Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for July 9, 2010:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Quantum non-demolition measurement allows physicists to count photons without destroying them- Sharp-eyed robins can see magnetic fields
- Critics cast doubt on recent longevity gene study findings
- Superconductor breakthrough could power new advances (w/ Video)
- A new spin on drug delivery: Enhanced delivery of DNA payloads into cells
- Google to resume taking 'Street View' photos next week
- The aerosols conundrum: Research shows that aerosols not only cool, but also heat the planet
- New study finds early Alzheimer's identification method
- Smart gadgets may one day anticipate our needs
- Improvement of superconductors within reach
- A New Way to Find Earths
- Nanogenerators for energy harvesting technology
- Smart phones easily invaded, researchers find
- Mathematical formula predicts clear favorite for the FIFA World Cup
- Video chat comes closer to the mainstream
Space & Earth news
Researchers aim to stem deaths from arsenic-contaimnated water in the developing world
One in five of all deaths in Bangladesh are caused by drinking water contaminated with arsenic, according to a study published recently in the medical journal The Lancet by an international team of researchers. Some 70 million people are drinking arsenic-contaminated water. The study's publication has generated renewed public interest in finding a quick, cost-effective solution to a problem that is turning into a human catastrophe.
MERMAID opens prospect of cleaner seas with pollution early warning system
Marine Environmental Remote-controlled Measuring And Integrated Detection - an international team of scientists and engineers developed automatic sensors and analyzers, mounted on a network of radio-controlled stations, to sample, measure and record chemical and biological changes to water. The project later became one of the cornerstones of the intergovernmental GOOS, Global Ocean Observing System.
Scientists roll out 'not-welcome' mats to kill Tahoe clams
(PhysOrg.com) -- Lake Tahoe scientists at the University of California, Davis, and the University of Nevada, working with government and conservation organizations, this week began a novel attempt to control a dime-sized clam that threatens the spectacular lake's ecological balance -- including its trademark clarity.
Thousands flock to French Polynesia for solar eclipse
Avatar director James Cameron will be among thousands of visitors turning their eyes skywards in French Polynesia on Sunday for the islands' first solar eclipse in 350 years.
Ambient marine noise as an eco-friendly way to monitor ocean physics
(PhysOrg.com) -- The ocean is a noisy place. Raindrops smack the surface, waves break, whales sing, and ship engines roar. These can all coalesce into a cacophony of underwater noise that, to many, would just sound like a mess. Making sense out of this oceanic garble comes a new study which looks at the ways ambient underwater noise can help researchers keep an ear on ocean physics, something potentially helpful for climate science and wildlife alike.
If it's June it must be warm, wet and windy
(AP) -- Warm, wet and windy! That was June, depending on where you lived in the United States.
Gulf oil spill panel to look at root causes
(AP) -- The new presidential oil spill commission will focus on how safety, government oversight and the ability to clean up spills haven't kept up with advances in drilling technology, the panel's leaders say.
The aerosols conundrum: Research shows that aerosols not only cool, but also heat the planet
Just how much warmer Earth will become as a result of greenhouse-gas emissions — and how much it has warmed since preindustrial times — is much debated. In a 2007 report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, an agency formed by the world's largest governments to assess climate change, said that the planet's average surface temperature will rise by between 2 and 11.5 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100, with a best estimate at between 3.2 to 7.2 degrees F. However, the IPCC's computer models have a record of overestimating warming: If the IPCC models were right, the planet should now be hotter than it is.
A New Way to Find Earths
Astronomers have used a completely new technique to find an exotic extrasolar planet. The same approach might even be sensitive enough to find planets as small as the Earth in orbit around distant stars.
Technology news
China group says US uses Facebook to sow unrest
(AP) -- A Chinese government-backed think tank has accused the U.S. and other Western governments of using social networking sites like Facebook to spur political unrest and called for stepped-up scrutiny of the wildly popular sites.
Australia delays Internet filter to review content
(AP) -- Australia's widely criticized proposal to mandate a filter blocking child pornography and other objectionable Internet content has been delayed at least a year so the government can review what content should be restricted.
Yahoo farms out for-sale home listings to Zillow
(AP) -- Yahoo Inc. is turning over its listings of homes for sale and other local real estate advertising to an online specialist in the field, Zillow.com.
Australia: Google Street View broke privacy law
(AP) -- Google broke Australia's privacy law when it collected private information from wireless networks, the country's privacy commissioner said Friday, following an investigation into the Internet giant's "Street View" mapping service.
China renews Google license amid censorship row (Update)
(AP) -- China renewed Google's license to operate a website, preserving the search giant's toehold in the most populous Internet market after it gave up an attempt to skirt Beijing's Web censorship.
Japan's Fujitsu sets sights on cloud computing
Japan's Fujitsu said Friday it aimed to generate 1.5 trillion yen (17 billion dollars) in revenue from its global cloud computing business by March 2016, making it a cornerstone of its strategy.
Japan's DoCoMo plans new app platform for phones
Japan's number one mobile phone operator NTT DoCoMo has said it will add a new application platform to its "i-mode" handsets this year as it tries to catch up with Apple's runaway iPhone success.
Last call for virtual flowers, Facebook closing Gift Shop
Send out those virtual birthday cakes and flowers now -- Facebook is closing its Gift Shop.
Baidu CEO: To make it in China, play nice with the government
The head of China's biggest online success story has some advice for U.S. companies hoping to break into the world's largest Internet market: You'd better hurry, and you'd better be willing to work with the government.
Location-based services lure users, advertisers, investors
If there were any lingering doubts about one of the hottest new technologies, a big investment and burgeoning membership numbers are proving that location-based services are about to go mainstream.
Estimate: Global cell subscriptions pass 5 billion
(AP) -- The number of wireless service subscriptions worldwide passed 5 billion this week, according to an estimate by LM Ericsson AB, the Swedish maker of wireless equipment.
Blizzard drops plan to require real names on forums
Amid a barrage of criticism, Activision Blizzard, maker of World of Warcraft and other popular videogames, dropped a plan Friday to require users of its forums to start posting their real names.
Video chat comes closer to the mainstream
In a series of TV ads in 1993, AT&T pitched a vision of a near-future absolutely brimming with live video communication. From a busy mom tucking her kids in bed from a video phone booth and a barefoot exec participating in a business meeting from the beach to a student quizzing a professor about the history of jazz from across the country, narrator Tom Selleck confidently promised that "You will!" soon be doing all those Jetsonian tricks.
Patent holder sues smart phone makers over patents
(AP) -- The patent-holding company that won a settlement of more than $600 million from the maker of the BlackBerry said Friday it has sued six other makers of phones and phone software.
Smart phones easily invaded, researchers find
Security researchers Nick DePetrillo and Don Bailey have discovered a seven-digit numerical code that can unlock all kinds of secrets about you. It's your phone number.
Google to resume taking 'Street View' photos next week
Google's "Street View" cars will return to the road next week but all wireless scanning equipment has been removed after a controversy over the collection of private information.
Smart gadgets may one day anticipate our needs
Don't be surprised if one day your refrigerator nags you to lose weight, your phone blocks calls it figures you're too stressed to handle, and your wisecracking car entertains you with pun-filled one liners.
Medicine & Health news
Teen moms more likely to have premature babies
Pregnant women aged 14-17 years are at higher risk of preterm birth and of having a child with low-birth-weight, especially if they are having their second child. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth demonstrate this association and call for better health education and the promotion of contraception after a teenager has given birth for the first time.
Study reveals state of HIV/AIDS in Middle East, North Africa
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study led by Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar researcher Laith Abu-Raddad was the foundation for a report on HIV/AIDS in the Middle East and North Africa presented June 28 in Dubai.
Study: Medicare policy may account for growing length of hospice stays in nursing homes
Researchers at Brown University have found that the length of an average Medicare-certified hospice stay in a nursing home has doubled during the last 10 years.
Wrist fractures have an important public health impact
Wrist fractures have an important personal and public health impact and may play a role in the development of disability in older people, according to a new study published in the British Medical Journal today.
Drug study shows improvement in major orthopedic surgery care
An ultra-low-molecular-weight heparin called semuloparin has been found to reduce the incidence of venous thromboembolism in orthopedic surgery patients in a large clinical program being lead by a steering committee chaired by McMaster University professor Dr. Alexander Turpie.
Extremely obese children have 40 percent higher risk of reflux disease of esophagus
Extremely obese children have a 40 percent higher risk of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and children who are moderately obese have a 30 percent higher risk of GERD compared to normal weight children, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published online in the International Journal of Pediatric Obesity.
HPV infection linked to increased risk of skin cancer
HPV infection heightens the risk of developing certain skin cancers and is worsened if people are taking immunosuppression drugs, according to a new study published in the British Medical Journal today.
Expert: Sunscreen just the first step to skin protection
(PhysOrg.com) -- Applying sunscreen is a summer ritual for Americans hoping to protect their skin from burns, wrinkles and cancers. But researchers have raised questions about the safety of some sunscreens.
FDA review spotlights heart risk of diabetes pill
(AP) -- A review by federal health scientists reinforces potential ties between the diabetes pill Avandia and heart attack and death, opening the door for government action, including a possible withdrawal of the once blockbuster drug.
Hormonal Contraceptives Have Mixed Success Among Overweight Women
As obesity continues to be a worldwide health risk, one of its "side effects" could include less effective birth control for overweight and obese women who use hormonal contraceptives.
Parkinson's Patients More Likely to Stick With Certain 'Add-on' Drugs
Of the three main types of oral drugs commonly added to levodopa therapy for patients with advanced Parkinson's disease, one might be the most effective, according to a new review.
Humans First Acquired Malaria Parasites 2.5 Million Years Ago
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have determined the evolutionary timeline for the microscopic parasites that cause one of the world's most widespread infectious diseases: malaria.
New study finds early Alzheimer's identification method
Abnormal brain images combined with examination of the composition of the fluid that surrounds the spine may offer the earliest signs identifying healthy older adults at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, well before cognitive problems emerge, a study by researchers at UC Davis has found.
Critics cast doubt on recent longevity gene study findings
(PhysOrg.com) -- A recent study of centenarians (reported in PhysOrg on July 1st) that linked a number of gene variants to longevity has now been questioned by other scientists, who suggest a DNA chip known as 610-Quad, used in the analysis, has a tendency to produce false-positives. The flaw in the chip, along with other concerns, has cast doubts on some of the major findings of the study.
Biology news
Flemish researchers provide the first experimental evidence of dynamic allostery in protein regulation
The brand-new Jean Jeener Bio-NMR Center at the VIB Department of Molecular and Cellular Interactions, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, has already played a role in a scientific breakthrough that made it into the leading science journal Cell. Thanks to NMR technology, it is possible to determine the dynamic structure of proteins. So Flemish scientists put it to use to find out how the activity of certain proteins involved in the stress physiology of bacteria is regulated. This is a first in every way.
Farmers to get rice-growing advice via text messages
Farmers in the "texting capital" of the world—the Philippines—will soon have nutrient management advice tailored specifically to their rice crops delivered to their mobile phones.
Better barriers can help levees withstand wave erosion
A new barrier design could protect reservoir levees from the erosive forces of wind-driven waves, according to studies by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and partners. These findings could help lower the maintenance costs for constructed ponds in the lower Mississippi Delta where levee repairs can average $3 per foot-and sometimes are needed just five years after a reservoir is built.
Homeowners can take some steps to control mosquitoes around their homes
(PhysOrg.com) -- South Dakota's mosquito population is back in force this summer.
Gray whale stranded again at park in Wash. state
(AP) -- A gray whale that was stranded off the shores of Washington state and managed to get back to open waters has beached itself again.
What secrets are stored in the roots of corn plants?
With corn being a critical U.S. crop expected to help feed livestock and people around the world and also be a source for the production of clean energy, plant breeders are continually seeking ways to make the plants more productive. To better understand the role corn roots play in this regard, an agricultural engineer and a crop scientist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have teamed up to examine corn root complexity and how it impacts corn development.
Can wasps help save Britain's conker trees?
Wasps, regarded by many as a pest, could be the salvation of Britain's imperilled conker trees currently under threat by an 'alien' species of moth that is rapidly spreading damage across the country's horse chestnut trees.
DNA 'molecular scissors' discovered
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at the University of Dundee have discovered a protein that acts as a 'molecular scissors' to repair damaged DNA in our cells, a finding which could have major implications for cancer treatments.
The eyes have it for perfect predator
(PhysOrg.com) -- The most striking feature of jumping spiders is their arsenal of big eyes. In contrast to web-building spiders, they rely on their excellent vision to actively hunt and catch their insect prey. New research gives an insight into just how incredibly sophisticated the jumping spider's vision actually is, and explains why they are such an effective predator.
Scientists use computer algorithms to develop seasonal flu vaccines
Defeating the flu is challenging because the virus responsible for the disease undergoes frequent changes of its genetic code, making it difficult for scientists to manufacture effective vaccines for the seasonal flu in a timely manner. Now, a University of Miami (UM) computer scientist, Dimitris Papamichail, and a team of researchers from Stony Brook University have developed a rapid and effective approach to produce vaccines for new strains of influenza viruses. The researchers hope to develop the new technology and provide an efficient method to confront the threat of seasonal epidemics.
An HPV vaccine cheap enough for the developing world? Could be
Vaccine manufacturers in India and other developing countries may be able to produce a lower-cost HPV vaccine in spite of the complicated array of patent protections on the technology, say researchers at the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy. At a cost of at least $300 for the three-dose regimen, the blockbuster HPV vaccines, including Gardasil from Merck and Cervarix from GlaxoSmithKline, are some of the most expensive ever introduced.
Sharp-eyed robins can see magnetic fields
(PhysOrg.com) -- It has been known for decades that some birds are able to sense the Earth's magnetic field and set their direction as if following a compass heading, which is an extremely useful ability for birds migrating long distances. The ability is believed to be linked to the availability of light and it is thought that specialized molecules in the birds' retinas allow them to literally see the magnetic fields, which appear as patterns of light and shade superimposed over the regular image from light. Now a new study shows that the internal compass also depends on the birds having clear vision in their right eyes.
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