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Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for July 14, 2010:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Stock market model first to reproduce main properties of the real market- Unravelling the Mystery of Massive Star Birth: All Stars are Born the Same Way (w/ Video)
- Record-breaking X-ray blast briefly blinds space observatory
- Scientists find unusual electrons that go with the flow
- Key advance in understanding 'pseudogap' phase in high-Tc superconductors
- Researchers create sounds of animated things breaking (w/ Video)
- Exercise's brain benefits
- Study finds Triceratops, Torosaurus were different stages of one dinosaur
- New project enables mobile phone use in areas with no reception
- New superconductor research may solve key problem in physics
- Opening the gate to the cell's recycling center
- Blind mice can 'see' thanks to special retinal cells
- Remarkable fossil cave shows how ancient marsupials grew
- Study Shows Electrical Fields Influence Brain Activity
- Brain fitness program study reveals visual memory improvement in older adults
Space & Earth news
Fascinating images from a new world
The ESA space probe Rosetta flew past the Lutetia planetoid at around 6 p.m. CEST on Saturday. The OSIRIS camera system, built and developed under the direction of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany, provided unique images of this rendezvous. They not only show a large number of craters on the surface of the celestial body, but also individual rocks and parallel grooves.
CCNY-led team develops non-toxic oil recovery agent
A team of chemists led by Dr. George John, Associate Professor at The City College of New York (CCNY), have developed a non-toxic, recyclable agent that can solidify oil on salt water so that it can be scooped up like the fat that forms on the top of a pot of chilled chicken soup. The agent could potentially be used to recover oil lost in the British Petroleum (BP) spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Professor John said.
NASA's Aqua Satellite sees Tropical Storm Conson now in South China Sea
NASA satellite imagery confirmed that Tropical Storm Conson is departing the Philippines and is almost entirely in the South China Sea.
The GOES-11 Satellite sees System 96E getting tropically organized
System 96E appears to be getting organized, and that's apparent in the latest visible imagery from the GOES-11 satellite.
Scientists say Gulf spill altering food web
(AP) -- Scientists are reporting early signs that the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is altering the marine food web by killing or tainting some creatures and spurring the growth of others more suited to a fouled environment.
Scientists' work improves odds of finding diamonds
While prospectors and geologists have been successful in finding diamonds through diligent searching, one University of Houston professor and his team's work could help improve the odds by focusing future searches in particular areas.
Footloose glaciers crack up
Glaciers that lose their footing on the seafloor and begin floating behave very erratically, according to a new study led by a Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego researcher.
Steam process could remove CO2 to regenerate amine capture materials
Because they can remove carbon dioxide from the flue gases of coal-burning facilities such as power plants, solid materials containing amines are being extensively studied as part of potential CO2 sequestration programs designed to reduce the impact of the greenhouse gas.
Record-breaking X-ray blast briefly blinds space observatory
A blast of the brightest X-rays ever detected from beyond our Milky Way galaxy's neighborhood temporarily blinded the X-ray eye on NASA's Swift space observatory earlier this summer, astronomers now report. The X-rays traveled through space for 5-billion years before slamming into and overwhelming Swift's X-ray Telescope on 21 June. The blindingly bright blast came from a gamma-ray burst, a violent eruption of energy from the explosion of a massive star morphing into a new black hole.
Unravelling the Mystery of Massive Star Birth: All Stars are Born the Same Way (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- Astronomers have obtained the first image of a dusty disc closely encircling a massive baby star, providing direct evidence that massive stars form in the same way as their smaller brethren. This discovery, made thanks to a combination of ESO's telescopes, is described in an article in this week's issue of Nature.
Technology news
Imec, ASML demonstrate potential of 193nm immersion lithography with freeform illumination
Imec and ASML collaborated to qualify ASML's Tachyon Source Mask Optimization and programmable illuminator system FlexRay, proving its potential with the demonstration of a 22nm SRAM memory cell.
China plans to approve Nokia's web mapping service
China plans to give mobile phone giant Nokia a licence to offer online mapping services, making it the first foreign firm to be approved since new rules were unveiled in June, an official said Wednesday.
Imec's SiGe MEMS technology platform improves performance of state-of-the-art MEMS
Imec researchers demonstrated the value of its SiGe above-IC MEMS technology platform for improving performance of state-of-the-art MEMS with the development of new MEMS devices. The new devices are a 15µm SiGe micromirror and a grating light valve for high-resolution displays. The devices were realized with Imec's generic CMOS-compatible MEMS process for the monolithic integration of MEMS devices directly on top of CMOS metallization.
NTU's solar car wins Solar Grand Prize at the inaugural Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2010
A total of 81 teams from 10 countries gathered at the Sepang International Circuit, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 8-10 July 2010 to compete at the Shell Eco-Marathon Asia 2010, the first time it is held in Asia.
UF's 'SubjuGator' begins competing today in robo-sub contest
As technicians maneuver remotely operated vehicles to try to stem the Gulf gusher, the next generation — submarines that perform missions on their own with no human control — will be in the spotlight in California.
Apple silent after Consumer Reports critique
(AP) -- A decision by Consumer Reports against endorsing the latest iPhone because of reception problems threatens to tarnish Apple Inc.'s reputation, yet fans who have braved poor reception for years are likely to keep buying the product.
S.Korean mobile carrier to allow Internet calls
South Korea's top mobile phone carrier SK Telecom said Wednesday it would allow subscribers to make Internet calls over its cellular network.
Guests pedal to stay at Copenhagen eco-hotel
In the lobby of an up-market hotel in a Copenhagen suburb, a suit-clad businessman pedals away on a stationary bike, periodically glancing at the counter to see how far he has gone and how much energy he has produced.
China web filter developer's finance woes: report
The developer of a controversial Internet filter software in China has denied it has closed due to a lack of funding, but it admits to having financial difficulties, state media said Wednesday.
ASML bounces back to Q2 profit on strong sales
(AP) -- ASML Holding NV, a key supplier to computer chip makers like Intel and Samsung, said Wednesday it bounced back to a profit in the second quarter due to a sharp rebound in demand - a further sign the technology sector is recovering quickly.
Jargon-busting software bridges the knowledge gap
Conversations between students and teachers, patients and doctors, and other groups of lay people and experts, such as users and helpdesk staff, can suffer because of the difference in knowledge levels of each party in the conversation - a so-called "semantic gap". The expert may use jargon and buzzwords or simply assume a level of understanding of basic principles that is lacking in the lay person. For conversations taking place in the digital realm, via Instant Messaging, for instance, researchers in Japan believe they have the answer.
Global PC shipments up 22 pct as businesses spend
(AP) -- Market research group IDC said Wednesday that worldwide shipments of personal computers climbed 22.4 percent in the second quarter as businesses replaced aging computers and consumers continued to show interest in inexpensive laptops.
Google finances projects to test digital library
(AP) -- Google is giving researchers nearly a half-million dollars to test the academic value of its rapidly growing online library.
Italy's Enel opens innovative solar power plant
Italian energy company Enel on Wednesday inaugurated an innovative solar thermal plant that stores heat from the sun in molten salts.
US author journeys from Twitter to print
A San Francisco-based writer who first published his novel on Twitter -- all 95,000 words of it -- was celebrating Bastille Day on Wednesday with the launch of a print version of his book.
'Paul the Octopus' now an iPhone app
Paul, the psychic octopus who predicted World Cup matches with uncanny accuracy, is now an iPhone application.
Google to scan Dutch library collection
Google said Wednesday it is teaming up with the National Library of the Netherlands to scan more than 160,000 of the books in its collection.
Mixed reality cookbook
What we perceive in the world is highly influenced by what we are looking for. That is old news. Now European researchers have used this theory to create a convincing and engaging 'mixed reality', and they have put together a cookbook so others can do it, too. That is new news.
Yamaha unveils zero-emission electric motor scooter
Japan's Yamaha Motor unveiled on Wednesday a zero-emission electric motor scooter for city use that it said could travel five times farther than a gasoline model for the same cost.
GE Unveils Their Electric Vehicle WattStation (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- On Tuesday GE announced their new smart-grid-connected electric vehicle charger called the WattStation. The WattStation will help accelerate the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles by significantly cutting charging time on a 24 kWh car battery for an EV from 12-18 hours to approximately 4-8 hours by using Level 2 (240V) charging.
Government working on wireless spectrum inventory
(AP) -- Federal officials are beginning work on a comprehensive inventory of the nation's radio spectrum in hopes of finding more capacity for wireless high-speed Internet connections.
New project enables mobile phone use in areas with no reception
(PhysOrg.com) -- Australian scientists have invented software that enables mobile (cell) phones to work in remote areas where there is no conventional coverage and in locations where the infrastructure has been destroyed through disaster, or is not economically viable. The technology enables ordinary mobile phones to make and receive calls without the need for phone towers or satellites.
Researchers create sounds of animated things breaking (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- A delicate wine glass shatters on the floor. A rock is thrown through a window. A child smashes his piggy bank. Dramatic moments like these in an animated movie or video game or some future virtual reality won't seem realistic unless the sound matches the action.
Medicine & Health news
New treatment for crippling diabetic Charcot foot
The alarming increase of morbidly obese diabetics is causing more new cases of a debilitating foot deformity called Charcot foot.
Supportive community programs can prevent women from gaining weight
Women who attend programmes with ongoing support about healthy eating are less likely to gain weight and be more physically active than women who receive a one-off information session on dietary guidelines, finds an Australian study published in the British Medical Journal today.
Criminalization of drugs and drug users fuels HIV; laws should be reviewed, say experts (w/ Video)
Strict laws on the criminalisation of drug use and drug users are fuelling the spread of HIV and other serious harms associated with the criminal market and should be reviewed, say experts in a series of articles published in the British Medical Journal today to coincide with the 18th International AIDS Conference in Vienna, 18-23 July 2010.
First Argentinean study on epidemiology, costs and burden of osteoporosis published
A comprehensive Argentinean epidemiological study reveals the staggering costs of osteoporosis in the country.
Researcher targets gene regulators on link between arsenic, cancer
To determine how arsenic increases the risk of lung cancer and to identify potential treatments, a Michigan State University researcher will use $1.7 million in federal funding during the next five years to examine why certain genes disrupt cells, leading to the disease.
Waterborne diseases could cost over $500 million annually in US
Hospitalizations for three common waterborne diseases cost the health care system as much as $539 million annually, according to research presented today at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Poll: New Yorkers favor legalizing medical marijuana
(PhysOrg.com) -- The newest Empire State Poll finds New York state residents support legalizing medical marijuana and are leery of gas drilling.
Scientists identify molecular predictor of prognosis for pancreatic cancer patients
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most challenging tumors to treat. Identifying patients who have more aggressive disease could better inform treatment decisions and predict survival prognosis. A new finding from scientists at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center may help.
Gene therapy breakthrough heralds treatment for beta-thalassemia
Italian scientists pioneering a new gene transfer treatment for the blood disorder β-thalassemia have successfully completed preclinical trials, claiming they can correct the lack of beta-globin (ß-globin) in patients' blood cells which causes the disease. The research, published in EMBO Molecular Medicine, reveals how gene therapy may represent a safe alternative to current cures that are limited to a minority of patients.
Report suggests nearly 5 percent exposed to dengue virus in Key West
An estimated 5 percent of the Key West, Fla., population - over 1,000 people - showed evidence of recent exposure to dengue virus in 2009, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Florida Department of Health.
Skin cells could help discover cause of Parkinson's disease
Researchers are applying new stem cell technology to use skin samples to grow the brain cells thought to be responsible for the onset of Parkinson's disease, the UK National Stem Cell Network (UKNSCN) annual science meeting will hear today.
Method of attempted suicide influences risk of eventual suicide
The method that people use to attempt suicide has a large influence on the risk of later completed suicide, according to a new study published in the British Medical Journal today.
Doctors warn that using domestic spoons to give children medicine increases overdose risk
Medical experts have warned parents that using domestic spoons to dispense children's medicine could lead to overdoses after discovering that some hold two to three times as much as others.
Tea contains more fluoride than once thought
Black tea, a Southern staple and the world's most consumed beverage, may contain higher concentrations of fluoride than previously thought, which could pose problems for the heaviest tea drinkers, Medical College of Georgia researchers say.
Study finds fast food chains have significantly decreased trans fats in cooking oils
Five major fast food chains have significantly decreased trans fats in the oils they use to cook food, according to new research from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.
Cashew seed extract an effective anti-diabetic
Cashew seed extract shows promise as an effective anti-diabetic, according to a new study from the University of Montreal (Canada) and the Université de Yaoundé (Cameroun). Published in the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, the investigation analyzed the reputed health benefits of cashew tree products on diabetes, notably whether cashew extracts could improve the body's response to its own insulin.
Obesity harms women's memory and brain function
The more an older woman weighs, the worse her memory, according to new research from Northwestern Medicine. The effect is more pronounced in women who carry excess weight around their hips, known as pear shapes, than women who carry it around their waists, called apple shapes.
New analysis may help clarify the role of craving in addiction
Just-published research led by a psychologist at the University of Georgia shows that behavioral economic analysis may lead to an improved understanding of craving for alcohol and other drugs.
Individuals confess alcohol abuse to clergy
Persons with alcohol problems are finding comfort in speaking about their situation to clergy, a new study shows.
Does the existing standard of care supply energy sources to brain tumor cells?
The medical standard of care - comprised of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy - for the most common form of brain cancer triggers a number of biological responses that may actually feed the energy metabolism that supports the disease, according to Boston College researchers writing in the journal Lancet Oncology.
Future HIV vaccines: If we build it, will they come?
On the eve of the world's biggest AIDS conference this month in Austria, a new research review shows many people wouldn't get inoculated against HIV even if a vaccine was developed.
Scientists urge global investment and action plan to avert impending aging crisis
Now that scientists have learned so much about aging through laboratory studies, it's time to translate those findings into medicines that can benefit our aging population. That was the message delivered by a panel of 10 preeminent aging experts that included Jan Vijg, Ph.D., chair of genetics and the Lola and Saul Kramer Chair in Molecular Genetics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.
Study shows that major Alzheimer's risk gene causes alterations in shapes of brain protein deposits
Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have used a newly discovered class of biomarkers to investigate the possibility that the shape of brain protein deposits is different in people with Alzheimer's who have the highest-risk gene type than in those with the condition who have a neutral risk gene type. The study is being presented July 14 at the 2010 Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Mechanism for link between high fat diet and risk of prostate cancer and disorders unveiled
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men with an estimated 192,280 new cases diagnosed in the US in 2009 (Jemal 2009). Diet is considered one of the most important controllable risk factors for inflammation and prostate diseases including benign prostatic hyperplsia (BPH), prostatitis, and prostate cancer.
Cow's milk does a baby good
Many doctors suggest that whole cow's milk be avoided in the early months of an infant's feeding. Lactation specialists go even further, counseling "mother's milk only" until baby starts eating solid food. But new research from Tel Aviv University says that mothers who feed their babies cow's milk in the first 15 days of life may be protecting their children from dangerous allergies later on.
After 40 years, Researchers identify possible new treatment for severe vasculitis
Investigators have made a major advance in treating people with a severe form of vasculitis, anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis, a rare but devastating disease of blood vessels. In a six-month study, a new treatment strategy provided the same benefits as the current standard of care used for more than 40 years but required less frequent treatments. Early results also suggest that patients with disease relapses—typically recurrences of fever, fatigue, kidney damage, or bleeding in the lungs—respond better to the new regimen.
Experimental diet pill shows promise, little risk
(AP) -- An experimental diet pill helped about half the people who tried it lose some weight and keep it off a year later, without the heart problems that some earlier drugs caused, a study found.
FDA panel: Diabetes drug should stay on market
(AP) -- A majority of federal health experts voted Wednesday to keep the controversial diabetes pill Avandia on the market despite evidence that it increases the risk of heart attack.
Scientists discover clues to inflammatory disease
Immune system cells called macrophages spring into action to surround and destroy threats such as viruses or cancer cells. But sometimes the would-be protective response leads to persistent inflammation, which, in turn, can cause disease.
Researchers discover possible way to predict Alzheimer's
(PhysOrg.com) -- Two new studies, involving a newly identified gene, show that Alzheimer's disease could be diagnosed as much as 20 years before symptoms develop.
Study sheds light on how psychiatric risk gene disrupts brain development
Scientists are making progress towards a better understanding of the neuropathology associated with debilitating psychiatric illnesses like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. New research, published by Cell Press in the July 15 issue of the journal Neuron, reveals mechanisms that connect a known psychiatric risk gene to disruptions in brain cell proliferation and migration during development.
Meditation helps increase attention span
It's nearly impossible to pay attention to one thing for a long time. A new study looks at whether Buddhist meditation can improve a person's ability to be attentive and finds that meditation training helps people do better at focusing for a long time on a task that requires them to distinguish small differences between things they see.
Blind mice can 'see' thanks to special retinal cells
It would make the perfect question for the popular television show "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader:" What parts of the eye allow us to see?
Brain fitness program study reveals visual memory improvement in older adults
A commercial brain fitness program has been shown to improve memory in older adults, at least in the period soon after training. The findings are the first to show that practicing simple visual tasks can improve the accuracy of short-term, or "working" visual memory. The research, led by scientists at UCSF, is also one of the first to measure both mental performance and changes in neural activity caused by a cognitive training program.
Study Shows Electrical Fields Influence Brain Activity
(PhysOrg.com) -- Most scientists have viewed electrical fields within the brain as the simple byproducts of neuronal activity. However, Yale scientists report in the July 15 issue of the journal Neuron that electrical fields can also influence the activity of brain cells.
Exercise's brain benefits
(PhysOrg.com) -- Athletes have long known about the natural "high" exercise can induce. Now, for the first time, medical researchers have demonstrated that exercise can reverse the effects in the brain of psychological trauma experienced early in life.
Biology news
New Research Model Improves Lobster Population Forecasting
(PhysOrg.com) -- Managing the Gulf of Maine's $300 million lobster industry has been a practice mostly reliant upon the physical size of adult stocks, a system called stock assessment and one that's made policymaking largely reactive with little environmental input.
Divide and conquer: Genes decide who wins in the body's battle against cancer
Researchers funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) have discovered for the first time that two proteins called Mahjong and Lgl could be star players in helping to identify how the body's own cells fight back against cancer cells. This discovery, publishing today in the online, open-access journal PLoS Biology, could lead to future treatments to make our healthy cells better-equipped to attack cancer cells, an entirely new concept for cancer research.
SRNL works to decrease hazards from mold in water damaged homes
A team of microbiologists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) is working with Tuskegee University and Mississippi State University to decrease mold growth in flooded homes through improved prevention and cleanup.
A new generation of biological scaffolds
Professor John Fisher from The University of Leeds is speaking today at the UK National Stem Cell Network Annual Science Meeting in Nottingham about his team's research into how biological scaffolding will pave the way for off-the-shelf tissue transplants.
Rare dark jellyfish showing up in San Diego Bay
(AP) -- Scientists say a rare species of dark purple jellyfish is showing up in San Diego Bay and washing ashore on beaches.
Massive mice, locust plagues threaten Australian crops
Plagues of mice and locusts are threatening huge swathes of Australia's farming heartland and could wipe out crops worth one billion dollars (880 million US), scientists warned Wednesday.
A rare rainforest plant blooms at Harvard
The elusive titan arum is a prehistoric sight. The unusual plant, housed at the greenhouse at the Biological Laboratories building, is more than 4 feet tall with a skyward-jutting branch called an inflorescence that's more reptilian than tabletop bouquet.
UQ experts discover creatures of the deep
Scientists from the Queensland Brain Institute have used high-tech equipment to capture underwater creatures at depths not documented from before.
Plavix may be treatment for dogs at risk of thromboembolic disease
Companion animals that have a long-term need for anticoagulant drug therapies may soon find help in a top-selling antiplatelet drug marketed to humans: clopidogrel, commonly known by the trade-name Plavix.
Histone modifications control accessibility of DNA
(PhysOrg.com) -- n an advanced online publication in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology scientist from Dirk Schübeler's group from the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research provide a genome-wide view of histone modifications and its influence on DNA accessibility. Their results expand the established break-up of chromatin into euchromatin and heterochomatin to a more complex pattern and link it to histone modifications.
'Mahjong' gene is key player when cancer, normal cells compete
A landmark study by Florida State University biologists, in collaboration with scientists in Britain, is the first to identify a life-or-death "cell competition" process in mammalian tissue that suppresses cancer by causing cancerous cells to kill themselves.
Monkey generosity: No strings attached
(PhysOrg.com) -- Among monkeys that split child care responsibilities, sharing extends to dinnertime, but grudges do not, according to research published July 14 in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
New role for the JNK protein
Put simply, a tumor is the result of out-of-control cell growth. To assure that the cell cycle - the cell's process of duplicating itself to make more cells - goes smoothly, a large network of proteins tells other proteins what to do and when to do it. When any of these layers of protein regulation fail, cell growth can get out of hand. A new study led by Ze'ev Ronai, Ph.D., associate director of Sanford-Burnham's National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center, reveals a new player in cell cycle control. These findings, which appeared online in Nature Cell Biology on June 27, showed that JNK, a protein already well known for other duties, also regulates the cell cycle.
Opening the gate to the cell's recycling center
In cells, as in cities, disposing of garbage and recycling anything that can be reused is an essential service. In both city and cell, health problems can arise when the process breaks down.
Insulin signaling key to caste development in bees
What makes a bee grow up to be a queen? Scientists have long pondered this mystery. Now, researchers in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University have fit a new piece into the puzzle of bee development. Their work not only adds to understanding about bees, but also adds insights into our own development and aging.
In the Bacterial World, Genetic Messengers Work Close to Home
(PhysOrg.com) -- In a fundamental shift in the view of how bacteria proliferate and survive, Yale scientists report online June 20 in the journal Nature that most of the genetic action within a cell takes place close to home.
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