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Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for September 9, 2010:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Origin of magnetic fields may lie in special relativity's spacetime distortions- Phoenix Mars Lander finds surprises about red planet's watery past
- Supernova shrapnel found in meteorite
- Scientists observe single ions moving through tiny carbon-nanotube channel
- People learn new information more effectively when brain activity is consistent, research shows
- Random numbers game with quantum dice
- Lasers keep mini helicopter hovering for hours
- Researchers expand yeast's sugary diet to include plant fiber
- Adobe shares soar on Apple announcement
- Researchers identify genes tied to deadliest ovarian cancers
- US court lifts ban on state-funding for stem cell research
- Bionic speech recognition
- Improving DNA analysis
- Oil dispersants' effects still largely a mystery
- Main climate threat from CO2 sources yet to be built
Space & Earth news
Retro-fitting houses might save lives
Retro-fitting existing house foundations to resist earthquakes could save lives and reduce the extent of rebuilding required after a large quake, Victoria University, New Zealand, researchers say.
Webb telescope's guiding light from Canada received by NASA Goddard
The Canadian Space Agency has delivered a test unit of the Fine Guidance Sensor to the James Webb Space Telescope to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
Simulating the formation-flying future of space
(PhysOrg.com) -- All space missions are difficult. Docking a pair of spacecraft is tough but flying multiple satellites together in formation is the real cutting edge.
Expert says oil remains below surface, will come ashore in pulses
Gregory Stone, director of LSU's WAVCIS Program and also of the Coastal Studies Institute in the university's School of the Coast & Environment, disagrees with published estimates that more than 75 percent of the oil from the Deepwater Horizon incident has disappeared.
Ancient data discovered with new U of A technology
The University of Alberta has new multi-million dollar technology that can analyze an ancient mineral sample and tell you how it was created, its chemical makeup and its potential commercial value. It can also analyze teeth from an animal and tell you about the environmental conditions it experienced.
Fourth warmest U.S. summer on record according to NOAA
The contiguous United States had its fourth-warmest summer (June-August) on record, according to the latest NOAA State of the Climate report issued today. The report also showed the August average temperature was 75.0 degrees F, which is 2.2 degrees F above the long-term (1901-2000) average. Last month's average precipitation was 2.41 inches, 0.19 inch below the 1901-2000 average.
A tectonic zip: The predictable events of the February earthquake in Chile
The complex fracture pattern created by the earthquake in Concepcion (Chile) on 27 February 2010 was to a certain extent predictable.
The pros and cons of Miscanthus -- uses more water, leaches less nitrogen
In the search for the perfect crop for biofuel production, Miscanthus has become the darling to many. But in an effort to not be charmed by its enormous potential for biomass production, researchers at the University of Illinois are taking a careful look at the pros and cons of its behavior in the field.
Strengthening La Nina could mean more hurricanes
(AP) -- The La Nina climate phenomenon is strengthening, increasing the likelihood an active hurricane season could get even busier.
Greener pastures and better breeds could reduce carbon 'hoofprint'
Greenhouse gas emissions caused by livestock operations in tropical countries—a major contributor to climate change—could be cut significantly by changing diets and breeds and improving degraded lands, according to a new study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. And as an added bonus, scientists found the small changes in production practices could provide a big payoff by providing poor farmers with up to US$1.3 billion annually in payments for carbon offsets.
How can we use neutrinos to probe dark matter in the Sun?
The existence of Dark Matter particles in the Sun's interior seems inevitable, despite dark matter never having been observed (there or elsewhere), despite intensive ongoing searches. Once gravitationally captured by the Sun, these particles tend to accumulate in its core.
Oxygen production may have begun 270 million years earlier
(PhysOrg.com) -- Bacteria that produce oxygen may have evolved hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously thought, a new study into ancient rock formations in Western Australia suggests.
Opportunity rover halfway point reached
(PhysOrg.com) -- When NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity left Victoria Crater two years ago this month, the rover science team chose Endeavour Crater as the rover's next long-term destination. With a drive of 111 meters (364 feet) on Monday, Sept. 8, Opportunity reached the estimated halfway point of the approximately 19-kilometer (11.8-mile) journey from Victoria to the western rim of Endeavour.
Giant telescope to survey galaxies from Mexican volcano
A giant telescope, 50 meters (164 feet) across, will this year start unraveling mysteries of the birth and death of galaxies up to 14,000 light years away, from atop a Mexican volcano.
Oil dispersants' effects still largely a mystery
In the wake of the BP oil spill, gaping questions remain about a key tool used during cleanup: the nearly 2 million gallons of chemical dispersants sprayed over the water or onto the gushing wellhead on the seafloor. Do the chemicals help recovery, hinder it -- or neither?
Main climate threat from CO2 sources yet to be built
Scientists have warned that avoiding dangerous climate change this century will require steep cuts in carbon dioxide emissions. New energy-efficient or carbon-free technologies can help, but what about the power plants, cars, trucks, and other fossil-fuel-burning devices already in operation? Unless forced into early retirement, they will emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere for decades to come. Will their emissions push carbon dioxide levels beyond prescribed limits, regardless of what we build next? Is there already too much inertia in the system to curb climate change?
Phoenix Mars Lander finds surprises about red planet's watery past
(PhysOrg.com) -- Liquid water has interacted with the Martian surface throughout Mars' history, measurements by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander suggest.
Supernova shrapnel found in meteorite
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have identified the microscopic shrapnel of a nearby star that exploded just before or during the birth of the solar system 4.5 billion years ago.
Technology news
Military bans video game that 'kills' US troops
(AP) -- Military bases across the U.S. have banned the sale of a new video game that lets a player pretend to be a Taliban fighter and "shoot" U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
HP's interim chief says Oracle alliance 'strained'
(AP) -- Hewlett-Packard Co.'s quarter-century alliance with Oracle Corp. has been "strained" by the dispute over Oracle's hiring of ousted HP CEO Mark Hurd, HP's interim chief said Wednesday.
Quick Hit football video game gets NFL makeover
(AP) -- Thursday marks the kickoff of the 2010 NFL season, and along with it, a renewed interest in fantasy leagues and video games that let Monday-morning quarterbacks feel as if they're part of the action.
Epson develops new XV-9000 series of gyro-sensors for vehicle attitude sensing
Epson Toyocom Corporation, the leader in crystal devices, today announced the development of a new series of compact, reliable gyro-sensors (angular rate sensors) capable of withstanding temperatures as high as 125°C. The new XV-9000 series of gyro-sensors is designed for vehicle attitude sensing applications in the automotive industry.
New CCTV technology helps prevent terror attacks
Numerous CCTV systems are in use in public places which have the capacity to gather large amounts of image material. For the time being, however, there are no effective ways to analyze the mass of video data automatically and recognize potential risk situations in advance. Finnish VTT is involved in an EU research project aimed at developing IT solutions to this end.
China grants web mapping licences to 31 firms
China has granted licences to 31 companies to provide web mapping services in the world's biggest online market, an official said Thursday, but many foreign firms including Google have yet to apply.
China-US collaboration on clean energy research
Chinese and US scientists will be collaborating on research into clean energy with millions of dollars in backing by the two nations, a US national laboratory announced on Wednesday.
Beam trap full of holes: Researchers develop new surfaces for radar absorption
Swiss researchers from ETH Zurich's Institute for Field Theory and High Frequency Electronics have developed new surfaces for radar absorption. Thanks to this multifaceted application, window panes could even double up as solar panels in future.
Apple publishes guidelines for app approval
(AP) -- Apple Inc. gave software developers on Thursday the guidelines it uses to determine which programs can be sold in its App Store, yet it reserved for itself broad leeway in deciding what makes the cut.
Most influential tweeters of all
Tweet this, Ashton Kutcher, Lady Gaga and Britney Spears. Just because you have a ton of followers on Twitter doesn't necessarily mean you're among the most influential people in the Twitterverse, according to researchers from Northwestern University.
Hurd's Oracle gig: Is Ellison perk or problem?
(AP) -- As co-president at Oracle Corp., ousted Hewlett-Packard Co. CEO Mark Hurd will have to adapt to a new role playing second fiddle to one of Silicon Valley's most domineering bosses - Larry Ellison.
Wall Street's super traders come under fire
A handful of traders who master stock markets using ultra-fast computers may soon face a clampdown by US watchdogs as they try to prevent freak electronic glitches.
Hyundai unveils South Korea's first electric car
Hyundai Motor Thursday unveiled South Korea's first full-speed electric car, designed to tap into the increasingly competitive electric auto market, hailed as the industry's future.
Researchers show how to improve wireless location-detection systems
In the last 10 years, the possibility of using wireless connections to deduce mobile devices' locations has been a hot research topic in industry and academia. GPS systems frequently fail in large buildings, and even when they don't, they're not very precise. Firefighters tracking each other in a smoke-filled building, soldiers trying to determine each other's position in urban environments, medical staff trying to locate equipment or each other in a busy hospital, and warehouse workers trying to find merchandise in an aisle of pallets stacked 20 feet high all need higher-resolution location information than GPS can provide.
New method to help computer vision systems decipher outdoor scenes
Computer vision systems can struggle to make sense of a single image, but a new method devised by computer scientists at Carnegie Mellon University enables computers to gain a deeper understanding of an image by reasoning about the physical constraints of the scene.
Adobe shares soar on Apple announcement
Adobe shares soared on Thursday after Apple appeared to open the door for programs converted from Adobe's popular Flash video software to run on the iPhone and other Apple devices.
Bionic speech recognition
As speech recognition systems become more commonplace - on the computer desktop top, at the call centre and even in the car - it is increasingly important to ensure that the voice signal is as clear as possible before it is processed by a computer and acted upon. It could mean the difference between anything from a profitable financial deal to a safe vehicle or aircraft maneuver. Similarly, mobile phone conversations and even the clandestine recording of speech for security and law enforcement purposes could benefit.
Lasers keep mini helicopter hovering for hours
(PhysOrg.com) -- Seattle research and development company LaserMotive has succeeded in keeping a model helicopter hovering for six hours, powered only by the energy of a laser.
Medicine & Health news
Abnormal body weight related to increased mortality in colon cancer patients
Postmenopausal women diagnosed with colon cancer may be at increased risk of death if they fail to maintain a healthy body weight before cancer diagnosis, according to a study published in the September issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Joint replacement: Does this look infected to you?
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) recently approved and released an evidence-based clinical practice guideline on the diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infections of the hip and knee. Clinical practice guidelines are one avenue the Academy uses to ensure that patients receive high quality care. A periprosthetic joint infection occurs when bacteria or other foreign organisms enter the wound during or at any point following joint replacement surgery, sometimes even years after surgery. An infection can cause the joint to be painful or cause the implant to loosen, often times resulting in the need for revision surgery.
Study finds low liver cancer survival rates among Laotian/Hmong-Americans
Among Asian-Americans living in California, Laotian/Hmong-Americans have the lowest survival rates for the most common type of liver cancer, a new study by researchers with the UC Davis School of Medicine has found.
New treatment options target underlying causes of childhood obsessive-compulsive and Tourette's disorders
Pediatric-onset obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette's disorder (TD) share similarities in their underlying genetic and environmental factors, psychiatric features, and treatment methods. Advances in understanding the neurobiological basis of these disorders and discovering new and more effective therapies are highlighted in a special issue on OCD and TD in Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology.
Highlight: Scientific breakdown of cancer reveals promising results
The chemical structure of the melanoma-shrinking drug PLX4032 is revealed in a new Nature paper that describes the drug's discovery, development and functioning.
Dangers of drinking while pregnant emphasized by experts
University of Sydney researchers are urging pregnant women to think twice before consuming alcohol, with a new study revealing that while almost 93 percent of Australian women agree alcohol can affect the unborn child, 16 percent do not know the effects are permanent.
Emotional and physical pain sufferers prescribed a dose of music
New research into how music conveys emotion could benefit the treatment of depression and the management of physical pain.
Aging drug users are increasing and facing chronic physical and mental health problems
Health and social services are facing a new challenge, as many illicit drug users get older and face chronic health problems and a reduced quality of life. That is one of the key findings of research published in the September issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing.
Opioid use to relieve pain and suffering at end of life is safe in hospital-at-home setting
Patients who choose to spend their last days at home with specialized care and monitoring can safely be given opioids to control pain and other symptoms without reducing survival time, according to a study published in Journal of Palliative Medicine (JPM).
Research and insights on severe asthma in children
A subset of children with asthma suffers from severe, treatment-resistant disease associated with more illness and greater allergic hypersensitivity, according to the results of the National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute's Severe Asthma Research Program (SARP), presented in a recently published article in Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology.
VCU leads study of first US portable driver for powering the total artificial heart
The Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center is the lead institution in a national clinical trial of technology that will allow artificial heart patients to recuperate, rehabilitate and wait in the comfort of their own homes until a donor heart becomes available for transplant.
FDA warns of deadly side effect with imaging drugs
(AP) -- Federal health regulators are warning doctors that a class of injectable drugs used in MRI medical imaging scans can cause a rare and sometimes fatal condition in patients with kidney disease.
Study finds most Oregon hospices do not fully participate in the Death with Dignity Act
A survey in the latest issue of the Hastings Center Report found that most hospices in Oregon, the first state to legalize physician-assistance in dying, either do not participate in or have limited participation in requests for such assistance. Both legal and moral reasons are identified.
Acupuncture could be solution to pain problem
(PhysOrg.com) -- As a member of the physical medicine and rehabilitation team at UC (University of Cincinnati) Health, Jessica Colyer, MD, has the latest in medical technology available to her. But she sometimes calls upon the ancient healing practice of acupuncture to relieve her patients' pain.
Thoughts matter immediately after a breast cancer diagnosis, study
(PhysOrg.com) -- What goes through a woman's mind when she first hears the words, "You have breast cancer"? One in eight women will hear those words at some point in their lives and yet very little research has been conducted about women's thoughts at this early stage before treatment or surgery.
Promising treatment for metastatic melanoma 'fast tracked' by FDA
Researchers from the John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center played an important role in a study that led to the Food & Drug Administration's (FDA) recent fast tracking of ipilimumab, a promising treatment for metastatic melanoma. The FDA based its decision largely on the results of a pivotal study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on August 19, 2010 - the same day the agency accepted Bristol-Myers Squibb's application for the drug's approval and granted the application priority review status.
How mycobacteria avoid destruction inside human cells
Tuberculosis, or TB, is a dreaded contagious disease of the lungs and other organs. The causative agent, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (or M. tuberculosis), infects roughly a third of the world's population and one-in-ten to one-in-twenty of the infected population becomes sick or infectious at some point during their lifetime.
Group backs mandatory flu shots for health workers
(AP) -- Flu vaccination should be required for all doctors, nurses and other health workers, the nation's largest pediatricians' group says, calling it a long overdue step to protect patients.
Yeast holds clues to Parkinson's disease
Yeast could be a powerful ally in the discovery of new therapeutic drugs to treat Parkinson's disease says a scientist presenting his work at the Society for General Microbiology's autumn meeting in Nottingham today.
Using chest compressions first just as successful as immediate defibrillation after cardiac arrest
Chest compressions before defibrillation in patients with sudden cardiac arrest is equally successful as immediate treatment with an electrical defibrillator, according to a new study by the University of Michigan Health System.
High stress hormone levels linked to increased cardiovascular mortality
High levels of the stress hormone cortisol strongly predict cardiovascular death among both persons with and without pre-existing cardiovascular disease according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).
Appetite hormones may predict weight regain after dieting
Many people have experienced the frustration that comes with regaining weight that was lost from dieting. According to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), the levels of appetite hormones in the body prior to dieting may serve as a predictor of weight regain after dieting.
Simplified heart-risk guideline may miscalculate risk for millions
A method that is widely used to predict the risk of a major coronary event may over- or underestimate risk for millions of Americans, according to a study directed by a researcher at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco.
Investigators discover a new hot spot for the genesis of signaling neurons in the adult brain
In an unanticipated finding, researchers at the UC Davis School of Medicine have discovered that, during early adulthood, the brain produces new excitatory neurons, and that these neurons arise from non-neuronal support cells in an area of the brain that processes smell.
Most effective malaria drug regimens highlighted in study
A study published today identifies the most effective drug combinations recommended for use as first-line treatments for malaria. The research also suggests that augmenting the treatments with a single dose of the drug primaquine could have a major effect on malaria transmission from treated patients and play a crucial role in elimination programmes.
Controversial neck manipulation may increase risk of stroke
A study by the University of Sydney has found the 'thrust and click' methods associated with neck manipulation do not result in better patient recovery than milder treatments.
Optical interface to link robotic limbs, human brain
Lightning-fast connections between robotic limbs and the human brain may be within reach for injured soldiers and other amputees with the establishment of a multimillion-dollar research center led by Southern Methodist University engineers.
There is more to motor imagery than mental simulation
The human brain is a powerful simulation machine. Sports professionals and amateurs alike are well aware of the advantages of mentally rehearsing a movement prior to its execution and it is not surprising that the phenomenon, known as motor imagery, has already been extensively investigated. However, a new study published in the September 2010 issue of Elsevier's Cortex suggests that there may be more to motor imagery than previously thought. A group of neuroscientists in Italy have shown that the brain is able to invent creative new solutions in order to perform impossible actions.
Biofeedback for your brain?
There is new evidence that people can learn to control the activity of some brain regions when they get feedback signals provided by functional magnetic resonance brain imaging (fMRI).
Health reform fails the disadvantaged
A new study looking at the effects of the 2006 Massachusetts Health Reform on access to care, health status and ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in healthcare, shows that the legislation has led to improvements in insurance coverage as well as a decline in financial barriers to care. However, to date, it has not increased people's access to a personal physician or improved their self-rated health. Neither has it reduced healthcare inequalities between ethnic or income groups.
Doctors see eye hazard in powerful laser pointers
(AP) -- A 15-year-old boy damaged his eyes while playing with a laser pointer he'd bought over the Internet, say doctors who warn that dangerously high-powered versions are easily available online.
Overweight and obese make up majority in Ontario
New analysis of a landmark health survey by the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) shows that 70% of Ontario adults are either overweight or obese, and have a strong prevalence of high blood pressure that could lead to heart attack or stroke.
Romantic partner may play role in reducing vulvovaginal pain
An investigation published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine has found that male partners who express greater support, attention and sympathy to women's chronic vulvovaginal pain may trigger more pain, but also increase sexual satisfaction in female partners.
Improvement in prediction of blood clots in cancer patients
For cancer patients, who have an increased risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) due to a hyperactive blood coagulation system, there is now an enhanced risk model to predict their chance of developing blood clots, according to a recent study published today in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology.
CDC: Adults eating less fruit, not enough veggies
(AP) -- An apple a day? Apparently not in the United States.
Young Black women at increased risk of self-harm, study shows
(PhysOrg.com) -- Young, Black women are significantly more likely to self-harm than people from other ethnic groups, according to new research.
Probing Question: Can dads get postpartum depression?
Celebrity moms Gwyneth Paltrow, Marie Osmond and Brooke Shields have all opened up publicly about their battles with postpartum depression, or PPD. As their stories make clear, while bringing a new baby home is thought of as one of life's happiest times, some women struggle with symptoms of clinical depression -- including sadness, anxiety and irritability -- after delivering a baby. Combined with the fatigue of parenting an infant, PPD can be a serious problem for moms -- but what about the dads? Can men experience postpartum depression, too?
Pediatric vaccine stockpile policies need to be revisited, researcher says
Vaccine manufacturers and public health decision-makers need to collaborate in a more efficient and effective manner not only to reduce the likelihood of supply shortages for pediatric vaccines but also to maximize community immunity by using vaccine doses to increase coverage, according to research published by a University of Illinois researcher who specializes in statistics and data analysis.
Mexican-Americans with heart rhythm disorder have increased risk for second stroke
Mexican-American stroke survivors with a heart rhythm disorder have more than twice the risk for another stroke compared to non-Hispanic whites, according to a study published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Strategy discovered to prevent Alzheimer's-associated traffic jams in the brain
Amyloid beta (Αβ) proteins, widely thought to cause Alzheimer's disease (AD), block the transport of vital cargoes inside brain cells. Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND) have discovered that reducing the level of another protein, tau, can prevent Aβ from causing such traffic jams.
US says electronic cigarettes must get government approval
So-called electronic cigarettes cannot be sold in the United States without getting regulatory approval, the Food and Drug Administration said Thursday.
Researchers identify genes tied to deadliest ovarian cancers
Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have identified two genes whose mutations appear to be linked to ovarian clear cell carcinoma, one of the most aggressive forms of ovarian cancer. Clear cell carcinoma is generally resistant to standard therapy.
Use of medication for insomnia or anxiety increases mortality risk by 36 percent
Taking medications to treat insomnia and anxiety increases mortality risk by 36%, according to a study conducted by Genevičve Belleville, a professor at Universite Laval's School of Psychology. The details of this study are published in the latest edition of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.
Vitamin B could delay onset of Alzheimer's: study
Large daily doses of B vitamins could delay -- or even halt -- the onset of Alzheimer's disease, a study suggested Thursday.
The brain needs to remember faces in 3-dimensions
In our dynamic 3D world, we can encounter a familiar face from any angle and still recognize that face with ease, even if the person has, for example, changed his hair style. This is because our brain has used the 2D snapshots perceived by our eyes (like a camera) to build and store a 3D mental representation of the face, which is resilient to such changes.
Child's 'mental number line' affects memory for numbers
As children in Western cultures grow, they learn to place numbers on a mental number line, with smaller numbers to the left and spaced further apart than the larger numbers on the right. Then the number line changes to become more linear, with small and large numbers the same distance apart. Children whose number line has made this change are better at remembering numbers, according to a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
Mental maturity scan tracks brain development
(PhysOrg.com) -- Five minutes in a scanner can reveal how far a child's brain has come along the path from childhood to maturity and potentially shed light on a range of psychological and developmental disorders, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown.
People learn new information more effectively when brain activity is consistent, research shows
People are more likely to remember specific information such as faces or words if the pattern of activity in their brain is similar each time they study that information, according to new research from a University of Texas at Austin psychologist and his colleagues.
Biology news
Synthetic biology research on biofuels has a mathematical angle
(PhysOrg.com) -- A University at Buffalo chemist is applying a common mathematical concept to synthetic biology research aimed at finding ways to boost biofuels production.
Early cotton planting requires irrigation
Cotton growers can produce more cotton if they plant early, but not without irrigation. That's the finding of an article published in the September-October 2010 Agronomy Journal, a publication of the American Society of Agronomy.
Court asked to keep stem cell money flowing
(AP) -- The Obama administration is asking a federal appeals court to lift an order blocking federal funding for some stem cell research, a day after being turned down by the judge who issued the order.
Scots Pine shows its continental roots
By studying similarities in the genes of Scots Pine trees, scientists have shown that the iconic pine forests of Highland Scotland still carry the traces of the ancestors that colonised Britain after the end of the last Ice Age, harbouring genetic variation that could help regenerate future populations, according to new results published in the journal Heredity.
House-sharing with microbes
Household dust contains up to 1000 different species of microbes, with tens of millions of individual bacterial cells in each gram. And these are just the ones that can be grown in the lab!
Anti-aphrodisiac protects young bedbugs
Male bedbugs are known to be very unfussy when it comes to mating, mounting any well-fed bug they can see - regardless of age or gender. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Biology have discovered how immature bedbug nymphs, who would be harmed by the traumatic insemination technique practiced by the males, release alarm pheromones to deter this unwanted attention.
Pacific sockeye salmon return in record numbers
After years of scarcity, the rivers of the US and Canadian Pacific Northwest are running red, literally, with a vast swarm of a salmon species considered to be in crisis.
Diverse fungal root endophytes baffling
No-one but specialists using genetic methods can distinguish one dark septate fungal root endophyte from another. An analysis of their distribution in the northern hemisphere is now available for the first time -- and a mystery is afoot.
World traveling godwits keep a strict schedule
New research has shown bar-tailed godwits are hard-wired to keep to tight schedules for their extraordinary annual 30,000km return journey between New Zealand and Alaska.
Gene discovery holds key to growing crops in cold climates
Fresh insight into how plants slow their growth in cold weather could help scientists develop crops suited to cooler environments.
Carnivorous plants losing ground in the U.S.
"This is the easy part," says Barry Rice, half-sliding, half-falling down a ravine through a latticework of dead branches.
Global health vs. global wealth: Looming choice for health firms in developing countries
The lure of greater profits elsewhere in the world may divert bio-pharmaceutical firms in developing countries from the creation and distribution of affordable drugs, vaccines and diagnostics for illnesses of local concern, undermining the health prospects of millions of poor people, experts warn.
White House names overseer of federal effort against invasive Asian carp
The White House has tapped a former leader of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the Indiana Wildlife Federation as the Asian carp czar to oversee the federal response to keeping the invasive species out of the Great Lakes.
Keeping stem cells from changing fates
Johns Hopkins researchers have determined why certain stem cells are able to stay stem cells.
New dual recognition mechanism discovered in tuberculosis
One third of the world's population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), which leads to tuberculosis (TB), a leading cause of death world-wide. A new discovery, led by a team of researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, offers hope for new approaches to the prevention and treatment of TB. The team's discovery of a novel mechanism that may contribute to immune recognition of MTB is published in the September issue of Nature Structural and Molecular Biology.
In attracting mates, male bowerbirds appear to rely on special optical effect
Bowerbird males are well known for making elaborate constructions, lavished with decorative objects, to impress and attract their mates. Now, researchers reporting online on September 9 in Current Biology have identified a completely new dimension to these showy structures in great bowerbirds. The birds create a staged scene, only visible from the point of view of their female audience, by placing pebbles, bones, and shells around their courts in a very special way that can make objects (or a bowerbird male) appear larger or smaller than they really are.
US court lifts ban on state-funding for stem cell research
A US appeals court suspended Thursday a ban on state-funding for embryonic stem cell research pending a full appeal of the case, in a major boost to President Barack Obama's administration.
In order to save biodiversity, society's behaviour must change
(PhysOrg.com) -- Leading conservationists warn that in order to save biodiversity, society's behaviour must change.
Scientists identify key enzyme in microbial immune system
Imagine a war in which you are vastly outnumbered by an enemy that is utterly relentless - attacking you is all it does. The intro to another Terminator movie? No, just another day for microbes such as bacteria and archaea, which face a never-ending onslaught from viruses and invading strands of nucleic acid known as plasmids. To survive this onslaught, microbes deploy a variety of defense mechanisms, including an adaptive-type nucleic acid-based immune system that revolves around a genetic element known as CRISPR, which stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats.
Researchers expand yeast's sugary diet to include plant fiber
(PhysOrg.com) -- University of California, Berkeley, researchers have taken genes from grass-eating fungi and stuffed them into yeast, creating strains that produce alcohol from tough plant material - cellulose - that normal yeast can't digest.
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