human intervention is becoming increasingly unfeasible. An EU-funded project has come up with an innovative, self-adaptive architecture to enable future ubiquitous networks to deal automatically with changing circumstances.
Taiwan LCD maker to pay $30 million fine in US case
A Taiwanese maker of liquid crystal display panels has agreed to pay a 30-million-dollar fine for its role in a price-fixing conspiracy, the US Justice Department said Tuesday.
Study shows stability and utility of floating wind turbines
Wind turbines may be one of the best renewable energy solutions, but as turbines get larger they also get noisier, become more of an eyesore, and require increasingly larger expanses of land. One solution: ocean-based wind turbines. While offshore turbines already have been constructed, they've traditionally been situated in shallow waters, where the tower extends directly into the seabed. That restricts the turbines to near-shore waters with depths no greater than 50 meters -- and precludes their use in deeper waters, where winds generally gust at higher speeds.
Feds: Colleges must have blind-friendly gadgets
(AP) -- Federal officials are requiring colleges that use Kindles and other electronic book readers in the classroom to make sure the gadgets have accommodations for blind and vision-impaired students.
Technology-loving Virgin America goes international
Billionaire Sir Richard Branson propped up his shoeless feet as he headed from San Francisco to Toronto on his technology-loving airline's inaugural international flight.
Scientists Develop World's Fastest Program to Find Patterns in Social Networks
(PhysOrg.com) -- As social networks like Facebook, Flickr, Youtube and Twitter increasingly make it possible to access appropriate information within their networks, a whole host of new applications become possible. For individuals, search engines could better differentiate "friends" and suggest groups with more closely matched interests or concerns. Businesses could search allowed information to offer products or services better matched to customers. And national security and counter-terror analysts, with appropriate court authorization, could look for "groups of people within social networks that match certain characteristics.
Solar-powered plane set for pioneering night flight Thursday
The prototype of a pioneering Swiss bid to fly around the world on solar energy aims to take to the skies on Thursday in the first attempt at a night flight fuelled by the sun, the team said.
Hulu launches $10 video subscription service
(AP) -- Online video site Hulu, under pressure from its media company parents to generate a bigger profit, launched a subscription service Tuesday with complete access to back episodes of popular television shows.
Non-contact sensors can detect a heartbeat up to a meter away
(PhysOrg.com) -- Sensors that can detect a heartbeat up to a meter away are now a reality thanks to a team of scientists at the University of Sussex.
Solar camera strap could put an end to dead dSLR batteries
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new concept introduced by Yanko Designs could put an end to dead batteries on photography excursions. The Solar Camera Strap is a sturdy strap to secure the camera and to power it via thin solar panels across the width of the strap.
Medicine & Health news
Lower back pain and surgery
A literature review, led by Dr. Joseph Lee, published in the June 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS) suggests that a herniated disk is one of the most frequent causes of low back and leg pain in adults, but surgery is not for everyone. Between 60 and 80 percent of people will experience low back pain at some point in their lives
China, US open disease study center in Shanghai
(AP) -- American and Shanghai health authorities opened an epidemiology center in the Chinese city Tuesday to train experts in sleuthing out ways to prevent chronic and epidemic diseases.
Vanderbilt Nephrologist Says Lower BP Guideline Has Unproven Benefit and Safety
(PhysOrg.com) -- Could guidelines recommending lower blood pressures (130/80mmHg) for patients do more harm than good? One Vanderbilt physician says it is a question that needs to be answered; especially at a time when compliance with such guidelines is being examined for a way to judge the quality of medical practice.
Cut the Cost of Baby Food by Making It at Home
(PhysOrg.com) -- Think of green baby food, and pureed peas or string beans come to mind. But when Kate Yerxa was asked how people could save money by making their own baby food, the green she saw was dollars.
Sensor and insulin pump results in better blood-sugar control in all age groups with diabetes
Adding a continuous blood sugar level sensor to an insulin pump helps patients with type 1 diabetes achieve better blood sugar control compared to the common standard of care, multiple daily insulin injections, concludes a study published on-line today in the New England Journal of Medicine.
FDA approves trial for type 1 diabetes treatment
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Investigational New Drug (IND) regulatory clearance to initiate a Phase I/II clinical trial evaluating Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT) in type 1 diabetics, based on research by Dr. Eli Lewis of Israel's Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
A community approach to kicking the habit
A team of health researchers from The University of Nottingham are spearheading a new project to reduce tobacco use in an area which has one of the highest rates of smoking in the country.
Experts analyze benefits, opportunities and challenges of Medicare Part D
The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (Medicare Part D) added prescription drug coverage to Medicare beginning in January 2006. This has dramatically reshaped the prescription drug insurance market and has had significant effects on insurers, beneficiaries, and providers. For researchers, it has provided a rich source of research questions to examine. A special themed issue of Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy analyzes the benefits, opportunities and challenges afforded by the Medicare Part D drug benefit program from different perspectives - from providers and pharmacists to patients.
Internists outline comprehensive federal strategy to control tobacco use
"While tobacco use has decreased drastically over the last few decades, we still have a long way to go," American College of Physicians (ACP) President, J. Fred Ralston, Jr., MD, FACP, said as a new ACP policy monograph was released today. In Tobacco Control and Prevention, ACP called for a comprehensive federal strategy to control tobacco use, rather than the piecemeal actions being taken by states currently.
Counseling increased mammography use among low-income women with health insurance
Even with health insurance, low-income women had lower rates of mammography screening than middle-class women, but a counseling program increased the likelihood of screening.
Pay-for-performance for hospitals
Pay-for-performance initiatives - in which health care providers are rewarded with more funds for meeting clinical targets - have been adopted in the UK and Australia. The approach has been piloted in the US by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which is responsible for government-sponsored health insurance.
UK's reliance on locums putting patient safety at risk, warns doctor
Professor Chris Isles from the Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary in Scotland recounts his frustrating hunt to fill his medical staff rota using locums, leading him to some critical conclusions about the poorly regulated locum sector in the UK.
Survey Shows Dogma, Not Data, Can Dictate Doctors' Decisions
(PhysOrg.com) -- New research published this month gives a glimpse into how medicine is often based on habit, not hard data, according to study author Jacob Moalem, M.D., FACS, an endocrine surgeon at the University of Rochester Medical Center.
Community-based education strengthens campaign for elimination of lymphatic filariasis
Community-based lymphatic filariasis education in Orissa State, India, increased treatment compliance from around 50% to up to 90%, according to a study published June 29 in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. In their study, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in partnership with the Church's Auxiliary for Social Action, an India-based non-governmental organization, and IMA World Health, a US-based non-governmental organization, identified barriers to compliance with India's MDA program for LF, and suggest that timely educational and lymphedema management programs can reverse this trend.
Older adults watch more TV than younger people, enjoy it less
We usually scold our children and teenagers for watching too much TV. It turns out that their grandmas and grandpas spend even more of their time watching TV, and it is not good for them either, according to researchers at the Stein Institute for Research on Aging and Rady School of Management at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.
Fireworks can cause hearing loss in children
(PhysOrg.com) -- As the Fourth of July approaches, parents should remember that fireworks could cause permanent hearing loss in children, says a Purdue expert.
Mad? Sad? Glad? People with severe mental illness can't easily 'read' their partner's feelings
(PhysOrg.com) -- For a healthy couple in a romantic relationship, getting along can be hard enough. But what if one person has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depression?
Ovarian transplantation restores fertility to old mice and also lengthens their lives
Scientists have discovered that when they transplant ovaries from young mice into aging female mice, not only does the procedure make the mice fertile again, but also it rejuvenates their behaviour and increases their lifespan. The question now is: could ovarian transplants in women have the same effect?
WIC might prevent mothers from feeding cow's milk too early
Some low-income mothers are more likely than others to introduce their infants to cow's milk too soon. In doing so, they may put their children at risk of health complications, according to a study by researchers at Penn State and the Institute for Children and Poverty, New York.
Despite countless changes, original HIV infection lurks within
Scientists have been surprised to learn that, despite thousands of changes that viruses like HIV undergo in rapid fashion to evade the body's immune system, the original version that caused the infection is still present in the body months later.
Large decline in impulsivity in early adulthood related to decrease in alcohol consumption
Previous studies have found that the personality trait impulsivity, or a lack of planning and forethought regarding behaviors, is associated with alcohol use and alcohol-use disorders. For most individuals, impulsivity decreases during emerging and young adulthood. Some, however, do not "mature out" of impulsivity. Now, University of Missouri researchers have found that individuals who exhibited the largest declines in impulsivity from ages 18-25 also exhibited the sharpest decreases in alcohol consumption during this time frame. Understanding why some individuals "mature out" of impulsivity and others do not could lead to improved treatment for alcohol-use disorders.
Study finds no link between diabetes drug rosiglitazone and increased rate of heart attack
The diabetes drug rosiglitazone has been under intense scrutiny since a 2007 study in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at more than 40 clinical trials and linked the drug's use with increased risk of heart attack and death from heart disease.
Including families in hospital-care discussions improves communication, benefits medical trainees
It has long been routine for individual medical professionals to go room-to-room on "rounds" to evaluate hospitalized patients.
Lead poisoning highly prevalent among school-aged children in Uganda
Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that children living near the Kiteezi landfill in Kampala, Uganda, have blood lead levels nearly 20 times as high as the typical lead level found in U.S. children. The data are published in the current issue of Environmental Health Perspectives.
ACCORD eye study finds 2 therapies slow diabetic eye disease progression
In high-risk adults with type 2 diabetes, researchers have found that two therapies may slow the progression of diabetic retinopathy, an eye disease that is the leading cause of vision loss in working-age Americans.
Near-normal blood sugar target did not delay risk of organ damage in people with diabetes
In people with longstanding type 2 diabetes who are at high risk for heart attack and stroke, lowering blood sugar to near-normal levels did not delay the combined risk of diabetic damage to kidneys, eyes, or nerves, but did delay several other signs of diabetic damage, a study has found. The intensive glucose treatment was compared with standard glucose control.
Hyperoxia may slow formation of wrinkles
It's no secret that UVB radiation from the sun causes wrinkles. However, a Japanese study published in the American Journal of Physiology -- Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology indicates that oxygen may help combat the formation of wrinkles by lessening tissue damage done by UVB rays.
Examining risks and benefits of alcohol consumption
A discussion by renowned epidemiologist Kenneth Mukamal has recently been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, JAMA. It provides a discussion in response to a theoretical question, - if you are a 42 year old male, should you drink alcohol ( in moderation) for your health?
Researchers suggest new paradigm for breast cancer screening
Should we spend more money urging women to use mammography screening on a regular basis or should those dollars and effort be used for discovering and developing better early detection tests?
Smoking-related colorectal cancer in older women is associated with molecularly-defined DNA changes
Smoking, an established risk factor for colon cancer, may induce specific epigenetic changes and gene mutations that may be involved in the development of colon cancer, according to an online study published June 29 in the Journal of The National Cancer Institute.
Olympic gold? A new effect of caffeine boosts performance
New research shows increased muscle performance in sub-maximal activities, which in humans can range from everyday activities to running a marathon.
Huntington's disease greatly underestimated in the UK
The prevalence of Huntington's disease (HD) is substantially underestimated in the UK, with significant implications for those affected, the healthcare system, and research. New estimates of prevalence, and their implications, are discussed in a Comment published Online First and in an upcoming Lancet, written by Professor Sir Michael Rawlins, who is the Chairman of the UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), but writes in his capacity as an Honorary Professor of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK.
Excess weight linked to increased risk of dying from cancer in populations of Asia-Pacific
Overweight and obese individuals from the Asia-Pacific region are significantly more likely to die from cancer compared with individuals in the normal weight range. New strategies are urgently needed to tackle the obesity epidemic in Asia to prevent further increases in the cancer burden in this region, concludes an Article published Online First in the Lancet Oncology.
Venetian blinds can cause accidental strangulation
Dr Mahesh Masand, consultant paediatrician at Dr Grays Hospital in Elgin, Scotland, recounts the day when a 22-month-old girl was rushed to A&E after her mother found the toddler hanging from the looped cord of a Venetian blind in her bedroom. The little girl was kept on a ventilator for three days and discharged with no complications after seven days.
Prolonged altitude training could reduce endurance
(PhysOrg.com) -- New research suggests that athletes and footballers may want to limit the time they spend training at altitude to improve their performance.
Study Suggests Ways to Ease Effects of Primary Care Doctor Shortage
(PhysOrg.com) -- A national shortage of primary care doctors plus a growing population of older adults, many with chronic diseases, is leading in some areas such as western Massachusetts to longer wait times to see a doctor and is reducing patients' chances of seeing their own physician, experts say. These problems can lead to "fragmented" care, worsen health outcomes and overtax emergency rooms.
Lizard reveals cancer secrets
(PhysOrg.com) -- A compound produced by a pregnant lizard may provide important information on the origins and treatment of cancer in humans, according to zoologist Bridget Murphy from the School of Biological Sciences who discovered the protein, which is pivotal to the development of the lizard placenta.
Importance of cell-cell communication
A team from the Bristol Heart Institute have investigated the importance of cell-cell communication in regulating the formation of new blood vessels following the restriction in blood supply to the heart or back leg in mice.
Vanderbilt Doctors Warn to Protect Your Eyes from the Sun's Damaging Rays
(PhysOrg.com) -- When it comes to damaging sun rays, skin protection is a top priority for many. But there is another area that needs to be brought into focus -- the eyes.
Subtle Mutations in Immune Gene May Increase Risk for Asthma
A gene that encodes a protein responsible for determining whether certain immune cells live or die shows subtle differences in some people with asthma, a team led by Johns Hopkins researchers reports in the June European Journal of Human Genetics.
New UGA temperature table may help reduce heat-related deaths of children in closed cars
The heat of summer brings trips to the lake, afternoons at the beach and vacations in the mountains. It also arrives with the threat of dangerous conditions in closed cars, where children left alone for even a few minutes can lead to tragedy.
Mystery unraveled: How asbestos causes cancer
More than 20 million people in the U.S., and many more worldwide, who have been exposed to asbestos are at risk of developing mesothelioma, a malignant cancer of the membranes that cover the lungs and abdomen that is resistant to current therapies. Moreover, asbestos exposure increases the risk of lung cancer among smokers. For the past 40 years researchers have tried to understand why asbestos causes cancer.
Study shows age doesn't necessarily affect decision-making
Many people believe that getting older means losing a mental edge, leading to poor decision-making. But a new study from North Carolina State University shows that when it comes to making intuitive decisions - using your "gut instincts" - older adults fare as well as their juniors.
A 1-2 punch: Embryonic cell and adult pig islet transplants cure diabetes in rats
In a step toward curing diabetes in humans, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have alleviated the disease in rats using transplants from both embryonic and adult pigs.
Is your left hand more motivated than your right hand?
Motivation doesn't have to be conscious; your brain can decide how much it wants something without input from your conscious mind. Now a new study shows that both halves of your brain don't even have to agree. Motivation can happen in one side of the brain at a time.
Study shows how dietary supplement may block cancer cells
Researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC-James) have discovered how a substance that is produced when eating broccoli and Brussels sprouts can block the proliferation of cancer cells.
Brain's energy restored during sleep, suggests animal study
In the initial stages of sleep, energy levels increase dramatically in brain regions found to be active during waking hours, according to new research in the June 30 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. These results suggest that a surge of cellular energy may replenish brain processes needed to function normally while awake.
Impulsive, weak-willed or just too much dopamine?
It's a common scenario: you're on a diet, determined to give up eating cakes, but as you pass the cake counter, all resolve disappears... Now, scientists at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL (University College London) have shed light on the brain processes that affect our will power and make us act impulsively.
Key mechanism in the brain's computation of sound location identified
New York University researchers have identified a mechanism the brain uses to help process sound localization. Their findings, which appear in the latest edition of the journal PLoS Biology, focus on how the brain computes the different arrival times of sound into each ear to estimate the location of its source.
Depressed mice could aid research on drug-resistant depression in humans
New research shows that a unique strain of laboratory mice characterized at Penn State University has behavioral, hormonal, and neurochemical characteristics that are similar to those of human patients with drug-resistant forms of depression. The mice -- which have a defect in a gene -- are expected to be useful as a new model organism in the effort to develop more effective medications for specific forms of depression. The research, led by Bernhard Luscher, a professor of biology at Penn State, will be published in the journal Biological Psychiatry.
'Quake' reveals how eyes and ears keep us balanced
(PhysOrg.com) -- An earthquake machine has been used by vision scientists to confirm that instead of working in isolation, our visual and middle-ear systems work together, to give us an improved sense of balance.
Biology news
UF releases ornamental peanut plants for use as lawn, groundcover
Homeowners tired of watering, fertilizing and mowing grass have a new low-maintenance lawn option -- peanuts.
Study sheds new light on deadly squirrel pox virus
(PhysOrg.com) -- Bird tables which bring red and grey squirrels into close contact could be contributing to the spread of the squirrel pox virus by creating a 'hotspot' for the disease.
Desert bats reveal the secret of their survival
This is surprising as with large naked wings and the energy they expend in flight, bats are expected to have high rates of water loss by evaporation, say the scientists from the Ben-Gurion University in Israel.
Geneticists shed light on flowering plants
A team of researchers from Warwick have isolated a gene responsible for regulating the expression of CONSTANS, an important inducer of flowering, in Arabidopsis.
Feast and famine: MRI reveals secrets of animal anatomy
Danish scientists have used Computer Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to investigate internal organs in animals including alligators, snakes and tarantulas.
Turning back the cellular clock
Cell reprogramming calls The Curious Case of Benjamin Button to mind.
Putting muscle into birdsong: Wide range of pitch is due to vocal muscles more than air pressure
Female zebra finches don't sing but make one-note, low-pitch calls. Males sing over a wide range of frequencies. University of Utah scientists discovered how: The males' stronger vocal muscles, not the pressure of air flowing through their lungs, lets them sing from the B note above middle C all the way to a whistle beyond the high end of a piano keyboard.
Can you make a snail forget?
Predator scent enhanced the ability of pond snails (Lymnaea stagnalis) to form memory following training, whilst overcrowding and reduced calcium had a blocking effect.
Deaths in the family cause bacteria to flee
(PhysOrg.com) -- The deaths of nearby relatives has a curious effect on the bacterium Caulobacter crescentus -- surviving cells lose their stickiness.
Key component indentified that helps plants go green
A team of researchers from Duke University and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies has found a central part in the machinery that turns plants green when they sense light.
Male Mexican mollies grow mustaches to attract mates
(PhysOrg.com) -- Some male Mexican molly fish sport a structure like a mustache on their top lips, which scientists have now discovered are attractive to female mollies and may represent a sexually selected trait.
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