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Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for August 30, 2010:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Better light measurement through quantum cloning- Impact hypothesis loses its sparkle
- First clear evidence of feasting in early humans
- 'Stocky dragon' dinosaur terrorized Late Cretaceous Europe
- New cables tie West Africa closer to Internet
- New study shows that oilsands mining and processing are polluting the Athabasca River
- Study provides insights into the roots of gamblers' fallacies and other superstitions
- For the first time, researchers identify and isolate adult mammary stem cells in mice
- New genomic marker for tuberculosis may help identify patients who will develop the disease
- First direct observation of unusual magnetic structure could lead to novel electronic, magnetic memory devices
- Cluster collisions switch on radio halos
- New research shows how disease-causing parasite gets around human innate immunity
- The Moon puts on camo
- Diverse diet of veggies may decrease lung cancer risk
- Microfluidic device allows collection, analysis of hard-to-handle immune cells
Space & Earth news
Mongolian Cabinet holds meeting in Gobi desert
(AP) -- Top Mongolian officials donned dark green baseball caps reading "Save our planet" and set up chairs and tables in the sands of the Gobi desert for a Cabinet meeting aimed at drawing attention to climate change.
Report: Climate science panel needs change at top
(AP) -- Scientists reviewing the acclaimed but beleaguered international climate change panel called Monday for major changes in the way it's run, but stopped short of calling for the ouster of the current leader.
NASA's successful Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation mission comes to an end
One of NASA's orbiting sentinels is expected to return to Earth in a few days. The agency's Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation (ICESat) satellite completed a very productive scientific mission earlier this year. NASA lowered the satellite's orbit last month and then decommissioned the spacecraft in preparation for re-entry. It is estimated that the satellite will re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and largely burn up on or about August 29.
Image: Galaxy at the edge
Spiral galaxy NGC 4921 presently is estimated to be 320 million light years distant.
Space telescope's new survey of outer galaxy helps astronomers study stars
The Spitzer Space Telescope is now taking aim at the outer reaches of the Milky Way and helping two Iowa State University astronomers advance their star studies.
Launch of privately-built Danish rocket delayed: builder
The launch into space of Denmark's first privately-built rocket has been postponed to Thursday due to bad weather conditions, one of its builders said.
'Greener' than expected
Battery powered cars will play a major role in future of mobility. What was not known so far, was how environmentally friendly the manufacture, operation and disposal of the batteries are. Empa researchers have now calculated the ecological footprint of the most commonly used type, the lithium-ion battery. A car with a petrol engine must consume less than 4 liters of fuel per 100km or about 70 mpg (miles per gallon) in order to be as environmentally friendly as modern electric cars.
NASA Glenn tests alternative green rocket engine
An extensive series of tests has been completed on a new rocket engine that will use a non-toxic propellant combination at NASA's Glenn Research Center. The reaction control engine that was tested provides 100 pounds of thrust and is typically used for spacecraft maneuvering.
Calcium carbonate and climate change
(PhysOrg.com) -- What links sea urchins, limestone and climate change? The common thread is calcium carbonate, one of the most widespread minerals on Earth. UC Davis researchers have now measured the energy changes among different forms of calcium carbonate, from its messy noncrystalline forms to beautiful calcite crystals that could lock away carbon underground for thousands to millions of years.
Dramatic climate change is unpredictable
The fear that global temperature can change very quickly and cause dramatic climate changes that may have a disastrous impact on many countries and populations is great around the world. But what causes climate change and is it possible to predict future climate change? New research from the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen shows that it may be due to an accumulation of different chaotic influences and as a result would be difficult to predict. The results have just been published in Geophysical Research Letters.
New study shows that oilsands mining and processing are polluting the Athabasca River
Inorganic elements known to be toxic at low concentrations are being discharged to air and water by oilsands mining and processing according to University of Alberta research findings being published this month in one of the world's top scientific journals.
Cluster collisions switch on radio halos
(PhysOrg.com) -- This is a composite image of the northern part of the galaxy cluster Abell 1758, located about 3.2 billion light years from Earth, showing the effects of a collision between two smaller galaxy clusters.
The Moon puts on camo
A new geologic map of the moon's Schrodinger basin paints an instant, camouflage-colored portrait of what a mash-up the moon's surface is after eons of violent events. The geologic record at Schrödinger is still relatively fresh because the basin is only about 3.8 billion years old; this makes it the moon's second-youngest large basin (it's roughly 320 kilometers, or 200 miles, in diameter).
Impact hypothesis loses its sparkle
Shock-synthesized diamonds said to prove a catastrophic impact killed off North American megafauna can't be found.
Technology news
S.Korea's LG to stop production of cathode ray tube TVs
South Korea's LG Electronics said Monday it would no longer produce bulky cathode ray tube televisions for domestic sale due to falling demand and the end of analogue-based broadcasting service.
IBM completes acquisition of Storwize
US computer giant IBM said Monday it has completed its acquisition of data storage company Storwize.
HP to pay 55 million dollars in kickbacks case
Hewlett-Packard has agreed to pay 55 million dollars to settle claims the US computer giant defrauded the US government, the Justice Department announced Monday.
Infineon sells wireless group to Intel for 1.4 billion USD
German chip maker Infineon said Monday it had sold its wireless division to US technology giant Intel in a deal valued at approximately 1.4 billion dollars (786 million euros).
Japan resort draws men with virtual girlfriends
Long a favourite of lovers and honeymooners, a Japanese beach town with fading sparkle has found a new tourism niche in the wired age by drawing young men and their virtual girlfriends.
Indian officials to meet to decide BlackBerry ban
(AP) -- Indian authorities are scheduled to meet Monday evening to decide whether to ban some BlackBerry services in India, one day ahead of a government-imposed deadline for the device's maker Research In Motion Ltd. to give security agencies access to encrypted data.
India BlackBerry ban averted for 60 more days
(AP) -- India withdrew a threat Monday to ban BlackBerry services for at least two more months after the device's maker, Research In Motion Ltd., said it would give security agencies greater access to corporate e-mail and instant messaging.
Cisco seeking to acquire Skype: TechCrunch
US networking giant Cisco has made an offer to acquire Internet communications firm Skype, technology blog TechCrunch said Monday.
3M to acquire Cogent for about $943 million
(AP) -- 3M Co., the conglomerate whose products range from Post-Its to respirators, computer arms and films for LCD TV screens, is trying to expand into the security market by buying Cogent Inc. for about $943 million.
MySpace users can now sync posts to Facebook
(AP) -- MySpace, which recently revamped itself to look more like Facebook, is now allowing users to sync their posts to Facebook, too.
Google buys mobile game maker SocialDeck
Mobile game maker SocialDeck announced on Monday it has been bought by Google, the latest in a string of acquisitions by the Internet giant.
Computer chip sales up in July
Worldwide semiconductor sales rose 37 percent in July over a year ago and were 1.2 percent higher than the previous month, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) said Monday.
Mozilla Firefox browser 'Fennec' available for Android and Nokia N900
(PhysOrg.com) -- Mozilla has just released the next alpha version of Fennec (Firefox browser) for Android smartphones and the Nokia N900. With Firefox sync built into this release browsing history, bookmarks, passwords and form-fill data can seamlessly be shared between desktop and your mobile device.
Electric cars can succeed in oil-rich states: Ghosn
Electric cars can be successful in Gulf countries and other oil-rich states, but only with initial government help, the president and CEO of Nissan and Renault said on Monday in Abu Dhabi.
New cables tie West Africa closer to Internet
(AP) -- For a decade, West Africa's main connection to the Internet has been a single fiber-optic cable in the Atlantic, a tenuous and expensive link for one of the poorest areas of the planet.
Medicine & Health news
ER visits for concussions soar among kid athletes
(AP) -- Emergency room visits for school-age athletes with concussions has skyrocketed in recent years, suggesting the intensity of kids' sports has increased along with awareness of head injuries.
Widespread parental misuse of medicines puts children at risk
Many children are being put at risk by parents over-use of widely-available over the counter (OTC) medicines for fever, coughs and colds, says a study from Australia to be presented to the annual conference of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) today. The researchers, led by Dr. Rebekah Moles from the University of Sydney, New South Wales, say that dosing errors and inappropriate use of such medicines lead to a large number of calls to poison centres as well as emergency hospital admissions.
Circadian rhythms: Their role and dysfunction in affective disorder
All humans are synchronised to the rhythmic light-dark changes that occur on a daily basis. Rhythms in physiological and biochemical processes and behavioural patterns persist in the absence of all external 24-hour signals from the physical environment, with a period that is close to 24 hours.
Study identifies risk factors for cardiovascular events in patients with atherothrombosis
Clinical descriptors can assist clinicians in identifying patients with various stages of atherothrombosis (abnormal fatty deposits in an artery) who are at high-risk of future cardiovascular events, according to a study that will appear in the September 22 issue of JAMA. The study is being released early online to coincide with its presentation at the European Society of Cardiology meeting in Stockholm.
School-based intervention successfully lowers drinking rates in at risk children
In an effort to combat these startling findings, researchers at King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry describe a successful personality-based intervention for substance abuse delivered by teachers in the September 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Researchers to activate anti-cancer gene
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Health Sciences have succeeded in decoding the genetic key that gives particular intestinal cells their identity. With this knowledge of the complex network of genes the researchers now hope to stop colon cancer by activating special anti-cancer genes.
Governments should pay for smoking cessation therapies: Canadian researchers
Canada should follow the lead of Quebec, Australia and the United Kingdom by publicly funding smoking cessation pharmacotherapies, states an editorial in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
African-Americans have higher risk for blood clots after receiving drug-coated stent
African-American race is a distinct risk factor for developing life-threatening blood clots after receiving a drug-coated stent, according to research reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Get with the Guidelines -- Stroke program could be global model
The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke program could be a foundation for improving stroke care globally, according to a study published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Alpha Omega: Beneficial effect of low doses of n-3 fatty acids only found in sub-groups of post-MI patients
Results from the Alpha Omega Trial, a multicentre, placebo-controlled trial in men and women following myocardial infarction (MI), suggest that low doses of n-3 fatty acids given in the form of enriched margarines do not reduce the overall rate of major cardiovascular events.
Diabetes now tops Vietnam vets' claims
(AP) -- By his own reckoning, a Navy electrician spent just eight hours in Vietnam, during a layover on his flight back to the U.S. in 1966. He bought some cigarettes and snapped a few photos.
Researchers develop improved tool for cycling fitness
For competitive bicyclists with goals - whether competing in the Tour de France or aiming for the podium at a local race - faster cycling comes from training regimens based on various zones of exercise intensity. New research from exercise scientists at the University of New Hampshire has found that effective training regimens, which generally are created after expensive, time-consuming laboratory tests, can be developed from a relatively simple, do-it-yourself test.
Devastating psychological effects of BP Gulf disaster are explored in Ecopsychology journal
Anger, depression, and helplessness are the main psychological responses being seen in response to the catastrophic Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and they are likely to have long-lasting effects, according to an interview in Ecopsychology, a peer-reviewed, online journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc..
UBC researchers unveil 'toolbox of MiniPromoters' for gene research and therapy
University of British Columbia researchers have led the development of a new "toolbox of MiniPromoters" for research and future therapies on brain, spinal cord and eye function.
Questions loom over drug given to sleepless vets
(AP) -- Andrew White returned from a nine-month tour in Iraq beset with signs of post-traumatic stress disorder: insomnia, nightmares, constant restlessness. Doctors tried to ease his symptoms using three psychiatric drugs, including a potent anti-pyschotic called Seroquel.
Smoked cannabis reduces chronic pain
For people suffering chronic pain, smoked cannabis reduces pain, improves mood and helps sleep, according to new research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Study finds asking about pregnancy coercion and intimate-partner violence can reduce their incidence
Specifically asking young women during visits to family planning clinics whether their partners had attempted to force them to become pregnant — a type of intimate-partner violence called reproductive coercion — dramatically reduced the likelihood that the women would continue to experience such pressures, according to a new pilot study led by researchers at the UC Davis School of Medicine.
Going live to the beating heart
German scientists succeed in filming organs and joints in real time using magnetic resonance imaging.
Heart disorder hits national epidemic proportions
A growing epidemic of the world's most common heart rhythm disorder is resulting in an alarming number of hospital admissions in Australia, according to cardiology researchers.
Hurts so good -- neural clues to the calming effects of self-harm
The notion that cutting or burning oneself could provide relief from emotional distress is difficult to understand for most people, but it is an experience reported commonly among people who compulsively hurt themselves.
New study observes link between decongestant use in pregnant women and lower risk of preterm birth
A new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) epidemiologists has found that women who took over-the-counter decongestants during their pregnancies are less likely to give birth prematurely.
Multiple sclerosis activity changes with the seasons
New research shows that multiple sclerosis (MS) activity can increase during spring and summer months. The research is published in the August 31, 2010, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Keeping dancers on their toes
(PhysOrg.com) -- New technique allows MRIs of ballet dancers en pointe, aiding injury treatment and prevention.
Older adults experience 'destination amnesia' and over-confidence with false beliefs
I'm sure I told you that already! Older adults are more likely to have destination memory failures - forgetting who they've shared or not shared information with, according to a new study led by Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute.
US grapples with bedbugs, misuse of pesticides
(AP) -- A resurgence of bedbugs across the U.S. has homeowners and apartment dwellers taking desperate measures to eradicate the tenacious bloodsuckers, with some relying on dangerous outdoor pesticides and fly-by-night exterminators.
U of Alberta researchers discover important mechanism in fighting infection
Richard Lamb and his post doctoral fellow Virginie Mieulet, in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, may be able to explain why proper nutrition is so vital in fighting infection.
'Co-conspirator' cells could hold key to melanoma prediction, prevention
New research on how skin cancer begins has identified adjacent cancer cells that scientists are calling "co-conspirators" in the genesis of melanoma, in findings that could someday hold the key to predicting, preventing and stopping this hard-to-treat cancer before it spreads.
Scientists expect C-section rate to keep rising
(AP) -- More women will be giving birth by C-section for the foreseeable future, government scientists said Monday, releasing a study into the causes of a trend that troubles maternal health experts.
New device packs power to analyze genes, proteins at patients' bedside
University of Florida researchers have helped to develop a device that quickly identifies genes and proteins in body fluids -- a technique that could make a vital difference to the trauma patients doctors treat.
New genomic marker for tuberculosis may help identify patients who will develop the disease
It may soon be possible to identify patients who will develop tuberculosis, as scientists have identified changes in the blood specific to the disease. These findings are from an international study published in the August 19 issue of Nature and conducted by doctors and researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital using blood profiling techniques to understand infections.
Social isolation worsens cardiac arrest effects on heart regulation
A new study in mice shows how social support can help minimize some of the worst physical damages to the brain caused by a heart attack.
Structural defects precede functional decline in heart muscle
The disruption of a structural component in heart muscle cells, which is associated with heart failure, appears to occur even before heart function starts to decline, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine.
Eye movements reveal readers' wandering minds
It's not just you... everybody zones out when they're reading. For a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, scientists recorded eye movements during reading and found that the eyes keep moving when the mind wanders -- but they don't move in the same way as they do when you're paying attention.
Study provides insights into the roots of gamblers' fallacies and other superstitions
Gamblers who think they have a "hot hand," only to end up walking away with a loss, may nonetheless be making "rational" decisions, according to new research from University of Minnesota psychologists. The study finds that because humans are making decisions based on how we think the world works, if erroneous beliefs are held, it can result in behavior that looks distinctly irrational.
Diverse diet of veggies may decrease lung cancer risk
(PhysOrg.com) -- Adding a variety of vegetables to one's diet may help decrease the chance of getting lung cancer, and adding a variety of fruits and vegetables may decrease the risk of squamous cell lung cancer, especially among smokers.
Biology news
Genzyme board rejects Sanofi bid
The board of directors at US biotechnology firm Genzyme has unanimously rejected an 18.5-billion-dollar takeover offer from French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi-Aventis, Genzyme said Monday.
Boon to plant science
In both plant and animal cells, protein activity is often regulated by phosphorylation, by which a phosphate group is added to one or more sites on a protein. A team led by Ken Shirasu of RIKEN Plant Science Center, Yokohama, Japan, has found very similar patterns of protein phosphorylation even in distantly related plant species, a discovery that should advance plant engineering. The data is now freely available online from RIKEN's new Plant Phosphoproteome Database.
UF researchers to document boating patterns; could aid endangered whales
One of the world's most endangered whale species makes its way south every winter to give birth in waters near northeast Florida and southeast Georgia. During that trip, North Atlantic right whales face two major threats: fishing gear and boats.
Snail mail beats phones as feds try to sustain ample fish stocks in U.S. coastal waters
(PhysOrg.com) -- Old-fashioned snail mail and a postage stamp might be the answer for federal officials struggling to keep the waters off the U.S. coast from being overfished.
Climate change implicated in decline of horseshoe crabs
A distinct decline in horseshoe crab numbers has occurred that parallels climate change associated with the end of the last Ice Age, according to a study that used genomics to assess historical trends in population sizes.
Scientists find new invasive fresh water clam species in Lake George
(PhysOrg.com) -- The new species (Corbicula fluminea) was located in the Village of Lake George and poses a serious threat to native mussels and the Lake George ecosystem, according to Sandra Nierzwicki-Bauer, director of the Rensselaer Darrin Fresh Water Institute.
Nature's quality control in yeast
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists know that in yeast cells, as in other cells, it's the job of ribosomes to make proteins out of amino acids using information coded in the messenger RNA (mRNA).
Researchers develop hybrid protein tools for gene cutting and editing
An Iowa State University team of researchers has developed a type of hybrid proteins that can make double-strand DNA breaks at specific sites in living cells, possibly leading to better gene replacement and gene editing therapies.
For the first time, researchers identify and isolate adult mammary stem cells in mice
For the first time, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have identified and isolated adult mammary stem cells in mice. Long-term implications of this research may include the use of such cells to regenerate breast tissue, provide a better understanding of the role of adult stem cells in breast cancer development, and develop potential new targets for anti-cancer drugs.
New research shows how disease-causing parasite gets around human innate immunity
Trypanosomes are parasites responsible for many human and animal diseases, primarily in tropical climates. One disease these parasites cause, African sleeping sickness, results from the bite of infected tsetse flies, putting over 60 million Africans at risk in 36 sub-Saharan countries. The recent 1998-2001 sleeping sickness epidemics in South Sudan, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda killed tens of thousands of people and resulted in over a half million infected individuals.
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