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Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for August 3, 2010:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Pancreatic cancers use fructose, common in the Western diet, to fuel their growth- New tagging technique enhances view of living cells
- New drug target for immune diseases discovered
- Carnivorous mice spread deadly plague in prairie dog towns, study finds
- Culture wires the brain: A cognitive neuroscience perspective
- RIM unleashes BlackBerry Torch to take on iPhone
- Google phones gaining ground in US smartphone market
- Biologists publish findings on cell interactions
- Molecules delivering drugs as they walk
- New inexpensive solar cell design
- Scientist Creates Sunscreen from Ivy
- Sperm may be harmed by exposure to BPA, study suggests
- Generating energy from ocean waters off Hawaii
- Physicists develop model that pushes limits of quantum theory, relativity
- Tablet PC's Getting Ready for Android 3.0
Space & Earth news
Deadly flooding spreads to Pakistan's heartland
(AP) -- Floodwaters spread into Pakistan's heartland Tuesday, submerging dozens of villages along bloated rivers whose torrents already have killed at least 1,200 people. Fresh rains in the hardest-hit northwest threatened to overwhelm a major dam and unleash a new deluge.
Law center prepares lawsuit over Mich. oil spill
(AP) -- A public interest law firm prepared Monday to sue the owners of a pipeline that ruptured in southern Michigan and dumped hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil into a Kalamazoo River tributary, while residents voiced concerns to government officials following a community meeting.
UA-Operated Stereo Camera Selected for Mars Mission
(PhysOrg.com) -- The UA's High Resolution Stereo Color Imager was selected as one of five instruments for the first joint mission to Mars by NASA and the European Space Agency. HiSCI is designed to uncover interactions between the Red Planet's surface and atmosphere.
Image: Smoke over Western Russia
(PhysOrg.com) -- Hundreds of fires burned across western Russia on August 2, 2010, but it is the smoke that conveys the magnitude of the disaster in this true-color image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite.
La. fishermen wrinkle their noses at 'smell tests'
(AP) -- Even the people who make their living off the seafood-rich waters of Louisiana's St. Bernard Parish have a hard time swallowing the government's assurances that fish harvested in the shallow, muddy waters just offshore must be safe to eat because they don't smell too bad.
Neil Armstrong, first man on the moon, to turn 80
Neil Armstrong, who turns 80 on Thursday, became the first human to set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969, before the eyes of hundreds of millions of television viewers worldwide, who gazed in awe.
MetOp-B module passes crucial vacuum test
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Payload Module of ESA's latest meteorological satellite, MetOp-B, has been hauled out of the largest vacuum chamber in Europe: its ability to operate in the harsh conditions of space has been proved.
NASA puts off space station repair until Friday
(AP) -- NASA has put off a major repair job at the International Space Station until Friday.
Survey of coastal residents shows Gulf oil spill has significant impact on families
As the acute phase of the Gulf oil spill transitions to a chronic phase, marked by long-term challenges to the public health, environment and economy, researchers at Columbia University's National Center for Disaster Preparedness interviewed over 1,200 adults living within 10 miles of the Gulf Coast in Louisiana and Mississippi, in collaboration with the Children's Health Fund and The Marist Poll of Poughkeepsie, NY. The survey, conducted by telephone in July, after the Deepwater Horizon well was capped, found evidence of significant and potentially lasting impact of the disaster on the health, mental health, and economic fortunes of residents and their children and on the way they live their everyday lives. The findings have implications for health and economic policies going forward.
Study finds permafrost warming, monitoring improving
Permafrost warming continues throughout a wide swath of the Northern Hemisphere, according to a team of scientists assembled during the recent International Polar Year.
Tropical Depression 4 now a small tropical storm named Colin
The fourth Atlantic tropical depression became Tropical Storm Colin early in the morning today, August 3 and NASA and other satellites are keeping tabs on it. A GOES-13 satellite visible image at 1145 UTC (7:45 a.m. EDT) on August 3, showed Tropical Storm Colin as a compact area of clouds in the central Atlantic Ocean. NASA infrared imagery from the Aqua satellite has watched Colin's convection increase over the last day, indicating the storm's strengthening to a tropical storm.
Analysis: July was cool this year
According to an analysis by Climate Central, July of 2010 will be remembered as a cool one, even in the northeast corridor.
New state surveys affirm Americans' support for government action on climate change
Large majorities of the residents of Florida, Maine and Massachusetts believe the Earth has been getting warmer gradually over the last 100 years (81 percent, 78 percent and 84 percent, respectively), and large majorities favor government action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to new public opinion research by Professor Jon Krosnick, a senior fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University.
Researchers Measure Diesel Emissions on the Freeway
The 53-foot-long tractor trailer that houses UC Riverside's mobile emissions laboratory was back on the road Friday and Monday on Interstate 10 between Redlands and Beaumont testing ways to better measure particulates from diesel trucks and buses.
BP begins crucial well 'kill' in Gulf of Mexico
BP began Tuesday its long-awaited "static kill" to plug the worst oil leak in history, pouring heavy drilling fluids to hold back the gushing crude in its runaway well.
Technology news
Fujitsu's DDR3 DIMM Connector Design Enhances Memory Module Reliability
Fujitsu today released a DDR3 (Double Data Rate) DIMM (Dual Inline Memory Module) socket connector designed to reduce errors and intermittent faults associated with DDR3 memory modules.
HP reaches settlement with DOJ in kickbacks case
(AP) -- Hewlett-Packard Co. said Monday that it has agreed in principle to settle a lawsuit by the Department of Justice, which alleged that HP and other technology companies paid kickbacks to Accenture PLC in exchange for recommendations for government work.
South Korean regulators give go-ahead to iPhone 4
Regulators Tuesday authorised the sale of Apple's iPhone 4 in the lucrative South Korean market, after the firm's decision last month to delay sales in the country upset consumers.
Google's China answer page inaccessible
(AP) -- A Google question-and-answer page for Chinese users was inaccessible from mainland China on Tuesday less than a month after the search giant's Internet license was renewed amid a dispute over online censorship.
Tough Indian telecom rules spark foreign backlash
(AP) -- Telecom companies and trade groups are urging India to soften tough new security regulations on foreign telecommunications companies - believed to be aimed at China - which they say could set a troubling global precedent for onerous security norms.
Louisiana Tech professor receives patent for electromagnetic technology
The United States Patent Office has issued a patent to Dr. Mark DeCoster, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Louisiana Tech University, for his invention of an "Electromagnetic Probe Device" - an innovative technology developed at Louisiana Tech's Institute for Micromanufacturing.
Mouse Trail Leads to Online Shoppers
(PhysOrg.com) -- Emory computer scientists Eugene Agichtein and Qi Guo have developed on online tool that helps predict whether a person intends to buy or to browse by tracking the cursor movements.
Game company Electronic Arts posts 1Q profit
(AP) -- Video game publisher Electronic Arts said Tuesday that it earned a net income in the latest quarter, reversing a loss a year earlier as revenue grew sharply.
RIM says BlackBerry talks in India continue
(AP) -- BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. says it has not agreed to heightened surveillance of its corporate clients by the Indian government, as talks continue over access to e-mails and other data sent from the smart phones.
New BlackBerry is badly needed flagship for RIM
(AP) -- BlackBerrys still fly off the shelves. They still convey the message that their owners mean business - that they're people who are important enough to need e-mail access all the time.
Google phones gaining ground in US smartphone market
Smartphones running on Google-backed Android software are gaining ground in a hot US market, according to figures released Monday by industry-tracker Nielsen Company.
Microsoft patches 'critical' crack in Windows
Microsoft released an emergency patch for a "critical" crack in Windows operating system software that could let hackers take control of computers over the Internet.
Generating energy from ocean waters off Hawaii
Researchers at the University of Hawaii at Manoa say that the Leeward side of Hawaiian Islands may be ideal for future ocean-based renewable energy plants that would use seawater from the oceans' depths to drive massive heat engines and produce steady amounts of renewable energy.
Medicine & Health news
A living aortic valve replacement leads to better survival and quality of life than provided by a dead donor
When a patient needs their aortic valve replacing, using the valve in their own pulmonary artery for the replacement leads to better survival and quality of life than if the aortic valve from a dead donor is used. This is the conclusion of an Article published Online First and in an upcoming edition of The Lancet, written by Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub, Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK, and Imperial College London, UK, and colleagues.
Aussie family speaks out about lead-poisoned child
The mother of a schoolgirl at the centre of a lead contamination dispute in a north Australian mining town Tuesday spoke of her concern about her daughter's deteriorating health.
Keeping patients 'in good hands'
Hand therapy is one of the most vital treatment steps in recovery from hand injury surgery, according to a literature review published in the August 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS). In fact, many patients spend more time with the hand therapist than the orthopaedic surgeon in the effort to ensure the best results and long-term recovery.
Advocacy intervention does not produce meaningful results in depression among abused Chinese women
Among Chinese women who are survivors of intimate partner violence, an advocacy intervention that included empowerment sessions and telephone support from social workers did not result in a clinically meaningful improvement in depressive symptoms, according to a study in the August 4 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on violence and human rights.
Brief interventions in emergency departments may reduce violence and alcohol abuse among adolescents
Brief interventions among adolescents reporting to emergency departments may be associated with a reduction in the experience of peer violence and alcohol misuse in this population, according to a study in the August 4 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on violence and human rights.
Mobile obstetrics project improves health of mothers in Eastern Burma
A community-based maternal health delivery strategy known as the MOM Project (mobile obstetric medics) dramatically increased access to maternal health care services for internally displaced woman in eastern Burma, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Malaria elimination will fail without understanding vector ecology
A global commitment to malaria eradication must also involve a long-term commitment to vector ecology. This is the message of the authors of a Policy Forum article published in this week's PLoS Medicine, who emphasize that malaria eradication efforts will not be successful until a better understanding of the ecology and evolution of the mosquito vectors is gained.
Mystery as Tokyo loses track of its centenarians
(AP) -- Japanese authorities admitted Tuesday they'd lost track of a 113-year-old woman listed as Tokyo's oldest, days after police searched the home of the city's official oldest man - only to find his long-dead, mummified body.
Study takes novel approach to understanding pituitary function
A Florida State University biologist and mathematician have joined forces to find out exactly how the brain oversees the secretion of the hormone prolactin from the pituitary gland, research that could lead to new ways to treat hundreds of disorders, including infertility.
Smoking, nipple piercing are risk factors for developing breast abscesses
Women who smoke or pierce their nipples are more likely to develop a breast abscess, according to a new study in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. Researchers at the University of Iowa found the odds of developing primary breast abscess were six times higher in smokers than in nonsmokers, and smokers were 11 times more likely to develop subareolar abscess. Breast abscesses were 15 times more likely to recur in smokers than in nonsmokers. In addition, this study is one of the first to provide clinical evidence that nipple piercing is also a risk factor for subareolar breast abscess, with the onset of abscess occurring from one month to seven years from the time of piercing.
Haiti's Most Vulnerable Children at Heightened Risk in Earthquake's Aftermath
(PhysOrg.com) -- As Haiti rebuilds from the devastation of January's earthquake, a Yale study finds that the country's most vulnerable children will likely face unique and additional risks in the forms of gender-based violence against women, child trafficking and poor psychosocial health. The findings appear in the Aug. 3 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Mayo Clinic researchers share latest findings in CT radiation dose reduction efforts
In recent years, advances in CT scanner technology have made perfusion computed tomography (CT) imaging an important diagnostic tool for patients with suspected stroke. Now, researchers at Mayo Clinic are working to reduce radiation dosages used to acquire perfusion and other CT images. Mayo Clinic medical physicist Cynthia McCollough, Ph.D., and her group of researchers presented their findings related to CT dose reduction at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine on July 20 in Philadelphia. The presentation was entitled "20-Fold Dose Reduction Using a Gradient Adaptive Bilateral Filter: Demonstration Using in Vivo Animal Perfusion CT."
Canada's Children's Fitness Tax Credit benefits wealthier families
When it comes to who gets the biggest bang for the buck from Canada's Children's Fitness Tax Credit (CFTC), it's wealthier families that benefit most, University of Alberta researchers have found.
Quality-adjusted life years lost to US adults due to obesity more than doubles from 1993-2008
Although the prevalence of obesity and obesity-attributable deaths has steadily increased, the resultant burden of disease associated with obesity has not been well understood. A new study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine indicates that Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) lost to U.S. adults due to morbidity and mortality from obesity have more than doubled from 1993-2008 and the prevalence of obesity has increased 89.9% during the same period.
Trying little-known option to seal a leaky lung
(AP) -- The final straw came when Guy Vance's chest, neck and face ballooned, little air bubbles in his skin crackling to the touch - all because of a leak somewhere in his lung.
Solariums double skin cancer risk in young people
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have confirmed what has long been feared - young people who use solariums have almost double the risk of being diagnosed with skin cancer before the age of 40.
Disrupted circadian rhythm may cause triglycerides to rise
When the circadian rhythm gets thrown off, it could come with an unexpected side effect: high triglycerides. The discovery, based on studies in mice with a "broken clock," helps to explain the normal rise and fall in triglycerides, which happens at about the same time each day, according to researchers who report their findings in the August issue of Cell Metabolism.
Revascularization in elderly seniors may help survival rates after heart attack
Revascularization procedures in very elderly patients after heart attacks may be responsible for improved survival rates after one year, found a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Researchers document human toll of violence in Central African Republic
Using a combination of scientific methodology and old-fashioned legwork, human rights researchers based at the University of California, Berkeley, have systematically canvassed nearly 2,000 households in the Central African Republic, carefully documenting the devastating human impact of violence in the country, as well as detailing the opinions of how the country should move forward.
Memory-boosting drug may help cocaine addicts avoid relapse
A memory-boosting medication paired with behavioral therapy might help addicts stay clean, according to new animal research in the Aug. 4 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The study suggests D-cycloserine, previously used in the lab to treat fear and anxiety disorders, could help an addict resist drugs even when confronted with drug-related cues outside of rehab.
New estimates of the global population at risk of Plasmodium vivax malaria
A new evidence-based global distribution map of Plasmodium vivax malaria, published August 3 in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, is used to estimate that 2.85 billion people lived at risk of infection with this parasite in 2009. The map, created as part of the Malaria Atlas Project (MAP), a multinational research collaboration funded mainly by the Wellcome Trust, reviews a host of information that challenges the dogma that P. vivax transmission is absent through large swathes of Africa and uses novel methods - including new global maps of the protective Duffy negativity blood condition - to estimate global populations at risk.
New national study examines US high school sports-related fractures
The popularity of high school sports in the United States has continued to increase over the past decade, with more than 7.5 million athletes participating in school sports during the 2008-09 academic year. A new study conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital found that 95 percent of fractures required costly diagnostic imaging, including X-rays, MRIs and CT scans, and 16 percent required surgical repair.
All-over tan is a myth, study finds
A consistent all-over tan may be impossible to achieve because some body areas are much more resistant to tanning than others, a study has found.
Shining Light on Brain Tumours
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Canadian Cancer Society estimates that 2600 new cases of brain cancer will be diagnosed in 2010. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive and malignant form of brain cancer, and attempts to successfully treat GBM tumours depends on identifying tumour cells - both when detecting cancer in biopsies and when ensuring that all of the cancer has been removed after surgery. With the help of the Canadian Light Source, a team led by Dr. Kaiser Ali, a pediatric oncologist in the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency's Cancer Research Unit and collaborators from the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon Health Region, CLS and the National Research Council have been able to identify a chemical signature unique to GBM tumour cells. The pilot study made the front cover of the July 2010 issue of the International Journal of Molecular Medicine.
Are Americans now more honest about their weight?
(AP) -- Are Americans becoming more honest about their weight?
Cardiff study aims to uncover source of sensory problems in autism
The way the brain reacts differently to the sense of touch in people with Autism will be examined as part of an innovative Cardiff University study designed to create better understanding of the condition.
Scientists develop 'designer protein,' opening new door in cancer research
A major breakthrough in how to target and destroy the most malignant and aggressive brain cancer cells has been made by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
They shall not pass! Fighting infections with blood clots
A research team at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet in Munich has shown that clot formation within small blood vessels helps in the fight against pathogenic microbes. At the molecular level, clot formation turns out to be intimately connected with the innate immune system, a finding that may open up new therapeutic possibilities.
New evidence supports link between gum inflammation and Alzheimer's disease
NYU dental researchers have found the first long-term evidence that periodontal (gum) disease may increase the risk of cognitive dysfunction associated with Alzheimer's disease in healthy individuals as well as in those who already are cognitively impaired.
Oral contraceptive use associated with increased risk of breast cancer
Investigators from the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have reported that African American women who use oral contraceptives have a greater likelihood of developing breast cancer than nonusers. The study results, recently published on-line in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, were based on data from the Black Women's Health Study (BWHS), a large follow-up study of 59,000 African American women from across the U.S. conducted by investigators at the Slone Epidemiology Center since 1995.
Study details autism's heavy toll beyond childhood on marriages
The parents of grown children with autism are more likely to divorce than couples with typically developing children, according to new data from a large longitudinal study of families of adolescents and adults with autism.
New imaging technique could help physicians ease the aftermath of breast cancer
A new study of breast cancer survivors may help physicians ease a common side effect of cancer treatments. The collaborative research by Eva Sevick, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Molecular Imaging at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston (UTHSC), and Caroline Fife, M.D., Director of the Memorial Herman Wound Care Clinic at UTHSC, could bring relief to millions.
Protein Malfunction Linked to a Form of Mental Retardation
Malfunction of a protein has been linked to a form of mental retardation that affects up to one out of every 500 males, says Nasser K. Yaghi, a Texas A&M University magna cum laude biology graduate who was selected to participate in a medical research project at Harvard that has been published in the journal Nature.
Is your hemoglobin 'trending'?
Anemia, a common blood disorder characterized by low hemoglobin levels, has long been associated with those suffering from colorectal cancer. But researchers at Tel Aviv University have discovered that, more than a symptom of active disease, low hemoglobin levels can actually indicate a potential for colon cancer years before it's diagnosed.
Americans Cut Risk of Heart Disease Death in Half, Prevention Is Key
By smoking less, watching their cholesterol and lowering their high blood pressure, Americans halved their risk of dying from coronary heart disease over the past 20 years, a new study shows.
Survive the heat with planning - and a bottle of water
(PhysOrg.com) -- With temperatures getting fierce in many parts of the country, there are steps you can take to beat the heat.
Happy extraverts are more creative: study
(PhysOrg.com) -- Outgoing people who are in a good mood are significantly more creative than people who keep themselves to themselves, according to a new study.
Are Higher Testosterone Levels Associated with Greater Heart Risk?
Testosterone in men has become a hot health topic. New studies, including one by UCSF researchers, now are sparking a controversy over the role of testosterone in heart disease.
A turning point for young neurons
During neural development, newborn neurons extend axons toward distant targets then form connections with other cells. This process depends on the growth cone, a dynamic structure at the growing axon tip of the neuron that detects attractive and repulsive guidance cues. Many axon guidance molecules have been identified, and their functions are well characterized, but exactly how they cause growth cone turning has been unclear.
New diagnostic chip able to generate single-cell molecular 'fingerprints' for brain tumors
New technologies for the diagnosis of cancer are rapidly changing the clinical practice of oncology. As scientists learn more about the molecular basis of cancer, the development of new tools capable of multiple, inexpensive biomarker measurements on small samples of clinical tissue will become essential to the success of genetically informed and personalized cancer therapies.
Chili peppers come with blood pressure benefits
For those with high blood pressure, chili peppers might be just what the doctor ordered, according to a study reported in the August issue of Cell Metabolism. While the active ingredient that gives the peppers their heat -- a compound known as capsaicin -- might set your mouth on fire, it also leads blood vessels to relax, the research in hypertensive rats shows.
New drug target for immune diseases discovered
Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found a new mechanism that explains how certain immune cells are activated to create protective antibodies against infections or pathological antibodies such as those present in autoimmune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. The research is published online in the September issue of Nature Immunology.
Culture wires the brain: A cognitive neuroscience perspective
Where you grow up can have a big impact on the food you eat, the clothes you wear, and even how your brain works. In a report in a special section on Culture and Psychology in Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, psychological scientists Denise C. Park from the University of Texas at Dallas and Chih-Mao Huang from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign discuss ways in which brain structure and function may be influenced by culture.
Sperm may be harmed by exposure to BPA, study suggests
(PhysOrg.com) -- In one of the first human studies of its kind, researchers have found that urinary concentrations of the controversial chemical Bisphenol A, or BPA, may be related to decreased sperm quality and sperm concentration.
Pancreatic cancers use fructose, common in the Western diet, to fuel their growth
Pancreatic cancers use the sugar fructose, very common in the Western diet, to activate a key cellular pathway that drives cell division, helping the cancer to grow more quickly, a study by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has found.
Biology news
Select agents should be defined by DNA sequence in today's era of synthetic biology
A DNA sequence-based system to better define when a pathogen or toxin is subject to Select Agent regulations could be developed, says a new report from the National Research Council, which adds that this could be coupled with a "yellow flag" system that would recognize requests to synthesize suspicious sequences and serve as a reference to anyone with relevant questions, allowing for appropriate follow-up.
Why are male spiders small while females are giant?
'Bridging', an unusual mode of getting around frequently used by vegetation-inhabiting spiders to cross large gaps, may partly explain the tendency for male spiders to be much smaller than females. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology studied bridging, in which spiders use the wind to carry a strand of web to their destination and then clamber upside down along the resulting bridge, finding that small size was associated with a greater ability to carry out the maneuver.
Scientists unravel human-ecosystem interactions
Whether it is a single rock being overturned or an entire mountaintop being removed, humans play a continuous role in environmental processes, and vice versa. Ecological scientists will discuss findings on human-ecosystem interactions -- from the effects of nanomaterials on plant growth to the diversity of insect species on green roofs, and even communities of airborne microbes in hospital buildings -- at the Ecological Society of America's 95th Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh from August 1-6, 2010. Here is just some of the research on humans and the environment to be presented:
Reconciliation ecology: The fun way to adapt to climate change
A University of Arizona ecologist plans to involve Tucson neighborhoods in a giant test of reconciliation ecology.
Researcher Studies How Flowers Fight Back Against Damaging Insect Visitors
Though summer's flowers appear delicate and carefree to us, in fact plants must be tough enough to defend their blossoms against antagonists including florivores and nectar robbers, that is, insects who eat, steal or destroy nectar and flowers without performing beneficial pollination services.
As one non-native fish bears down on Great Lakes, notorious mussels spread across the West
In June, a commercial angler netted a 19-pound Asian carp on Chicago's Lake Calumet, part of the waterway system that connects the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan. The fisherman's haul was ominous, suggesting that the carp, a prehistoric-looking behemoth, had somehow gotten past an underwater electric fence designed to keep the species from entering the Great Lakes.
A nemesis for oil spills: Bacterial technology can clean up the oil that BP's cleaning crew leaves behind
It's taken millions of dollars to cap it, and it could take billions more to clean it up. BP's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is acknowledged the environmental catastrophe of the century. But Tel Aviv University has a solution that may help "bioremediate" the remaining problems.
Trawl fishing surviving through sale of previously discarded fish
Fishermen barely eking out a profit because of overfishing of their target stock, shrimp, are now surviving by selling their bycatch (the low-value fish also caught in the large, indiscriminate nets). Although good for the fishermen, scientists warn that the prolonged trawl fishing along certain areas will lead to an 'ecological catastrophe' and the 'permanent loss of livelihoods for fishers' as well as other individuals who work in the industry.
California sea otter numbers drop again
(PhysOrg.com) -- After a decade of steady recovery, the southern sea otter--a federally listed threatened species--is in decline for the second year in a row, according to the latest population survey by U.S. Geological Survey researchers.
'Virtual mates' reveal role of romance in parrot calls
Parrots are famed for their ability to mimic sounds and now researchers have used 'virtual mates' to discover if female parrots judge male contact calls when deciding on a mate. The research, published in Ethology, challenges traditional understandings of the difference between birds 'songs' and 'calls'.
Couch potatoes of the animal kingdom
Pass the chips and hand over the remote.
No such thing as a free lunch for Venus flytraps
Charles Darwin described the Venus Flytrap as 'one of the most wonderful plants in the world.' It's also one of the fastest as many an unfortunate insect taking a stroll across a leaf has discovered. But what powers this speed? Dr Andrej Pavlovic of Comenius University, Slovakia, has been studying the plants with the help of some specialised equipment and a few unlucky insects.
Carnivorous mice spread deadly plague in prairie dog towns, study finds
Prairie dogs, once abundant in the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains, have been decimated in recent decades by plague - a virulent bacterial disease spread by fleas.
Biologists publish findings on cell interactions
Two University of Iowa biologists have published a paper on how cells make specific interactions during development -- in the hope of one day learning more about human developmental disorders -- in the Aug. 2 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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