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Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for June 30, 2010:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Melanoma-initiating cell identified- Bridging the classical/quantum divide
- Computer automatically deciphers ancient language
- Unpeeling atoms and molecules from the inside out
- Sauropods in Argentina kept their eggs warm near geothermal vents
- Flying car should be available next year (w/ Video)
- A butterfly effect in the brain
- Beverages leave 'geographic signatures' that can track people's movements
- Feathered friends: Ostriches provide clues to dinosaur movement
- A Black Hole Slingshot?
- Psychological research conducted in WEIRD nations may not apply to global populations
- Scientists Advance Quantum Computing & Energy Conversion Tech
- Anger drives support for wartime presidents
- Giant predatory whale named for 'Moby Dick' author
- Calling all antenna engineers: Apple needs you
Space & Earth news
SMOS shines at symposium
Today, a focus at ESA's Living Planet Symposium is on the innovative SMOS mission, which recently became operational. Early results are proving very encouraging with its first observations due to be released in early July.
Eternally green: New eco-friendly cremations and burials
People who care about improving the environment in life may soon be able to do so after death. Entrepreneurs in Europe have developed two new and unusual methods of body disposal — including a low-heat cremation method and a corpse compost method that turns bodies into soil — that could provide environmentally friendly alternatives to those now in use. That's the topic of an article in the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), ACS' weekly newsmagazine.
More oil spills to come, says WUSTL anthropologist
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is not simply a random accident. There will be more of these spills to come, as the days of easy oil are over, says an anthropologist at Washington University in St. Louis.
China sets sail for the Arctic
A Chinese research vessel and ice-breaker is due to set sail this week for the Arctic, a region much coveted by Beijing for its wealth of scientific data and natural resources.
Warmer ecosystems could absorb less atmospheric carbon dioxide
(PhysOrg.com) -- Research by scientists at Queen Mary, University of London has found that a predicted rise in global temperature of 4°C by 2100 could lead to a 13% reduction in ecosystems' ability to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.
Scientists warn increase in Amazon fires threatens UN-led carbon savings
(PhysOrg.com) -- Research at the University of Exeter in the UK has revealed that farmers in the Amazon are lighting more fires in areas with reduced deforestation, and thereby threatening to cancel out carbon savings achieved by United Nations (UN) measures. Naturally occurring fires are rare in the Amazon, but Brazilian farmers frequently burn agricultural land every three to five years to improve soil nutrients and keep the land at an optimal level to produce food. The research, funded by the UK's National Environment Research Council (NERC), was presented in the journal Science.
Engineers Assess Dawn's Reaction Wheel
(PhysOrg.com) -- Engineers are studying the reaction wheels on NASA's Dawn spacecraft after automatic sensors detected excess friction building up in one of them and powered it off early on the morning of June 17, 2010. Reaction wheels spin to help a spacecraft maintain attitude control, and Dawn, which is exploring the asteroid belt, uses three wheels in normal operations.
Alex Stirs Up the Gulf
(PhysOrg.com) -- Tropical Storm Alex, soon to be a hurricane, churns its way through the western half of the Gulf of Mexico in this NASA infrared image taken Tuesday afternoon, June 29.
Conserving nature and dollars: Delivering cost-effective biodiversity protection
A more flexible approach to the expansion of protected area systems could ultimately protect much more biodiversity for the same budget according to a new paper in the scientific journal Nature. Lead author Dr Richard Fuller of the CSIRO Climate Adaptation Flagship and The University of Queensland said that without spending extra money "we could dramatically improve the performance of protected area systems by replacing a small number of poor performing areas with more cost-effective ones".
Proba-2 tracks Sun surging into space (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- Proba-2 is a small but innovative member of ESA's spacecraft fleet, crammed with experimental technologies. In its first eight months of life it has already returned more than 90 000 images of the Sun.
Man-made global warming started with ancient hunters: study
Even before the dawn of agriculture, people may have caused the planet to warm up, a new study suggests.
Discovery of a complex, multicellular life from over two billion years ago
The discovery in Gabon of more than 250 fossils in an excellent state of conservation has provided proof, for the first time, of the existence of multicellular organisms 2.1 billion years ago. This finding represents a major breakthrough: until now, the first complex life forms (made up of several cells) dated from around 600 million years ago.
Revolutionary Communications System Promises New Generation of Untethered, Undersea Vehicles
(PhysOrg.com) -- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) engineers and scientists are employing a combination of new undersea technologies to re-define how we think of tethered, remotely operated vehicles.
NASA's TRMM satellite sees heavy rainfall in Hurricane Alex
Hurricane Alex is generating some very heavy rainfall, and the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite known as TRMM has been calculating it from its orbit in space.
Switching off your lights has a bigger impact than you might think, says new study
(PhysOrg.com) -- Switching off lights, turning the television off at the mains and using cooler washing cycles could have a much bigger impact on reducing carbon dioxide emissions from power stations than previously thought, according to a new study published this month in the journal Energy Policy. The study shows that the figure used by government advisors to estimate the amount of carbon dioxide saved by reducing people's electricity consumption is up to 60 percent too low.
Coccolithophore growth and calcification -- a possible role for iron
Lack of sufficient iron may be a significant factor in controlling massive blooms of Emiliania huxleyi, a globally important species of marine algae or phytoplankton, according to research led by researchers at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Southampton.
R Coronae Australis: A cosmic watercolor (w/ Video)
The star R Coronae Australis lies in one of the nearest and most spectacular star-forming regions. This portrait was taken by the Wide Field Imager (WFI) on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. The image is a combination of twelve separate pictures taken through red, green and blue filters.
Nitrogen pollution alters global change scenarios from the ground up
As atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rise, so does the pressure on the plant kingdom. The hope among policymakers, scientists and concerned citizens is that plants will absorb some of the extra CO2 and mitigate the impacts of climate change. For a few decades now, researchers have hypothesized about one major roadblock: nitrogen.
A Black Hole Slingshot?
(PhysOrg.com) -- Evidence for a recoiling black hole has been found using data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, XMM-Newton, the Hubble Space Telescope, and several ground-based telescopes.
Technology news
Intel Labs Aims to Reinvent How People Experience Computing
At the Intel Labs' annual Research at Intel media event today, Intel Corporation Chief Technology Officer Justin Rattner announced a new research division, called Interaction and Experience Research (IXR), that is focused on defining new user experiences and new computing platforms. The innovations coming out of the labs are expected to help re-imagine how we will all experience computing in the future.
IBM Launches Berlitz's Language Services into SPACE with Social Analytics
IBM announced Berlitz International Inc.'s ambitious project to use social software and social analytics to improve the career development and satisfaction of its employees, helping them grow into global business leaders.
Romanian wind energy unit starts producing electricity
A wind energy unit in Romania expected to become the biggest in Europe next year has begun producing electricity, an official said Wednesday.
Facebook, Twitter powerful business tools: research group
Social media such as Facebook and Twitter or blogging sites have become powerful tools that influence what people buy, online researcher Nielsen said Wednesday, urging business to embrace the trend.
Portugal blocks Telefonica bid for Vivo
(AP) -- The Portuguese government used its special voting rights Wednesday to block Telefonica's euro7.15 billion ($8.72 billion) bid to buy Portugal Telecom's stake in Brazil's leading cell phone company Vivo.
Report: Apple's iPhone coming to Verizon as soon as January
Apple Inc. will launch its popular iPhone with Verizon Wireless as early as January, according to a media report Tuesday, which cited unnamed sources as confirming that widely anticipated step.
UCLA engineer's telemedicine invention poised to begin trials in Africa
Cell phones are accumulating a Swiss Army Knife-esqe assortment of capabilities; substituting as cameras, providing internet access, and soon operating as medical labs if Aydogan Ozcan's plans come to fruition. This month's cover article of the journal Lab on a Chip features the latest creation by the Ozcan group, a functioning prototype of a cell phone microscope. The lensless imaging platform behind the cell phone microscope is nearing readiness for real world trials, after receiving prestigious awards in the past month from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, National Geographic, and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Google Web search engine 'partially blocked' in China (Update)
Google's Web search engine in China was "partially blocked" on Wednesday, the deadline for the Chinese authorities to renew the Internet giant's business license.
Feds disable movie piracy websites in raids
(AP) -- U.S. officials on Wednesday announced a major crackdown on movie piracy that involved disabling nine websites that were offering downloads of pirated movies in some cases hours after they appeared in theaters.
Mileage markers: Argonne researchers recharge plug-in vehicle standards
(PhysOrg.com) -- Mike Duoba, a principal mechanical engineer at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory, and his colleagues are celebrating the recent approval of SAE J1711, the revised recommended practice for figuring out the fuel economy and exhaust emissions test procedures of hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs). The Argonne engineers primarily revised the test procedures to better evaluate PHEV technologies.
HEDGE technology eliminates low-speed pre-ignition in highly boosted engines
(PhysOrg.com) -- Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has successfully demonstrated that its HEDGE (High-Efficiency, Dilute Gasoline Engine) technology, using cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and advanced ignition systems, suppresses low-speed pre-ignition in turbocharged gasoline direct-injection engines. Low-speed pre-ignition (LSPI) causes heavy engine knock and can seriously damage engine parts or cause complete engine failure.
Google adds a personal touch to its news section
(AP) -- Google Inc. is giving its users the chance to tailor the news to fit their interests.
Woot there it is: Amazon buys deal-a-day website
(AP) -- Amazon.com Inc. has purchased deal-a-day website Woot.com.
Calling all antenna engineers: Apple needs you
(AP) -- Wanted: Three geniuses to improve iPhone antennas.
Researchers Turn Classic Children's Toy Into Tiny Motor
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have miniaturized a children's toy into a tiny motor that could one day power medical devices or harvest solar energy. The device, called a radiometer, is based on a classical light-powered, rotating vane most often seen in mall novelty stores. But this radiometer is the world's smallest, with blades as thick as a human hair and a diameter about that of an eyeglass screw.
Facebook launches 'permissions' for apps, websites
(AP) -- Facebook is rolling out a new feature that requires outside applications and websites to tell users exactly what parts of their profiles have to be shared for the apps to work.
Flying car should be available next year (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Federal Aviation Administration in the US has given approval to the Transition, a two-seater flying car developed over the last four years by Massachusetts Company, Terrafugia.
Computer automatically deciphers ancient language
In his 2002 book Lost Languages, Andrew Robinson, then the literary editor of the London Times' higher-education supplement, declared that "successful archaeological decipherment has turned out to require a synthesis of logic and intuition … that computers do not (and presumably cannot) possess."
Medicine & Health news
Europe leads the world in assisted-reproduction technology
Europe leads the world in Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) with most cycles initiated in the region, the 26th Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology heard today.
SAfrica sees rise in post-circumcision deaths
(AP) -- South African health officials said Tuesday they are alarmed by the rise in deaths among men who have had botched traditional circumcisions, after 39 young men died in the last month after undergoing the rite of passage into manhood.
Restore hearing thanks to new drug
Researchers from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, have discovered that a potent new drug restores hearing after noise-induced hearing loss in rats. The landmark discovery found that injection of an agent called 'ADAC', activates adenosine receptors in cochlear tissues, resulting in recovery of hearing function. The finding paves the way for effective non-surgical therapies to restore hearing loss after noise-induced injury. Dr. Srdjan Vlajkovic and his team's work is published in a special edition of Springer's journal Purinergic Signalling, focusing on the inner ear.
Do eggs matured in the laboratory result in babies with Large Offspring syndrome?
A review of studies of babies born after in vitro maturation (IVM) fertility treatment has suggested that they are more likely to be born larger than normal and to have more difficult births requiring more obstetric interventions such as caesareans.
Pathologists call for new training program to support personalized medicine
Doctors in the Department of Pathology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have issued "A Call to Action" for the medical profession to catch up with the technology and business communities in the application of genomics to personalized health care.
Resource guide for internists released by ACP
A practical resource guide for internists on recently-enacted health care reform legislation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), was released today by the American College of Physicians (ACP). An Internist's Practical Guide to Understanding Health System Reform was developed by ACP's Division of Governmental Affairs and Public Policy, a significant player in helping to shape this year's health care reform legislation.
Linguistics professor examines manufacturers' prescription drug websites
Dartmouth Linguistics Professor Lewis Glinert and Jon Schommer, the associate head of the Department of Pharmaceutical Care and Health Systems at the University of Minnesota, have examined the corporate websites dedicated to the 100 best-selling prescription drugs. They found a startling lack of consistency in an industry where advertising standards are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
University at Buffalo launches clinical trial of new multiple sclerosis treatment
Buffalo medical researchers led by a team from the University at Buffalo Department of Neurosurgery, will embark on a landmark prospective randomized double-blinded study to test the safety and efficacy of interventional endovascular therapy -- dubbed "liberation treatment" -- on the symptoms and progression of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
Prostate cancer study's dramatic results
(PhysOrg.com) -- The risk of death for men suffering from locally advanced or high-risk prostate cancer could be dramatically cut, according to a new international study involving Cardiff University.
Kilimani Sesame has positive impact on children in Tanzania: study
There are 8.3 million children who are 5 years and younger living in Tanzania. With limited access to formal education, can media intervention make a positive and significant impact on what these children learn? Sesame Workshop, which produces Kilimani Sesame, the Tanzanian version of Sesame Street, recently commissioned researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in full collaboration with a Dar es Salaam-based research team, to examine the effects of a six-week intervention delivering Kilimani Sesame content to 223 children in the rural district of Kisarawe and the city of Dar es Salaam. The article is expected to be published in July in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology.
Stem cells from fat may help heal bone
(PhysOrg.com) -- Wounded soldiers may one day be treated with stem cells from their own fat using a method under development at UC Davis.
New hope for victims of stroke
A drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis also reduces the damage a stroke inflicts on the brain according to lab research and preliminary findings from a clinical trial of stroke patients. The results open the door for a larger clinical study to refine the drug anakinra's use as an effective therapy for victims of stroke.
Experiencing different cultures enhances creativity
Creativity can be enhanced by experiencing cultures different from one's own, according to a study in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
Cancer drug shows promise for treating a wide range of inflammatory diseases
Those looking for a new treatment for a range of inflammatory diseases like arthritis, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, and lupus may need to look no further than a drug already available for treating cancer. In a research report published in the July 2010 print issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, Japanese scientists use mice to show that bortezomib, currently used to treat cancers that affect white blood cells, induces cell death only in harmful (active and proliferating) T cells, leaving the rest unharmed. If the results prove true in humans, it offers hope that this drugs or others similar to it might be used to treat inflammatory diseases without the side effects of current drugs that affect all T cells equally.
Virgin olive oil and a Mediterranean diet fight heart disease by changing how our genes function
Everyone knows olive oil and a Mediterranean diet are associated with a lower risk for cardiovascular disease, but a new research report published in the July 2010 print issue of the FASEB Journal offers a surprising reason why: These foods change how genes associated with atherosclerosis function.
New allocation formula could prevent waste and transplant delays
Only a small fraction of transplant centers nationwide are willing to accept and transplant deceased-donor kidneys that they perceive as less than perfect, leading to lengthy, organ-damaging delays as officials use a one-by-one approach to find a willing taker. Now, Johns Hopkins researchers have designed a formula they say can predict which donor kidneys are most likely to be caught in that process, a method that could potentially stop thousands of usable kidneys each year from being discarded because it took too long for them to be transplanted. Previous studies have shown such kidneys can extend the life of certain dialysis patients, if allocated and transplanted in a timely manner.
New cochlear implant could improve outcomes for patients
More electrodes and a thinner, more flexible wire inserted further into the inner ear could improve conventional cochlear implants, a team of Medical College of Georgia and Georgia Institute of Technology researchers say.
Exposure to secondhand smoke in the womb has lifelong impact
Newborns of non-smoking moms exposed to secondhand smoke during pregnancy have genetic mutations that may affect long-term health, according to a University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health study published online in the Open Pediatric Medicine Journal. The abnormalities, which were indistinguishable from those found in newborns of mothers who were active smokers, may affect survival, birth weight and lifelong susceptibility to diseases like cancer.
A key mechanism links virgin olive oil to protection against breast cancer
The researchers decoded a complete cascade of signals within breast tumour cells activated by virgin olive oil, and concluded that benefits include decrease in the activity of the oncogene p21Ras, changes in protein signaling pathways, stimulation of tumour cell death and prevention of DNA damage. The study was carried out in an experimental model and researchers have already begun a new study with human cell lines.
Study shows impact of brain injury on women's health
After a brain injury, women often ask how the injury will affect their fertility, pregnancy and postpartum health. Now a new U of T/Toronto Rehab study provides some much-needed answers.
New study identifies best tests for predicting Alzheimer's disease
New research has identified the memory and brain scan tests that appear to predict best whether a person with cognitive problems might develop Alzheimer's disease. The research is published in the June 30, 2010, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
More than 2 billion people worldwide lack access to surgical services
More than two billion people worldwide do not have adequate access to surgical treatment, according to a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH). The researchers also found that people living in high-income regions have far greater access to operating theatres (surgery sites) than those living in low-income regions and that surgical facilities in low-income settings often lack essential equipment.
Scientists develop new strategy that may improve cognition
For the first time, scientists have linked a brain compound called kynurenic acid to cognition, possibly opening doors for new ways to enhance memory function and treat catastrophic brain diseases, according to a new study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. When researchers decreased the levels of kynurenic acid in the brains of mice, their cognition was shown to improve markedly, according to the study, which was published in the July issue of the journal Neuropsychopharmacology. The study is the result of decades of pioneering research in the lab of Robert Schwarcz, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry, pediatrics and pharmacology and experimental therapeutics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Molecular signatures may aid fight against pediatric liver disease
Researchers have identified a set of "molecular signatures" for biliary atresia - the most common diagnosis leading to liver transplant in children - that can help identify the progression of disease at diagnosis and predict clinical outcomes.
Doctors to treat septic patients with hypothermia
Inducing mild hypothermia is easy to implement in clinical practice and may be a valuable tool in the treatment of human sepsis patients, say researchers at the University of Brest, France.
14-year trial shows that prostate cancer screening reduces deaths by almost half
or clues such as pre-cancerous cells - is strongly encouraged as a way of improving public health. However, there are doubts as to whether the benefits of screening outweighs the negatives. Over-diagnosis is one of the biggest worries. Since the number of people who need to be diagnosed and treated to save one life can be high, there are concerns about the overall effectiveness of such programmes.
Treating tongue tie could help more babies breastfeed
Doctors advise new mothers to breastfeed for at least the first six months of a baby's life, but a simple yet often untreated problem can sabotage their efforts, University of Florida researchers say.
Serotonin solves decades-old mystery in Parkinson's disease
Sudden, uncontrolled movements called dyskinesias—a common side effect of treatment for Parkinson's disease— are a result of excess serotonin cells in transplanted tissue that trick the brain into releasing dopamine, suggests a new study of two Parkinson's disease patients that received fetal tissue transplants over a decade ago, researchers report in the June 30 issue of Science Translational Medicine.
Desire and dread: Brain's computer has separate keyboard to control powerful emotions
(PhysOrg.com) -- Controlling powerful emotional reactions is often difficult because the brain's computer has a separate "keyboard" that controls feelings within extreme emotions like desire and dread, according to University of Michigan psychologists.
When is a drug too risky to stay on the market?
(AP) -- The arthritis pill Vioxx was withdrawn but menopause hormones were not, even though both were tied to heart risks. A multiple sclerosis medicine was pulled and later allowed back on. So, when is a drug too risky to stay on the market?
Tai Chi and Qigong Show Significant Health Benefits
An across-the-board review of the health effects of Qigong and Tai Chi finds these practices offer many physical and mental health advantages with benefits for the heart, immune system and overall quality of life.
Adverse Cardiovascular Events Reported in Testosterone Trial in Older Men
(PhysOrg.com) -- A clinical trial of testosterone treatment in older men, reported June 30 online in the New England Journal of Medicine, has found a higher rate of adverse cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and elevated blood pressure, in a group of older men receiving testosterone gel compared to those receiving placebo. Due to these events, the treatment phase of the trial was stopped.
Researchers take a step toward universal flu vaccine
Researchers at a small Seattle biotech company, Theraclone, have discovered rare anti-flu antibodies that target a potential vulnerability in flu viruses.
Genetic basis of alopecia areata established for first time
A team of investigators led by Columbia University Medical Center has uncovered eight genes that underpin alopecia areata, one of the most common causes of hair loss, as reported in a paper in the July 1, 2010 issue of Nature. Since many of the genes are also implicated in other autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes - and treatments have already been developed that target these genes - this discovery may soon lead to new treatments for the 5.3 million Americans suffering from hair loss caused by alopecia areata.
Study shows key enzyme in fetal heart development also involved in adult heart disease
Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified for the first time an enzyme that plays vital roles in both fetal heart development and in causing cardiac hypertrophy — an enlargement of the heart — in adults. The discovery could be used in the future to try to develop new treatments for heart disease.
When food intake stops, enzyme turns off production of fats, cholesterol
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators have found that an enzyme with several important roles in energy metabolism also helps to turn off the body's generation of fats and cholesterol under conditions of fasting. The report in Genes & Development describes how SIRT1, one of a group of enzymes called sirtuins, suppresses the activity of a family of proteins called SREBPs, which control the body's synthesis and handling of fats and cholesterol. The findings could lead to new approaches to treating conditions involving elevated cholesterol and lipid levels.
Psychological research conducted in WEIRD nations may not apply to global populations
A new University of British Columbia study says that an overreliance on research subjects from the U.S. and other Western nations can produce false claims about human psychology and behavior because their psychological tendencies are highly unusual compared to the global population.
Organic food can sabotage diet and weight-loss
(PhysOrg.com) -- While organic food may contain fewer, if any, pesticides and additives, consumers mistakenly believe it also has fewer calories, say researchers at the University of Michigan.
A butterfly effect in the brain
Next time your brain plays tricks on you, you have an excuse: according to new research by UCL scientists published today in the journal Nature, the brain is intrinsically unreliable.
Melanoma-initiating cell identified
Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified a cancer-initiating cell in human melanomas. The finding is significant because the existence of such a cell in the aggressive skin cancer has been a source of debate. It may also explain why current immunotherapies are largely unsuccessful in preventing disease recurrence in human patients.
Biology news
ARS releases heat-tolerant beans
New bean germplasm lines containing heat, drought and disease tolerance are being released by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and cooperators.
Effect of fire on birds evaluated
European mountains have experienced a decline in forestry, agricultural and livestock operations over the past 50 years, due to the exodus of rural populations and socioeconomic changes. These areas have become covered by scrubland. Burning has become a common tool used to regain the landscape of olden times and maintain grazing areas at altitudes of between 1,400 and 2,100 metres above sea level in the Pyrenees.
The ant queen's chemical crown
The defining feature of social insects is that societies contain queens, which specialise in laying eggs, as well as workers, which are mostly infertile but take care of the offspring and the nest. However, when the queen dies or is re-moved, workers begin laying eggs of their own. Previous observations have suggested that queens possess a specific pheromone which keeps the workers infer-tile, but the pheromone has never been identified except in the well-studied honeybee.
Honey as an antibiotic: Scientists identify a secret ingredient in honey that kills bacteria
Sweet news for those looking for new antibiotics: A new research published in the July 2010 print edition of the FASEB Journal explains for the first time how honey kills bacteria. Specifically, the research shows that bees make a protein that they add to the honey, called defensin-1, which could one day be used to treat burns and skin infections and to develop new drugs that could combat antibiotic-resistant infections.
Apples grow larger when cells don't divide, study shows
Fast-food restaurants can supersize French fries and drinks, but Mother Nature has found a way to supersize a type of apple.
Nutrients, viruses and the biological carbon pump
Adding nutrients to the sea could decrease viral infection rates among phytoplankton and enhance the efficiency of the biological pump, a means by which carbon is transferred from the atmosphere to the deep ocean, according to a new mathematical modelling study. The findings, published in the Journal of Theoretical Biology, have implications for ocean geo-engineering schemes proposed for tackling global warming.
Some 70,000 turtle eggs to be whisked far from oil
(AP) -- An effort to save thousands of sea turtle hatchlings from dying in the oily Gulf of Mexico will begin in the coming weeks in a desperate attempt to keep an entire generation of threatened species from vanishing.
3-legged dogs boost robot research
The new research looked at walking and running techniques in dogs with fore-limb or hind-limb amputations, using a treadmill and a set of high-tech infra-red cameras.
Ant colonies share disease resistance
(PhysOrg.com) -- A Northeastern University biology professor and her team of student researchers have discovered that the social feeding habits of carpenter ants reduce disease transmission and widespread infection within the colony, in much the same way that a mother's milk helps her child boost his immune system against foreign organisms.
Count Confirms Critical Status Of Endangered Right Whale
After more than a decade of monitoring the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska, scientists have released the first count of one of the world's most endangered group of whales.
Flowering and freezing tolerance linked in wheat, study shows
(PhysOrg.com) -- New research by UC Davis wheat geneticist Jorge Dubcovsky and his colleagues could lead to new strategies for improving freezing tolerance in wheat, which provides more than one-fifth of the calories consumed by people around the world.
World's smallest whale population faces extinction
The world's smallest known whale population has dwindled to about 30 individuals, only eight of them females, according to a study released Tuesday.
New technique improves efficiency of biofuel production
Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a more efficient technique for producing biofuels from woody plants that significantly reduces the waste that results from conventional biofuel production techniques. The technique is a significant step toward creating a commercially viable new source of biofuels.
Little E/Z changes make a big difference
The coming of summer brings promise for humans and insects alike. The farmer planted maize for a bountiful harvest, but the European Corn Borer (ECB) is looking for a good meal right away. The caterpillars of this pest bore deep into the maize stems, where they eat the inner pith causing the weakened stalks to fall over before the ears can ripen. As if one pest were not bad enough, there are even two different races, called E and Z that have a subtle difference in the shape of their pheromones. Interfering with the pheromone communication system of pest insects is a promising means of crop protection. But for years the E/Z distinction, so obvious to the insects, has baffled researchers.
Scientists find direct line from development to growth
It may seem intuitive that growth and development somehow go together so that plants and animals end up with the right number of cells in all the right places. But it is only now that scientists at the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy have gotten some of the first insights into how this critical coordination actually works in a plant.
'Balanced' ecosystems seen in organic ag better at controlling pests
There really is a balance of nature, but as accepted as that thought is, it has rarely been studied. Now Washington State University researchers writing in the journal Nature have found that more balanced animal and plant communities typical of organic farms work better at fighting pests and growing a better plant.
Feathered friends: Ostriches provide clues to dinosaur movement
Once thought to be "evolutionary leftovers", new research has shown that ostriches in fact use their feathered forelimbs as sophisticated air-rudders and braking aids.
Insect research gives humans six legs up
(PhysOrg.com) -- You could say that Bert Hölldobler's career began during a childhood walk in the Bavarian woods with his father. The elder Holldobler turned over a rock out in the forest, exposing a colony of carpenter ants underneath.
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