PhysOrg Newsletter Wednesday, Sep 8

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Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for September 8, 2010:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Researchers hear puzzling new physics from graphene quartet's quantum harmonies
- World's biggest Wave Hub installed off UK coast
- Forcing mismatched elements together could yield better solar cells
- Are some governments taking 'peak oil' seriously?
- More hurricanes in greener seas? Ocean color linked to formation, movement of tropical cyclones
- Google unveils faster Internet search (Update)
- Study adds new clue to how last ice age ended
- Study identifies critical 'traffic engineer' of the nervous system
- Novel sensing mechanism discovered in dendritic cells to increase immune response to HIV
- Researchers design more accurate method of determining premature infants' risk of illness
- Why the biological clock? Study says aging reduces centromere cohesion, disrupts reproduction
- Computer models predicts path of lost hikers
- Scientists discover nanodiamonds in Greenland ice
- First discovery of bilirubin in a flower announced
- Consumers will pay more for goods they can touch: research

Space & Earth news

Saving a million acre-feet of water through conservation and efficiency in California
A new analysis released today by the Pacific Institute recommends specific actions that can annually save a million acre-feet of water quickly and at a lower economic and ecological cost than developing new supplies. The assessment notes that new actions are immediately needed to reduce the growing tensions over the state's water resources and to address California's persistent water supply challenges.

Turtle egg rescue at space center billed success
(AP) -- The turtle rescue effort at NASA's Kennedy Space Center is winding down.

Divine dione captured by Cassini
Cruising past Saturn's moon Dione this past weekend, NASA's Cassini spacecraft got its best look yet at the north polar region of this small, icy moon and returned stark raw images of the fractured, cratered surface.

Research expedition breaking records on voyage across Antarctica
Six-wheel drive mobile laboratories, a biofuelled ice vehicle that glides on skis, and the latest in wireless mobile sensors are on display today at Imperial College London, UK, as a team of explorers and scientists makes final preparations for a record-breaking 3,600 mile scientific expedition across Antarctica, the driest and coldest continent on Earth.

Big quake aftershocks plague New Zealand city
(AP) -- A powerful new 5.1-magnitude aftershock rattled terrified residents of New Zealand's earthquake-stricken city of Christchurch on Wednesday, as officials doubled their estimate for repairing the damage from nearly 300 aftershocks in five days.

Stanford land-use expert brings satellite data down to Earth
By integrating remote satellite imagery with revelations from door-to-door interviews, Stanford University geographer Eric Lambin and his colleagues are exploring the complex conditions that give rise to a broad range of land-use challenges - from the reforestation of Vietnam to the spread of Lyme disease in Belgium.

Water main break at space center stalls shuttle
(AP) -- A water main break at NASA's spaceport has launch preparations on hold for the next-to-last shuttle flight.

Satellite data reveal seasonal pollution changes over India
Armed with a decade's worth of satellite data, University of Illinois atmospheric scientists have documented some surprising trends in aerosol pollution concentration, distribution and composition over the Indian subcontinent.

Tally-Ho! deep Impact spacecraft eyes comet target
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft has beamed down the first of over 64,000 images it will be taking of Comet Hartley 2.

Student-built satellite scheduled for launch
(PhysOrg.com) -- A 6.5-pound satellite is scheduled to become the first stand-alone spacecraft built by Michigan students to go into orbit and perform a science mission.

Image: The Heart of a Rose
(PhysOrg.com) -- This composite image shows the Rosette star formation region, located about 5,000 light years from Earth.

NASA satellite data aid United Nations' ability to detect global fire hotspots
In the midst of a difficult fire season in many parts of the world, the United Nations' (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization has launched a new online fire detection system that will help firefighters and natural hazards managers improve response time and resource management.

Two asteroids to pass by Earth Wednesday
(PhysOrg.com) -- Two asteroids, several meters in diameter and in unrelated orbits, will pass within the moon's distance of Earth on Wednesday, Sept. 8.

A nearby galactic exemplar
ESO has released a spectacular new image of NGC 300, a spiral galaxy similar to the Milky Way, and located in the nearby Sculptor Group of galaxies. Taken with the Wide Field Imager (WFI) at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile, this 50-hour exposure reveals the structure of the galaxy in exquisite detail. NGC 300 lies about six million light-years away and appears to be about two thirds the size of the full Moon on the sky.

Extreme X-ray source supports new class of black hole
A group of international astronomers in the UK, France and the USA, led by the University of Leicester, have found proof to confirm the distance and brightness of the most extreme ultra-luminous X-ray source, which may herald a new type of Black Hole.

Study adds new clue to how last ice age ended
As the last ice age was ending, about 13,000 years ago, a final blast of cold hit Europe, and for a thousand years or more, it felt like the ice age had returned. But oddly, despite bitter cold winters in the north, Antarctica was heating up. For the two decades since ice core records revealed that Europe was cooling at the same time Antarctica was warming over this thousand-year period, scientists have looked for an explanation.

More hurricanes in greener seas? Ocean color linked to formation, movement of tropical cyclones
More hurricanes may form in greener waters, where sunlight tends to be absorbed at shallower depths, than in clear seas, according to new research that draws a link between ocean color and the formation and movement of tropical cyclones.

Are some governments taking 'peak oil' seriously?
(PhysOrg.com) -- One of the arguments that some bring up in defense of alternative energy is that of "peak oil." The idea behind peak oil is that, as a fossil fuel in limited supply, eventually we will reach a point where oil production hits its maximum capability -- and then begins to decline. Because there aren't endless supplies of oil, and because it is a finite resource, the idea is that we will reach a tipping point at which it becomes impossible to continue increasing oil production. Some even contend that we're already there.

Scientists discover nanodiamonds in Greenland ice
(PhysOrg.com) -- University of Maine volcanologist Andrei Kurbatov and glaciologist Paul Mayewski, along with 21 other scientists, coauthored a scientific paper released late last month that details the discovery of a layer of nanodiamonds in the Greenland ice sheet, which has added to a controversy in the scientific community about a possible extraterrestrial impact event that could shed light on why some types of large mammals disappeared around 12,900 years ago.

Satellites reveal surprising connection between beetle attacks, wildfire
If your summer travels have taken you across the Rocky Mountains, you've probably seen large swaths of reddish trees dotting otherwise green forests. While it may look like autumn has come early to the mountains, evergreen trees don't change color with the seasons. The red trees are dying, the result of attacks by mountain pine beetles.

Technology news

Craigslist urged to drop adult services worldwide
(AP) -- Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and national nonprofit organizations said Tuesday they want Craigslist to be "a model for good policy" and officially get rid of its adult services section globally.

Gamer suspended over name of W.Va. town: Fort Gay
(AP) -- Microsoft Corp. and the chief rules enforcer for Xbox Live are apologizing to a small West Virginia town and a 26-year-old gamer accused of violating the online gaming service's code of conduct by publicly declaring he's from Fort Gay - a name the company considered offensive.

Twins are intriguing research subjects for Notre Dame biometircs researchers
Each year in August, the aptly named town of Twinsburg, Ohio, is the site of the largest official gathering of twins in the world. Open to all multiples -- identical and fraternal twins, triplets and quads from newborns to octogenarians -- the weekend's events include food, live entertainment, a golf tournament, and a twins' parade.

Hack attack hits home for AP writer
(AP) -- The Twitterverse is full of far more mysterious forces than indecipherable trending topics and Lady Gaga.

New York Times Co. shares higher on Slim rumors
Shares in The New York Times Co. soared on Wednesday on a resurgence of rumors that Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim may increase his holdings in the newspaper giant.

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.

Cisco, Westcon pay 48 million dollars in overcharging case
Cisco Systems and Westcon Group North America have agreed to pay 48 million dollars to settle an overcharging case, the Justice Department said Tuesday.

Two thirds of Internet users hit by cybercrime: Norton
Computer security firm Symantec on Wednesday reported that about two thirds of the world's Internet users have fallen victim to cybercrime and few think crooks will be caught.

Japan's NTT DoCoMo chosen for mobile broadcasting: reports
A key government advisory panel picked a consortium led by NTT DoCoMo to build the infrastructure for multimedia digital broadcasting for mobile handsets, reports said Wednesday.

Prepaid phones gain popularity as users seek to lower bills
Sales have never been better for MetroPCS. The prepaid cell phone retailer broke records in the first and second quarter of 2010 with new subscribers to its no-contract, monthly flat-rate mobile service.

10 arrested in European raids on Internet piracy
(AP) -- Belgian police say 10 people have been arrested in raids across Europe against hackers who put illegal copies of movies and television series on the Internet.

Oracle plans to give Hurd $950,000 annual salary
(AP) -- Oracle Corp. plans to pay newly appointed co-President Mark Hurd a base salary of $950,000 annually and said the ousted Hewlett-Packard Co. CEO is eligible for a target bonus of $5 million in the current fiscal year.

GM joins the networking revolution with Facebook voice to text via Onstar
(PhysOrg.com) -- With the ever-growing popularity of Ford's Sync technology and entertainment system, which boasts music and phone-related features, General Motors' On Star customers will soon have the world of networking at their disposal even while driving, via a nearing OnStar overhaul.

Review: Ping a handy iTunes add-on with promise
(AP) -- Apple Inc.'s new music-discovery feature, Ping, is a potentially useful addition to iTunes. With it, you can see what songs your friends are buying and recommend some of your favorites to them.

46 million dollars in funding for digital textbook reader
Kno Inc., a company developing a digital textbook reader for students, said Wednesday that it has received 46 million dollars in the latest round of funding from venture capitalists.

Portable laser backpack revolutionizes 3-D mapping
A portable, laser backpack for 3D mapping has been developed at the University of California, Berkeley, where it is being hailed as a breakthrough technology capable of producing fast, automatic and realistic 3D mapping of difficult interior environments.

Flurry of billion-dollar deals signals coming changes in tech industry
From Hewlett-Packard and Cisco Systems to Intel and Oracle, some of Silicon Valley's largest companies charged out of the recession with fat bankrolls and a determination to spend whatever it takes this year to reshape their businesses around emerging technologies.

Microsoft gets legal might to take down spam botnets
With a judicial assist, Microsoft has perfected a new superweapon to shoot down botnets, the engines cybergangs use to deliver malicious Internet attacks.

Google unveils faster Internet search (Update)
Internet giant Google began delivering turbocharged search results on Wednesday, offering suggested Web links as fast as a person can type.

Computer models predicts path of lost hikers
(PhysOrg.com) -- The next time a Boy Scout is lost in the wilderness, search and rescue teams could have better statistics on their side in deciding where to look.

World's biggest Wave Hub installed off UK coast
(PhysOrg.com) -- A wave energy generation test site called the "Wave Hub" is being set up off Cornwall's northern coast. The site is the first offshore wave energy site in the UK, and will allow four wave energy generator systems, with a total capacity of 20 MW, to be evaluated simultaneously.

Medicine & Health news

People can overcome their addictions, but not quickly, UCLA psychologist says
Millions of Americans suffer from severe addictions that can ruin lives and are extremely difficult to control. Nearly 2 million enter roughly 12,000 addiction treatment programs in the U.S. each year. And each month, some 15,000 people turn to Adi Jaffe's All About Addiction websites at www.allaboutaddiction.com and at Psychology Today, which provide information, the latest research and answers to readers' questions.

Does the impact of psychological trauma cross generations?
In groups with high rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), such as the survivors of the Nazi Death Camps, the adjustment problems of their children, the so-called "Second Generation", have received attention by researchers. Studies suggested that some symptoms or personality traits associated with PTSD may be more common in the Second Generation than the general population. It has been assumed that these trans-generational effects reflected the impact of PTSD upon the parent-child relationship rather than a trait passed biologically from parent to child.

Multi-resistant skin bacteria spreading in hospitals
Genetically closely related skin bacteria that have developed resistance to several different antibiotics and that can cause intractable care-related infections are found and seem to be spreading within and between hospitals in Sweden.

ACP explores ethical issues for use of incentives to promote personal responsibility for health
The American College of Physicians (ACP) today released a new position paper that provides ethical guidance for using incentives to promote personal responsibility for health.

Team to study health effects of botanical estrogens
An ongoing research initiative into the health effects of botanical estrogens will get an $8 million boost from the National Institutes of Health.

CVS Caremark to give away up to $5M in flu shots
(AP) -- CVS Caremark Corp. said Wednesday it will give away up to $5 million in seasonal flu vaccinations to people without health insurance.

Kidney-transplant patients who add 100 days of medicine gain more protection
A researcher with the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta has discovered a way to better protect kidney-transplant patients who are at high risk for developing a life-threatening illness after surgery.

Women with breast cancer find relief for hot flashes with non-hormonal treatments
Many women enduring hot flashes experience the heat, sweat and reddened upper body as an uncomfortable inconvenience. However, hot flashes can greatly diminish a woman's quality of life, disrupting sleep at night or causing embarrassment as she goes about her daily business.

New model to measure disease burden of postmenopausal osteoporosis
An article just published in the scientific journal Osteoporosis International introduces a validated new model that can be used to describe the current and future burden of postmenopausal osteoporosis in different national settings.

ADA supports national restaurant menu labeling legislation
The government's role in improving the nation's nutrition is now firmly established with nutritional labeling for restaurant meals now mandated across the United States as part of HR 3590 Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act. An article in the September issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association explains how state and municipal labeling laws developed and how the new national law will supersede these and replace them with a uniform standard. It also addresses the American Dietetic Association's (ADA's) involvement and how these new regulations will impact registered dietitians (RDs) and dietetic technicians, registered (DTRs) as well as consumers.

Investigating better endpoints for immunotherapy trials
Cancer immunotherapy calls for revised clinical endpoints that differ from those used for chemotherapy, according to an article published online September 8 in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

New sickle cell screening program for college athletes comes with serious pitfalls, experts say
The Johns Hopkins Children's Center top pediatrician is urging a "rethink" of a new sickle cell screening program, calling it an enlightened but somewhat rushed step toward improving the health of young people who carry the sickle cell mutation.

Morning sickness: Still no relief
There are currently no reliably safe and effective treatments for morning sickness, according to Cochrane researchers who conducted a systematic review of the available evidence. There was very limited evidence for all pharmaceutical and alternative medicines tested.

Study finds indoor and outdoor fall are different for the elderly
The risk factors for indoor and outdoor falls for older adults are different, according to a new study by the Institute for Aging Research of Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, a fact that is often missed when the two are combined and may affect how falls prevention programs are structured.

Acamprosate prevents relapse to drinking in alcoholism
Acamprosate reduces the number of patients being treated for alcoholism who return to drinking, according to a new Cochrane Systematic Review. The drug showed moderate benefits in trials when used in addition to non-drug treatments.

Sexual health: Computer-based approaches increase knowledge
Interactive computer packages are effective in improving knowledge about sexual health, according to a new study by Cochrane researchers. Computer-based approaches could help to tackle problems such as sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancy.

Antibiotics: Longer treatment times that benefit children may cost society
The likelihood that the treatment of a middle ear infection will fail is slightly higher for a child who is given a shorter course of antibiotics, according to a new Cochrane Systematic Review. The results are conclusive, but the researchers say there are other factors that must be considered when the drugs are prescribed.

Smoking damages men's sperm and also the numbers of germ and somatic cells in developing embryos
Two new studies have shed more light on how smoking may damage fertility, and give further weight to advice that mothers and fathers-to-be should stop smoking before attempting to conceive. The research is published online in Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction today.

Losing weight not always a positive
Encouraging the obese to lose weight may not always be beneficial for their wellbeing reports a paper published online in the International Journal of Obesity.

Energy drinks may give young sports teams an edge, study says
Consuming energy drinks during team sports could help young people perform better, a study suggests.

Micro-RNA determines malignancy of lung cancer
A small RNA molecule determines whether or not lung cancer cells grow invasively and metastasize. This has been discovered in the culture dish by scientists of the German Cancer Research Center and the University Medical Center Mannheim. Moreover, they found out that the following is true also for patients with non-small cell lung cancer: The less micro-RNA is produced by tumor cells, the higher the tumor's tendency to metastasize.

Adults demonstrate modified immune response after receiving massage, researchers show
Researchers in Cedars-Sinai's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences have reported people who undergo massage experience measureable changes in their body's immune and endocrine response.

Use of informatics, EMRs enable genetic study of vascular disease
Scientific research published in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA) reports on a study of genetic variants that influence human susceptibility to peripheral arterial disease (PAD), made possible by leveraging electronic medical records (EMRs; also called EHRs or electronic health records). A team of authors from the Mayo Clinic Divisions of Cardiovascular Diseases and Biomedical Informatics and Statistics conducted the study and concluded that EMR-based data, used across institutions in a structured way, "offer great potential for diverse research studies, including those related to understanding the genetic bases of common diseases."

Education more important than knowledge in stopping spread of HIV in Africa
Simply teaching people the facts about how to protect themselves from HIV may not be enough to prevent the spread of AIDS in Africa, a new study suggests.

Compounds fend off Alzheimer's disease amyloid pathology
A team of scientists, led by University of California, San Diego School of Medicine researchers, has synthesized hundreds of new compounds with the potential of reducing the production of the A-beta 42 peptide, a primary component of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Single gene regulates motor neurons in spinal cord
In a surprising and unexpected discovery, scientists at NYU Langone Medical Center have found that a single type of gene acts as a master organizer of motor neurons in the spinal cord. The finding, published in the September 9, 2010 issue of Neuron, could help scientists develop new treatments for diseases such as Lou Gehrig's disease or spinal cord injury.

Brain mechanism linked to relapse after cocaine withdrawal
Addictive drugs are known to induce changes in the brain's reward circuits that may underlie drug craving and relapse after long periods of abstinence. Now, new research, published by Cell Press in the September 9 issue of the journal Neuron, uncovers a specific neural mechanism that may be linked to persistent drug-seeking behavior and could help to guide strategies for development of new therapies for cocaine addiction.

Muscle wasting in cancer does not spare the heart
The wasting disease associated with some cancers that is typically seen affecting skeletal muscles can also cause significant damage to the heart, new research in mice suggests.

Scientists identify molecular gatekeeper of arthritis
Elimination of a molecular gatekeeper leads to the development of arthritis in mice, scientists report in a study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. The newly discovered gatekeeper is a protein that determines the fate - survival or death - of damaging cells that mistakenly attack the body's own tissues and lead to autoimmune disorders such as arthritis.

Back to work after salmonella case
(AP) -- The peanut industry executive whose filthy processing plants were blamed in a salmonella outbreak two years ago that killed nine people and sickened hundreds more is back in the business.

Why chromosomes never tie their shoelaces
In the latest issue of the journal Nature, Miguel Godinho Ferreira, Principal Investigator at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia (IGC) in Portugal, lead a team of researchers to shed light on a paradox that has puzzled biologists since the discovery of telomeres, the protective tips of chromosomes: while broken chromosome ends generated by DNA damage (such as radiation or cigarette smoke) are quickly joined together, telomeres are never tied to each other, thus allowing for the correct segregation of the genetic material into all cells in our body.

Safety not compromised in alternative birthing rooms
Giving birth in an alternative setting within a hospital ? like a bed-free birthing room or one designed to be "homelike"? is just as safe for healthy women as laboring in a traditional hospital bed and women who use these rooms are nearly twice as likely to be satisfied with their birth experiences, according to an updated Cochrane review.

Coping with chemo in childhood cancer
Although nausea and vomiting are common in children undergoing chemotherapy, few quality studies identify absolutely the best way to prevent and treat this problem in kids, said Robert Phillips, M.D., lead author of a new Cochrane review. Phillips, a pediatric oncologist at St. James's Hospital in Leeds, England, said the main finding is the paucity of data that he and his colleagues uncovered.

With personalized reminders, more seniors getting flu shots
Personalized post cards or phone calls can be effective in encouraging more seniors to get their annual flu shots, according to a new review of evidence. Professional facilitators are also successful at urging providers to perform a suite of preventive services, including flu shots for seniors.

The Medical Minute: Bariatric surgery and diabetes
Being overweight is the greatest risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes. With two thirds of the U.S. population now overweight and half of these individuals (one third) meeting the medical definition of obese, the connection between weight and type 2 diabetes is of great medical interest. Studies show that even modest weight losses reduce this risk. Even more interesting has been the discovery that about 85 percent of diabetes patients undergoing bariatric surgery are totally or partially cured of their diabetes, and the "why" is not yet fully understood.

Parents report a widely prescribed antibiotic is effective for fragile X treatment
One of the antibiotics most commonly prescribed to treat adolescent acne can increase attention spans and communication and decrease anxiety in patients with fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited cause of mental impairment, according to a new survey study that is the first published on parents' reports of their children's responses to treatment with the medication.

Insulin may reduce several inflammatory factors induced by bacterial infection
Treating intensive care patients who develop life-threatening bacterial infections, or septicemia, with insulin potentially could reduce their chances of succumbing to the infection, if results of a new preliminary study can be replicated in a larger study.

Youth drug use in Indiana: Annual survey finds increasing use of marijuana, tobacco in pipes
Cigarette use by Indiana sixth through 12th graders continued to decline, but findings from the 20th Annual Survey of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Use also pointed to increases in marijuana use and in tobacco use in pipes.

Secondhand smoke: Ventilation systems are not the answer, says new study
(PhysOrg.com) -- In a scientific study of secondhand smoke exposure in St. Louis bars and restaurants, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis found that ventilation systems and "voluntary" smoke-free policies do not protect employees and customers from exposure to nicotine in the air.

Liver defect likely cause of DHA deficiency in Alzheimer's patients
UC Irvine researchers have discovered that markedly depleted amounts of an omega-3 fatty acid in brain tissue samples from Alzheimer's patients may be due to the liver's inability to produce the complex fat, also contained in fish-oil supplements.

Drug-resistant malaria suggests a health policy change for pregnant women and infants
Malaria remains a serious global health problem, killing more than one million people per year. Treatment of the mosquito-borne illness relies on antibiotics, and the emergence of drug-resistant malaria is of growing concern. In a report published online today in Genome Research, scientists analyzed the genomic features of a Peruvian parasite population, identifying the genetic basis for resistance to a common antibiotic and gaining new insights that could improve the efficacy of diagnosis and treatment strategies.

Revealed: The right moves for men on the dance floor
Men who wish to attract women on the disco floor would be better advised to learn a few moves that answer the female mating drive rather than bother with the moonwalk.

Harmful amyloid interferes with trash pickup for cells in Alzheimer's disease
Chemists at the University of California, San Diego, have identified how a protein that accumulates in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease interferes with the ability of cells to get rid of debris. They also found a natural mechanism by which this protein, amyloid beta, itself may be discarded.

Brain cells determine obesity -- not lack of willpower: study
An international study has discovered the reason why some people who eat a high-fat diet remain slim, yet others pile on the weight.

Scientists identify new gene for memory
A team led by a Scripps Research Institute scientist has for the first time identified a new gene that is required for memory formation in Drosophila, the common fruit fly. The gene may have similar functions in humans, shedding light on neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease or human learning disabilities.

Researchers find that interneurons are not all created equally
A type of neuron that, when malfunctioning, has been tied to epilepsy, autism and schizophrenia is much more complex than previously thought, researchers at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory report in the Sept. 9 issue of Neuron.

Researchers identify potential new drug for neurodegenerative disease
Scientists have discovered a small molecule that helps human cells get rid of the misfolded, disfigured proteins implicated in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative ailments. This potential drug could have applications for other conditions as well.

Novel sensing mechanism discovered in dendritic cells to increase immune response to HIV
Dendritic cells are the grand sentinels of the immune system, standing guard 24/7 to detect foreign invaders such as viruses and bacteria, and bring news of the invasion to other immune cells to marshal an attack. These sentinels, however, nearly always fail to respond adequately to HIV, the virus causing AIDS. Now a team of scientists at NYU Langone Medical Center has discovered a sensor in dendritic cells that recognizes HIV, spurring a more potent immune response by the sentinels to the virus. They report their findings in the September 9, 2010, issue of Nature.

Study identifies critical 'traffic engineer' of the nervous system
A new University of Georgia study published in the journal Nature has identified a critical enzyme that keeps traffic flowing in the right direction in the nervous system, and the finding could eventually lead to new treatments for conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Researchers design more accurate method of determining premature infants' risk of illness
Stanford University researchers have developed a revolutionary, non-invasive way of quickly predicting the future health of premature infants, an innovation that could better target specialized medical intervention and reduce health-care costs.

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.

Biology news

NOAA designates the eastern North Pacific basking shark a 'species of concern'
NOAA's Fisheries Service has designated the eastern North Pacific basking shark, a "species of concern" because it has suffered a dramatic decline in population despite decreasing fishing pressure. The label "species of concern" may be given to a species when there are concerns regarding the population status.

Chopping and changing in the microbial world: How mycoplasmas stay alive
Mycoplasmas regularly change their surface proteins to confuse the immune systems of the humans and animals they invade. Recent work in the group of Renate Rosengarten and Rohini Chopra-Dewasthaly at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna has revealed surprising new details of the way they do so and at the same time raised important evolutionary questions. The results are published as the cover article in the September issue of the Journal of Bacteriology.

Researchers attack plum pox to save N.Y. fruits
(PhysOrg.com) -- Last year, 15 trees in New York state tested positive for plum pox virus (PPV), and more than 30 acres of peaches, plums and apricots in six orchards had to be destroyed by their owners. In 2008, 10 trees and 16 acres of trees had to be destroyed. Cornell plant pathologist Marc Fuchs and his team are working to eradicate PPV from New York.

Swine researchers seek answers to fiber's low digestibility
As interest grows in feeding distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) to growing pigs, many questions are being asked about the digestibility of this alternative feed option.

Risk of beetle outbreaks rise, along with temperature, in the warming West
The potential for outbreaks of spruce and mountain pine beetles in western North America's forests is likely to increase significantly in the coming decades, according to a study conducted by USDA Forest Service researchers and their colleagues. Their findings, published in the September issue of the journal BioScience, represent the first comprehensive synthesis of the effects of climate change on bark beetles.

Fungal threat to archived film
Microbes could be threatening our cultural heritage by degrading historic cinematographic film and even preventing some valuable footage to be archived at all.

Study examines turbine effects on Yukon River fish
A University of Alaska Fairbanks fisheries scientist has teamed up with Alaska Power and Telephone to study how a new power-generating turbine affects fish in the Yukon River.

Cloud computing method greatly increases gene analysis
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have developed new software that greatly improves the speed at which scientists can analyze RNA sequencing data. RNA sequencing is used to compare differences in gene expression to identify those genes that switched on or off when, for instance, a particular disease is present. However, sequencing instruments can produce billions of sequences per day, which can be time-consuming and costly to analyze.

Study: 3 out of 4 cats will wear a collar, making it worth a try
Almost three out of four cats in a new study wore collars consistently during a six-month study, suggesting that most cats will tolerate a collar even if their owners are skeptical about its success.

Linking microbial sex and virulence
Two opportunistic pathogens that were once thought to be very different have evolved some sexual reproduction and disease-causing habits that are not only similar but also suggest that in the microbial world sex and virulence are closely linked, according to a review published this week in the online journal mBio.

Developing alternatives to invasive shrubs
(PhysOrg.com) -- Connecticut's largest group of ornamental plant growers recently took a big step towards curtailing the spread of invasive plants in the state. In June, the Connecticut Nursery and Landscape Association announced the phase-out of 25 cultivars of the ubiquitous but highly invasive Japanese Barberry over the next three years.

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.

Dendritic cells found in zebrafish
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified dendritic antigen-presenting cells in zebrafish, opening the possibility that the tiny fish could become a new model for studying the complexities of the human immune system.

Why the biological clock? Study says aging reduces centromere cohesion, disrupts reproduction
University of Pennsylvania biologists studying human reproduction have identified what is likely the major contributing factor to the maternal age-associated increase in aneuploidy, the term for an abnormal number of chromosomes during reproductive cell division.

First discovery of bilirubin in a flower announced
A research team led by Cary Pirone from the Department of Biological Sciences at Florida International University has identified bilirubin in the popular Bird of Paradise plant. The breakthrough study, published in the September 2010 issue of the American Society for Horticultural Science's journal HortScience, provides new insights into color production in this iconic tropical plant.

Study: Elephants unfazed by dynamite, but fear humans
(PhysOrg.com) -- Elephants are not bothered by dynamite explosions, but nearby human activity prompts them to dramatically change their behavior, reports a Cornell study that used automated listening devices to monitor elephant behavior in Gabon.

Study may help predict extinction tipping point for species
What if there were a way to predict when a species was about to become extinct -- in time to do something about it?

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