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Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for August 9, 2010:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Researchers successfully test new alternative to traditional semiconductors- Is solar power cheaper than nuclear power?
- Supercomputer application solves superconductor puzzle
- What makes a good egg and healthy embryo?
- Scientists map all mammalian gene interactions
- An ancient Earth like ours
- A 'magnetic' solution to identify and kill tumors
- Google-Verizon nix 'net neutrality' for wireless
- Scientists show there's nothing boring about watching paint dry
- The power of graphics processing units may threaten the world's password security system
- Next space station spacewalk no earlier than Wednesday
- Research team investigates mutated gene's role in breast cancer
- Competing for a mate can shorten lifespan
- Cracking open a cell biology mystery
- 3rd spacewalk needed to restore cooling system
Space & Earth news
Health alarm as acrid smog blankets Moscow
The worst smog in living memory blanketed Moscow Saturday, with residents fleeing the Russian capital or donning protective masks against pollution over six times higher than normal safe levels.
Ruptured Mich. oil pipeline shows lengthwise rip
(AP) -- Officials say a ruptured section of pipeline that spewed oil into a southern Michigan river had a lengthwise rip that likely is less than five feet long.
Single cell injections
Duke University physicists have developed a way to produce sharp fluid jets with enough precision that they can inject material into a single, living cell. The technique promises a way to deliver drugs to cells one at a time, which is likely to be very valuable for research involving stem cells and other cellular-level studies. The research appears in the current issue of the APS journal Physical Review Letters.
BP may re-drill near Gulf of Mexico oil well site
BP has shrugged off a potential public relations hit when the energy giant said it may drill a new well in the Gulf of Mexico reservoir which fed one of the world's worst oil spills.
US astronauts begin key ISS repair spacewalk
Two International Space Station astronauts set out Saturday on the first of two spacewalks to fix a cooling pump that dramatically failed last week.
Gulf seafood industry tries to shake an oily image
(AP) -- The rich fishing grounds of the Gulf of Mexico are beginning to reopen more than three months after crude began gushing from the sea floor. But those who harvest, process and sell the catch face a new crisis - convincing wary consumers it's not only delicious, but also safe.
Space station astronauts fall short on repairs
(AP) -- A pair of space station astronauts had to hammer loose a stuck connector Saturday during an urgent spacewalk to restore a crucial cooling system, and ran out of time before they could remove a broken pump.
US urges focus on clean-up, sea damage after BP spill
US officials on Sunday urged further study of the damage done to the environment by BP's broken well, and said clean-up efforts must continue despite claims that much of the oil had vanished from the Gulf of Mexico.
Japan seeking to export low-carbon technologies
Japan is seeking to export low-carbon technology and equipment to nine mostly Asian countries in exchange for "right-to-pollute" credits, a press report said Sunday.
Moscow's toxic smog fails to shift as anger grows
The toxic smog smothering Moscow showed little sign of abating Monday as media accused officials of covering up the scale of the disaster and the authorities raced to put out a fire near a nuclear site.
Oil slick concern after ships collide near Mumbai
The Indian coastguard was trying on Monday to contain oil from a badly-listing container ship that collided with another vessel near the city of Mumbai, a defence ministry spokesman said.
BP resumes drilling Gulf relief well as final plug
(AP) -- The government's point man on the Gulf oil spill says BP has resumed drilling a relief well meant to intersect the blown-out well and seal it for good.
Advanced bio-filtration system promises less Chesapeake pollution
Technological advances developed by University of Maryland researchers promise significant reductions in urban runoff polluting the Anacostia watershed and the Chesapeake Bay. The researchers say their work represents the next generation of "low impact development" technologies.
Switchgrass lessens soil nitrate loss into waterways
By planting switchgrass and using certain agronomic practices, farmers can significantly reduce the amount of nitrogen and nitrates that leach into the soil, according to Iowa State University research.
Scientists find changes to Gulf of Mexico dead zone
NOAA-supported scientists have found this year's Gulf of Mexico dead zone to be the fifth largest on record at 7,722 square miles - an area the size of New Jersey, near the upper limit of their projections, but tropical storm activity in the Gulf of Mexico caused the zone to be a patchwork rather than a continuous band.
3rd spacewalk needed to restore cooling system
(AP) -- A pair of space station astronauts had to hammer loose a stuck connector during an urgent spacewalk to restore a crucial cooling system Saturday, then an ammonia leak erupted and hampered the entire repair effort.
The salp: Nature's near-perfect little engine just got better
What if trains, planes, and automobiles all were powered simply by the air through which they move? Moreover, what if their exhaust and byproducts helped the environment?
An ancient Earth like ours
An international team of scientists including Mark Williams and Jan Zalasiewicz of the Geology Department of the University of Leicester, and led by Dr. Thijs Vandenbroucke, formerly of Leicester and now at the University of Lille 1 (France), has reconstructed the Earth's climate belts of the late Ordovician Period, between 460 and 445 million years ago.
Next space station spacewalk no earlier than Wednesday
Flight controllers and engineers continue meetings to review the results from the first spacewalk conducted Saturday by International Space Station Expedition 24 Flight Engineers Doug Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell Dyson and to plan for the second of what now will be three spacewalks to complete the replacement of a failed pump module on the station's starboard truss.
Technology news
Disgraced HP CEO to get nearly $28 million
(AP) -- Lauded for making Hewlett-Packard Co. the world's biggest technology company, CEO Mark Hurd was in negotiations for a new contract worth about $100 million, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.
Africa cell phone boom beneficial -- but schools, roads, power, water remain critical needs
where many people lack the basic human necessities — has made headlines worldwide the past few years. The surprising boom has led to widespread speculation that cell phones could potentially transform the impoverished continent.
Internet lifestyles leave digital estates for descendants
As lives move increasingly online, Legacy Locker is building virtual safe-deposit boxes where people can leave digital estates for descendants.
Estonian hacker pleads not guilty to bilking cash
An extradited Estonian hacker has pled not guilty to bilking the Royal Bank of Scotland of nine million dollars in a single day by tampering with its payroll debit cards around the world, US officials have said.
Saudi BlackBerrys still online as 'talks progress'
BlackBerry users in Saudi Arabia said messaging services remained online on Saturday despite a ban, as a mobile phone company reported progress in talks with the smartphone's Canadian makers.
Plugging the WikiLeak: What can the government do?
(AP) -- An online whistle-blower's threat to release more classified Pentagon and State Department documents is raising difficult questions of what the government can or would do, legally, technically or even militarily to stop it.
Internet calling service Skype files for IPO
(AP) -- Skype SA, the Internet calling service that was controlled until last year by eBay Inc., filed Monday for a U.S. initial public offering.
German ministers told to avoid BlackBerrys, iPhones
The German government said Monday ministers and senior civil servants have been told not to use iPhone and BlackBerry mobile devices as the interior minister warned a "dramatic" rise in cyber attacks.
Bahrain says no plans to ban BlackBerry services
(AP) -- Bahrain's foreign minister said Sunday the country has no plans to follow its Persian Gulf neighbors in banning some BlackBerry services because security fears do not outweigh the technological benefits.
Privacy top concern as users customize, personalize online experiences
Although many Internet services and sites allow customization and personalization that make visits online more efficient and enjoyable, two recent studies found that privacy concerns limit how both the most technology-savvy users and those with less expertise utilize opportunities to customize or personalize their online experiences.
Apple says it has patch for remote hack attack
Apple is quietly wrestling with a security conundrum. How the company handles it could dictate the pace at which cybercriminals accelerate attacks on iPhones and iPads.
Google-Verizon nix 'net neutrality' for wireless
Google and US telecom titan Verizon on Monday proposed a legal framework to safeguard 'net neutrality' but said the rules should not apply to wireless broadband Internet connections.
The power of graphics processing units may threaten the world's password security system
It's been called revolutionary - technology that lends supercomputer-level power to any desktop. What's more, this new capability comes in the form of a readily available piece of hardware, a graphics processing unit (GPU) costing only a few hundred dollars.
Is solar power cheaper than nuclear power?
One of the issues associated with shifting from using fossil fuels to alternative energy sources is the cost. While adherents of alternative energy tout its benefits, many are skeptical, pointing out that such alternatives are just too expensive. Advocates of nuclear power point out that it is less polluting (if you don't count storage of spent fuel) than fossil fuels, and that it costs less than alternatives like solar power.
Medicine & Health news
Medicare's private eyes let fraud cases get cold
(AP) -- They don't seem that interested in hot pursuit. It took private sleuths hired by Medicare an average of six months last year to refer fraud cases to law enforcement.
Eaten Alive: 5-year battle with flesh-eating germ
(AP) -- Waking from a fog of anesthesia, Sandy Wilson found she was a patient in one of the hospitals where she worked as a nurse. She remembered having a baby, and being told she had gotten an infection. But nothing could prepare her for what lurked beneath the sheets.
New 'dentist' test to detect oral cancer will save lives
A new test for oral cancer, which a dentist could perform by simply using a brush to collect cells from a patient's mouth, is set to be developed by researchers at the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Some girls' puberty age still falling, study suggests
Doctors and parents were stunned when research published more than a decade ago found American girls were beginning puberty at much younger ages, some as early as 7. A new study released Sunday suggests the average age at which puberty begins may still be falling for white and Latina girls.
Alcohol taxes can reduce death rates among chronic heavy drinkers
Adjusting the alcohol tax in Florida to account for inflation since 1983 would prevent 600 to 800 deaths each year in that state from diseases caused by chronic heavy alcohol use, according to a new study from the University of Florida. The Florida legislature last increased alcohol taxes in 1983.
Corporal punishment of children remains common worldwide, UNC studies find
Spanking has declined in the U.S. since 1975 but nearly 80 percent of preschool children are still disciplined in this fashion. In addition, corporal punishment of children remains common worldwide, despite bans on corporal punishment that have been adopted in 24 countries since 1979.
Latino children with asthma less accurate in determining their lung function
A new study by researchers at the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center and the University of Puerto Rico may help explain some of the well-documented ethnic disparities in pediatric asthma.
On-the-job injuries hurt home health care industry
Training can alleviate some of the pain that occupational injuries bring to the long-term care industry, according to Penn State researchers. The study looked at injuries among home health aides.
Biochemist proposes worldwide policy change to step up daily vitamin D intake
Anthony Norman, a leading international expert in vitamin D, proposes worldwide policy changes regarding people's vitamin D daily intake amount in order to maximize the vitamin's contribution to reducing the frequency of many diseases, including childhood rickets, adult osteomalacia, cancer, autoimmune type-1 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, obesity and muscle weakness.
Study identifies factors associated with rate of visual field change in patients with glaucoma
Patients with glaucoma appear to have more rapid visual field change if they are older or if they have abnormal levels of anticardiolipin antibody (an antibody directed against a certain protein in the body), according to a report posted online today that will appear in the October print issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Reducing intraocular pressure—the pressure within the eyeball—modestly in these patients appears to ameliorate the rate at which they experience declines in visual field.
3 biomarkers in spinal fluid appear helpful to classify patients with Alzheimer's disease
A "signature" consisting of three biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid was present in 90 percent of patients who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease but also was found in more than one-third of cognitively normal older adults, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
1 in 4 stroke patients stop taking medication within 3 months
A quarter of stroke patients discontinue one or more of their prescribed secondary stroke prevention medications within three months of hospitalization for an acute stroke, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the December print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Improved drug coverage under Medicare associated with increases in antibiotic use
Antibiotic use appears to have increased among older adults whose prescription drug coverage improved as a result of enrolling in Medicare Part D, with the largest increases for broad-spectrum, newer and more expensive drugs, according to a report in the August 9/23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Certain vena cava filters may fracture, causing potentially life-threatening complications
Two specific types of vena cava filters, devices used to prevent blood clots from reaching the lungs, appear to have evidence of fracturing inside the body, with some fractured fragments traveling to the heart and causing potentially life-threatening complications, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the November 8 print issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Research examines the price of prison for children
It comes as no surprise that many children suffer when a parent is behind bars. But as rates of incarceration grew over the past 30 years, researchers were slow to focus on the collateral damage to children.
Demographic disparities found among children with frequent ear infections
Research has documented that ethnic and socioeconomic disparities exist among patients with conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. Now, a new study by researchers from UCLA and Harvard University has found disparities among children suffering from repeated ear infections.
Inhibiting prostate cancer without disturbing regular body processes
A kinase is a type of enzyme the body uses to regulate the functions of the proteins required for cell growth and maintenance, and researchers have discovered that one in particular plays a key role in developing prostate cancer. "It's known as Mnk, and although it appears not to be essential for normal cell maintenance, it's important for cancer growth" said Dr. Luc Furic, a postdoctoral researcher working with Dr. Nahum Sonenberg at McGill University's Goodman Cancer Research Centre and Department of Biochemistry.
Brain responds same to acute and chronic sleep loss
Burning the candle at both ends for a week may take an even bigger toll than you thought. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found that five nights of restricted sleep--four hours a night--affect the brain in a way similar to that seen after acute total sleep deprivation.
Scientists discover familial link in rare childhood leukemia
A UCSF-led team has discovered a direct link between an inherited genetic mutation, a set of developmental abnormalities and a rare form of childhood leukemia called juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia, or JMML. The study demonstrates a new familial link in JMML and has significant implications, the researchers say, for improving the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
Schools, communities share responsibility for child nutrition
The American Dietetic Association has published an updated position paper on local support for nutrition integrity in schools that calls on schools and communities to work together to provide healthful and affordable meals for all children and to promote educational environments that help students learn and practice healthy behaviors for their entire lives.
Stress gets under our skin
Everyone experiences social stress, whether it is nervousness over a job interview, difficulty meeting people at parties, or angst over giving a speech. In a new report, UCLA researchers have discovered that how your brain responds to social stressors can influence the body's immune system in ways that may negatively affect health.
Better understanding of mapmaking in the brain
"Grid cells," which help the brain map locations, have been found for the first time outside of the hippocampus in the rat brain, according to new research from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). The finding should help further our understanding of how the brain generates the internal maps that help us remember where we have been and how to get to where we want to go.
Transgenic mice with with highly effective components of the human immune system
How can the immune system be made more potent against cancer? To solve this crucial question, Dr. Liang-Ping Li and Professor Thomas Blankenstein of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin in Germany have dedicated ten years of research to develop a new method. The researchers modified T cell receptors (TCRs), the antenna-like structures of T cells, so that they would no longer ignore cancer cells, but instead specifically track and recognize them. This modification is the precondition for the immune system to destroy cancer cells. The researchers developed a mouse with a whole repertoire of these human T cell receptors with the aim of utilizing these receptors in the future for targeted immunotherapy in patients.
People think immoral behavior is funny -- but only if it also seems benign
What makes something funny? Philosophers have been tossing that question around since Plato. Now two psychological scientists think they've come up with the formula: humor comes from a violation or threat to the way the world ought to be that is, at the same time, benign.
Plasma beta-amyloid levels associated with cognitive decline
protein fragments associated with Alzheimer's disease when they accumulate in the brain—appear to be associated with faster cognitive decline even in those who do not develop dementia, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the December print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Physicians failing to follow recommended heart-failure treatment guidelines
Physicians are losing ground in prescribing the types of medications that have proven most effective in treating a condition known as congestive heart failure, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Sorting when early memory loss signals big threat
(AP) -- Doctors can't tell if Leif Utoft Bollesen's mild memory loss will remain an annoyance or worsen, but experimental checks of the Minnesota man's aging brain may offer clues.
Human clinical trial of NIH-developed dengue vaccine begins
After more than a decade of development at the National Institutes of Health, a vaccine to prevent infection by the mosquito-borne dengue virus has begun human clinical testing. The vaccine was developed by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and is undergoing clinical study at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.
Brain's wiring: More network than pyramid?
The brain has been mapped to the smallest fold for at least a century, but still no one knows how all the parts talk to each other.
Key regulator in inflammatory bowel disease identified
UCD Conway scientists led by Professor Cormac Taylor have pinpointed a key regulator involved in maintaining the functional integrity of the gut lining as part of their reseach into inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Together with their national and international collaborators, they recently published findings in Gastroenterology that may provide vital information for developing a new therapeutic approach to the treatment of this disease.
Sydney study finds false memories are common
Memories can't be trusted and become contaminated when people discuss their memories of an event with others, according to a University of Sydney study.
Competing for a mate can shorten lifespan
"Love stinks!" the J. Geils band told the world in 1980, and while you can certainly argue whether or not this tender and ineffable spirit of affection has a downside, working hard to find it does. It may even shorten your life.
Research team investigates mutated gene's role in breast cancer
A microscopic gene may play a gigantic role when it comes to cancerous tissue in the human body, according to one Kansas State University research team.
Scientists map all mammalian gene interactions
In one of the first efforts of its kind, UCLA researchers have taken mammalian genome maps, including human maps, one step further by showing not just the order in which genes fall in the genome but which genes actually interact.
Biology news
Higher temperatures to slow Asian rice production
the world's most important crop for ensuring food security and addressing poverty—will be thwarted as temperatures increase in rice-growing areas with continued climate change, according to a new study by an international team of scientists.
As crops wither in Russia's severe drought, vital plant field bank faces demolition
As the fate of Europe's largest collection of fruit and berries hangs in the balance of a Russian court decision, the Global Crop Diversity Trust issued an urgent appeal for the Russian government to embrace its heroic tradition as protector of the world's crop diversity and halt the planned destruction of an incredibly valuable crop collection near St. Petersburg. Pavlovsk Experiment Station is the largest European field genebank for fruits and berries, and is part of the N.I. Vavilov Research Institute of Plant Industry, where Russian scientists famously starved to death rather than eat the seeds under their protection during the 900-day siege of Leningrad during World War II.
Insects sense danger on mammals' breath
When plant-eating mammals such as goats chomp on a sprig of alfalfa, they could easily gobble up some extra protein in the form of insects that happen to get in their way. But a new report in the August 10th issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, shows that plant-dwelling pea aphids have a strategy designed to help them avoid that dismal fate: The insects sense mammalian breath and simply drop to the ground.
Biotech offers promise for producing fuel
Fuel may be a messy business now, as the oil spill fouling the Gulf reminds us. But it might not always have to be. Scientists envision facilities that churn out black gold by enlisting engineered bacteria, yeast and algae to do all the dirty work.
Popping cells surprise living circuits creators
Under the microscope, the bacteria start dividing normally, two cells become four and then eight and so on. But then individual cells begin "popping," like circus balloons being struck by darts.
Study shows that hitchhiking bacteria can go against the flow
A new study co-authored by professor Kam Tang of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science reveals that tiny aquatic organisms known as "water fleas" play an important role in carrying hitchhiking bacteria to otherwise inaccessible lake and ocean habitats.
Cracking open a cell biology mystery
Two billion years ago somewhere in the primordial soup, one of our single-cell ancestors made a quick lunch out of another. But, in a moment of evolutionary serendipity, the would-be prey worked out a "win-win" symbiotic deal with its predator, gaining a new home and becoming an indispensable source of energy renewal as well as taking on a host of other functions over time. Although there are still many mysteries about the origin and function of these co-opted critters, which were given the name "mitochondria" (from the Greek words for "thread" and "granules") in 1898, we now know that they are critical in cell respiration, cell death, and cellular homeostasis, and that many degenerative diseases have their roots in dysfunctions in any one or more of those tasks.
What makes a good egg and healthy embryo?
Scientists as well as fertility doctors have long tried to figure out what makes a good egg that will produce a healthy embryo. It's a particularly critical question for fertility doctors deciding which eggs isolated from a woman will produce the best embryos and, ultimately, babies.
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