Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for April 21, 2011:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Primordial beryllium could reveal insights into the Big Bang- Fossil sirenians give scientists new look at ancient climate
- Israeli engineers build artificial device capable of detecting cancer in breath
- Scientists observe single gene activity in living cells
- New study links ozone hole to climate change all the way to the equator
- Say hello to cheaper hydrogen fuel cells: Scientists document utility of non-precious-metal catalysts
- Dry ice lake suggests Mars once had a 'Dust Bowl' (Update)
- Limit to nanotechnology mass-production?
- Prenatal pesticide exposure tied to lower IQ in children
- Nokia's market share falls below 30 percent
- Learning to tolerate our microbial self
- Study in roundworm chromosomes may offer new clues to tumor genome development
- Researchers build time machine to visually explore space and time
- Team studies Earth's recovery from prehistoric global warming
- Researchers identify genes causing antimalarial drug resistance
Space & Earth news
BP sues Gulf rig firm, shifting blame for oil spill
BP is taking legal action to shift the blame for the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster which devastated the environment and the group's image a year ago, suing rig operator Transocean for damages of $40 billion (24 billion pounds).
From fork to farm
(PhysOrg.com) -- At Sandia's largest cafeteria, a leftover burrito will be sent off to eventually help some backyard garden bloom. When someone leaves a bit of lunch behind at Thunderbird Café, employees send it out for composting.
NYC mayor to announce solar plants at landfills
(AP) -- New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is set to release the first update to his city's 4-year-old environmental plan.
Image: Nile river delta at night
(PhysOrg.com) -- One of the fascinating aspects of viewing Earth at night is how well the lights show the distribution of people. In this view of Egypt, the population is shown to be almost completely concentrated along the Nile Valley, just a small percentage of the country’s land area.
Less radiation damage in Chernobyl lakes than feared
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study of the lakes in and around Chernobyl's fallout zone reveals that radiation from the nuclear accident appears to have had no long term effect on the abundance or diversity of aquatic animal life.
e-MERLIN set to give wizard new view of Hubble Deep Field region
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Hubble Deep Field (HDF), taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in the 1990s, is one of the most iconic images in astronomy. Now, astronomers at Jodrell Bank Observatory have produced a high-resolution mosaic of the HDF region using observations from the MERLIN and VLA radio telescope arrays, as well as the new e-MERLIN array.
School pupils to study space radiation belts
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Van Allen radiation belts are a hazardous environment, full of 'killer' electrons that can be lethal to orbiting satellites. And when those electrons sometimes hit the atmosphere, they alter its chemistry with implications for climate variation. Now students at a school in Yorkshire are set to help scientists better understand the belts.
New theory of evolution for spiral galaxy arms
(PhysOrg.com) -- A study of spiral patterns found in galaxies like our Milky Way could overturn the theory of how the spiral arm features form and evolve. The results are being presented by postgraduate student, Robert Grand, at the Royal Astronomical Society’s National Astronomy Meeting in Llandudno, Wales this week.
Team studies Earth's recovery from prehistoric global warming
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Earth may be able to recover from rising carbon dioxide emissions faster than previously thought, according to evidence from a prehistoric event analyzed by a Purdue University-led team.
Astronomers find 'smoking gun' of compact galaxy formation
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team at Bristol University have found irrevocable evidence that explains how an unusual type of galaxy, so-called compact ellipticals (cEs), are formed and have discovered two examples in which they see the process of formation in action. Team leader Dr. Avon Huxor presented their work on Wednesday 20 April at the Royal Astronomical Society's National Astronomy Meeting in Llandudno, Wales.
Rotating sunspots spin up a super solar flare
(PhysOrg.com) -- The largest solar flare recorded in nearly five years was triggered by interactions between five rotating sunspots. Researchers at the University of Central Lancashire studied observations of the flaring region of the Sun taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory over a period of five days. Dr. Daniel Brown presented the findings at the RAS National Astronomy Meeting in Llandudno, Wales, on Wednesday 20th April 2011.
Astronomers peer into the dark
(PhysOrg.com) -- Astronomers from the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance (SUPA) have produced a completely new catalogue of ~15,000 groups of galaxies that gives a new insight into dark matter, the material of unknown composition that makes up a fifth of the mass of the Universe. Dr. Aaron Robotham of the University of St Andrews will present the work of the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) team in his talk on Thursday 21 April at the Royal Astronomical Society's National Astronomy Meeting in Llandudno, Wales.
New study links ozone hole to climate change all the way to the equator
In a study to be published in the April 21st issue of Science magazine, researchers at Columbia University's School of Engineering and Applied Science report their findings that the ozone hole, which is located over the South Pole, has affected the entire circulation of the Southern Hemisphere all the way to the equator. While previous work has shown that the ozone hole is changing the atmospheric flow in the high latitudes, the Columbia Engineering paper, "Impact of Polar Ozone Depletion on Subtropical Precipitation," demonstrates that the ozone hole is able to influence the tropical circulation and increase rainfall at low latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere. This is the first time that ozone depletion, an upper atmospheric phenomenon confined to the polar regions, has been linked to climate change from the Pole to the equator.
Dry ice lake suggests Mars once had a 'Dust Bowl' (Update)
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has discovered the total amount of atmosphere on Mars changes dramatically as the tilt of the planet's axis varies. This process can affect the stability of liquid water, if it exists on the Martian surface, and increase the frequency and severity of Martian dust storms.
Fossil sirenians give scientists new look at ancient climate
(PhysOrg.com) -- What tales they tell of their former lives, these old bones of sirenians, relatives of today's dugongs and manatees.
Technology news
Obama pokes Facebook founder over necktie
US President Barack Obama faces a debt crisis, angry Republicans, and a hard fight to reelection -- but at least, he noted Wednesday, he got Facebook's youthful founder to dress up.
States seek to make it safer to find love online
(AP) -- Something just didn't seem right when Ilana Angel met her Internet date at a bar. He furtively looked around the room and immediately suggested they go someplace else in his car, leaving hers behind at the bar.
Yemenis use Facebook in anti-regime revolt
Young and educated, like most protesters in Sanaa, the Shamakh brothers shoot videos of demonstrations and post them on the Internet as part of an uprising against President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Japan Internet providers block child porn
A group of Japanese internet service providers started blocking access to child porn websites on Thursday as part of efforts to crack down on the spread of sexually explicit images of children.
Sharp to commercialize world's first small-and medium-size LCD panels using oxide semiconductor
Sharp Corporation has developed high performance small- and medium-size LCD panels using oxide semiconductor, InGaZnO. Production of these new LCD panels will aim to start at Kameyama Plant No.2 within this year.
US hacker pleads guilty to credit card theft
A 26-year-old computer hacker pleaded guilty on Thursday to stealing hundreds of thousands of credit card numbers, causing losses of more than $36 million.
Prosecutions turn online poker into a shaky bet
(AP) -- America's multibillion-dollar run at the online poker tables has been interrupted by what could be a killer hand: federal prosecutions of the three biggest websites.
Microclimates: Managing weather from street to street
Walk through a city and the weather may change from block to block, often in startling ways. Step into a canyon of tall buildings and sunlight disappears. Winds arise seemingly from nowhere. The air smells completely different on a balcony and in the street.
Obama at Facebook: New media, traditional tone
(AP) -- President Barack Obama likely has a few more "friends" after a town hall at Facebook headquarters Wednesday, but the real winner may be the medium of social networking itself, which commands not just the attention of politicians but now an appearance from the president.
Dish in contempt of court in TiVo patent fight
(AP) -- A panel of federal appeals judges has found Dish Network Corp. and EchoStar Corp. in contempt of court for failing to abide by an injunction barring them from using technology patented by TiVo Inc. in older Dish set-top boxes.
Minn. man accused of hacking Facebook accounts
(AP) -- Prosecutors have accused a Minnesota man of hacking into other people's Facebook and other computer accounts and stealing photos of women to post on adult websites.
Samsung 'crossed the line': Apple executive
Apple filed suit against Samsung last week because it had "crossed the line," a top Apple executive said Wednesday, but hopes to maintain a "strong relationship" with the South Korean company.
Jobs hopes to return 'as soon as he can': Cook
Apple's ailing chief executive Steve Jobs remains involved in major strategic decisions at the company and hopes to return to work full-time as soon as he can, a top Apple executive said on Wednesday.
Toshiba launches 19nm process NAND flash memory
(PhysOrg.com) -- Toshiba Corporation today announced that it has fabricated NAND flash memories with 19nm process technology, the finest level yet achieved. This latest technology advance has already been applied to 2-bit-per-cell 64-gigabit (Gb) chips that are the world's smallest and offer the highest density on a single chip (8 gigabytes (GB)). Toshiba will also add 3-bit-per-cell products fabricated with the 19nm process technology to its product line-up.
Verizon CFO says next iPhone will work overseas
The next Verizon iPhone model will work on overseas networks, a Verizon Communications Inc. executive confirmed Thursday in what may have been an accidental lifting of the secrecy that usually surrounds Apple Inc.'s products.
Verizon rakes in subscribers with help of iPhone
(AP) -- Helped by the iPhone, Verizon Wireless is pulling in more high-paying subscribers than it has in a year, and 15 times more than rival AT&T.
Heating oil phase-out part of NYC clean-air plan
(AP) -- The city will phase out the use of polluting heavy oils to heat buildings and will begin building solar power plants on capped landfills, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Thursday in his first update to a 4-year-old environmental plan that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent by 2030.
Over 100,000 paid subscribers for NYTimes.com
The New York Times Co. released its first figures on Thursday since it began charging for full access to NYTimes.com, saying it has signed up more than 100,000 paid subscribers in three weeks.
Belgium probes Google's Street View
Belgium became Thursday the latest European country to investigate Google's Street View picture map after cars taking pictures for the programme collected private data.
India's TCS quarterly profit up on outsourcing demand
India's largest software exporter Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on Thursday reported a 24 percent rise in quarterly profit from a year earlier, on robust demand for outsourcing.
Amazon failure takes down sites across Internet
(AP) -- Scores of websites and Internet services like Foursquare and Reddit crashed or had limited availability Thursday because of problems at a data center run by Amazon.com.
Your cell phone may be used against you in a court of law
(PhysOrg.com) -- We tend to think of our cell phones as our own person technological domains. They are the places where we can store our digital life and keep an eye on the things that we need to, while we are on the go. But, what if your data is not you own, what if it is used against you in a court of law?
Apple slammed over iPhone, iPad location tracking
(AP) -- Privacy watchdogs are demanding answers from Apple Inc. about why iPhones and iPads are secretly collecting location data on users - records that cellular service providers routinely keep but require a court order to disgorge.
AMD's profit nearly doubles despite price drop
(AP) -- Advanced Micro Devices Inc. says its net income nearly doubled in the first quarter as the computer industry benefits from strong corporate demand.
Out of thick air: Refining tools and techniques of fog harvesting
In the arid Namib Desert on the west coast of Africa, one type of beetle has found a distinctive way of surviving. When the morning fog rolls in, the Stenocara gracilipes species, also known as the Namib Beetle, collects water droplets on its bumpy back, then lets the moisture roll down into its mouth, allowing it to drink in an area devoid of flowing water.
Berkeley Lab study finds that photovoltaic systems boost the sales price of California homes
New research by the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory finds strong evidence that homes with solar photovoltaic (PV) systems sell for a premium over homes without solar systems.
Nokia's market share falls below 30 percent
Nokia Corp. reported better than expected first-quarter profits Thursday but its global market share dropped to below 30 percent for the first time in over a decade as the world's top cellphone maker continued to lose ground to rivals.
Carmakers look to an electric future in China
Major carmakers' high hopes for electric vehicles are on clear display at the Shanghai auto show, but industry leaders say it could be a decade before such eco-friendly cars go mainstream.
Researchers build time machine to visually explore space and time
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute have leveraged the latest browser technology to create GigaPan Time Machine, a system that enables viewers to explore gigapixel-scale, high-resolution videos and image sequences by panning or zooming in and out of the images while simultaneously moving back and forth through time.
Geely McCar: Electric vehicle and scooter in one
(PhysOrg.com) -- Geely, an automotive manufacturer that is based in China, has created a new vehicle called McCar. Aside from creating a lot of Batman movie comparisons and jokes, it truly is an amazing vehicle. The McCar, which is not named for a famous sandwich created by a fast food chain that uses a clown as it mascot, is a hybrid car that is paired with a scooter in the rear. While this combination is a bit unusual, it provides the maximum in driver flexibility.
Medicine & Health news
Immigrant screening misses majority of imported latent TB, finds study
Current UK procedures to screen new immigrants for tuberculosis (TB) fail to detect more than 70 per cent of cases of latent infection, according to a new study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
How mobile phones are transforming healthcare
New research highlights examples of medical care transformed by mobile networks.
EPO doping helps combat cerebral malaria
Almost 3.3 billion people, half of the world's population, risk being infected with malaria. Despite having effective means against malaria, the WHO reports 250 million cases of malaria each year and more than 700,000 related deaths. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have now discovered that EPO, the doping drug known from professional cycling, can significantly reduce cerebral malaria related deaths.
Acupuncture relieves hot flashes from prostate cancer treatment
Acupuncture provides long-lasting relief to hot flashes, heart palpitations and anxiety due to side effects of the hormone given to counteract testosterone, the hormone that induces prostate cancer, according to a study published in the April issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology•Biology•Physics, an official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).
UCI anesthesiologist to lead study on alleviating surgical anxiety, pain in children
A UC Irvine anesthesiologist will use a $3.2 million National Institutes of Health grant to launch a research effort aimed at lessening the anxiety and pain children feel before and after surgery.
Phase 3 trial finds no benefit from atrasentan added to chemo for advanced prostate cancer
A Data and Safety Monitoring Committee (DSMC) has determined that patients in a phase III clinical trial given atrasentan in addition to a standard chemotherapy regimen for advanced prostate cancer did not have longer survival or longer progression-free survival than patients on the same chemotherapy regimen who got a placebo rather than atrasentan.
Millions in malaria drugs stolen
(AP) -- A global health fund believes millions of dollars worth of its donated malaria drugs have been stolen in recent years, vastly exceeding the levels of theft previously suspected, according to confidential documents obtained by The Associated Press.
Kids born with HIV growing up well
(PhysOrg.com) -- Once facing an almost certain death sentence, most children born with HIV are now faring well into adolescence and adulthood, according to a newly published study co-authored by Tulane infectious diseases expert Dr. Russell Van Dyke. The study was published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.
Head and neck cancer -- what you need to know
It is estimated that 40,000 men and women in the United States will develop head and neck cancer in the coming year. Head and neck cancer involves the cells that line the mucosal surfaces or moist tissue lining in the head and neck area, for example, the mouth, swallowing passage (pharynx), nose and throat. These cancers account for approximately 3 to 5 percent of all cancers in the United States.
What do you know about that fracture?
A fracture in a person over the age of 50 can be a sign of osteoporosis, yet some patient populations have little knowledge of the disease. According to a groundbreaking study published in a recent Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS), male and non-English speaking patients tend to have the least knowledge of osteoporosis, putting them at high risk for a subsequent fracture.
Simpler, less-expensive detection kit for osteoarthritis, liver disease, and cancer developed
A research team from Chiang Mai University (CMU) have developed a simpler, less-expensive Detection Kit for monitoring Hyaluronan using purified protein from the waste cartilage of a variety of species from the meat processing industry. The research won the team the National Research Council Invention Award, 2011.
Kidney disease coupled with heart disease common problem in elderly
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is common and linked with heart disease in the very elderly, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN).
Use of topical corticosteroids in children with eczema does not have negative side effects
A new study published in the journal Pediatric Dermatology reveals that routine, long-term use of topical corticosteroids (TCS) for treating children with eczema does not cause any significant, negative side effects.
Antidepressants may not improve all symptoms of depression, researchers find
Even people who show a clear treatment response with antidepressant medications continue to experience symptoms like insomnia, sadness and decreased concentration, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found after analyzing data from the largest study on the treatment of depression.
Infants with persistent crying problems more likely to have behavior problems in childhood
Infants who have problems with persistent crying, sleeping and/or feeding – known as regulatory problems – are far more likely to become children with significant behavioural problems, reveals research published ahead of print in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood.
Long-term poverty but not family instability affects children's cognitive development
Children from homes that experience persistent poverty are more likely to have their cognitive development affected than children in better off homes, reveals research published ahead of print in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
Study pioneers new test for 'sudden death syndrome' in young athletes
(PhysOrg.com) -- When a high school athlete drops dead, the rare but fatal condition called "sudden death syndrome" dominates the headlines. For reasons that remain a mystery to scientists, some young athletes -- especially young males -- begin to experience an unusual heart arrhythmia. With over-exertion, their hearts stop pumping, leading to sudden death.
Parasite sheds light on sleeping sickness
Fresh insight into the survival strategy of the sleeping sickness parasite could help inform treatments for the disease.
Simple fungus reveals clue to immune system protection
A discovery by Johns Hopkins scientists about how a single-celled fungus survives in low-oxygen settings may someday help humans whose immune systems are compromised by organ transplants or AIDS.
Severe obesity not seen to increase risk of depression in teens
According to a new study, severely obese adolescents are no more likely to be depressed than normal weight peers. The study, which has been released online in the Journal of Adolescent Health, did find that white adolescents may be somewhat more vulnerable to psychological effects of obesity.
Subset of self-destructive immune cells may selectively drive diabetes
New research identifies a distinctive population of immune cells that may play a key role in the pathogenesis of diabetes. The research, published by Cell Press and available online in the April 21st issue of Immunity, sheds new light on the pathogenesis of diabetes and may lead to the development of new more selective therapeutic strategies for diabetes and other autoimmune diseases of the accessory organs of the digestive system.
CDC predicts smoking bans in every state by 2020
(AP) -- By 2020, every state may have bans on smoking in restaurants, bars and the workplace, federal health officials predicted Thursday, based on the current pace of adopting anti-smoking laws.
Europe, especially France, hit by measles outbreak
(AP) -- Europe, especially France, has been hit by a major outbreak of measles, which the U.N. health agency is blaming on the failure to vaccinate all children.
At least 10 years to eradicate bird flu: UN health agency
It will take at least 10 years to eradicate the H5N1 bird flu virus, which has killed scores of humans, from poultry in the six countries where it is endemic, a UN agency said Thursday.
FluPhone: Disease tracking by app
Influenza is sweeping the UK, schools are closing, workplaces are decimated, and the race for a vaccine has begun: all the elements of a scenario not so very hard to imagine.
UCLA's first hand transplant patient adapting well to new hand
Six-and-a-half weeks after receiving the first hand transplant in the western United States, Emily Fennell is becoming so accustomed to her new right hand that she barely remembers when she didn't have one.
Are dietary supplements working against you?
Do you belong to the one-half of the population that frequently uses dietary supplements with the hope that it might be good for you?
Hemodialysis vascular access modifies the association between dialysis modality and survival
Patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD) typically have a higher early survival rate than patients on hemodialysis (HD). New data suggest that this difference may be explained by a higher risk of early deaths among patients undergoing HD with central venous catheters, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).
Drug effective in treating kidney disease in diabetic patients
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Mayo Clinic have published promising results of a clinical study using an experimental anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory drug called pirfenidone to treat patients with diabetic nephropathy. Their study will be published in the April 21 issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).
DARPA takes new look at electrical brain stimulation to aid in learning
(PhysOrg.com) -- New research going on in Albequerque, NM by a team of neuroscientists working for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) indicates that mild brain stimulation with electrical shocks, might in fact cause people to learn more easily.
New research shows critical role of placenta in brain development
Research at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California's (USC) Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute shows for the first time that the human placenta plays an active role in synthesizing serotonin, paving the way to new treatment strategies that could mitigate health impacts such as cardiovascular disease and mental illness.
A new ending to an old 'tail'
In stark contrast to normal cells, which only divide a finite number of times before they enter into a permanent state of growth arrest or simply die, cancer cells never cease to proliferate. Now, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have uncovered an important clue to one of the mechanisms underlying cancer cell immortality.
Meditation may help the brain 'turn down the volume' on distractions
The positive effects of mindfulness meditation on pain and working memory may result from an improved ability to regulate a crucial brain wave called the alpha rhythm. This rhythm is thought to "turn down the volume" on distracting information, which suggests that a key value of meditation may be helping the brain deal with an often-overstimulating world. Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology report that modulation of the alpha rhythm in response to attention-directing cues was faster and significantly more enhanced among study participants who completed an eight-week mindfulness meditation program than in a control group. The report will appear in the journal Brain Research Bulletin and has been released online.
Back with a vengeance: Compound offers new hope for treatment of painful adult shingles
Researchers at the University of Georgia and Yale University have discovered a compound with the potential to be more effective than existing agents in treating the very painful blisters known as shingles -- a condition that affects up to 30 percent of Americans, mostly elderly, and for which no specific treatment exists.
Study in roundworm chromosomes may offer new clues to tumor genome development
A study of DNA rearrangements in roundworm chromosomes may offer new insight into large-scale genome duplications that occur in developing tumors.
Researchers identify genes causing antimalarial drug resistance
Using a pair of powerful genome-search techniques, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), Harvard University, and the Broad Institute have identified several genes that may be implicated in the malaria parasite's notorious ability to rapidly evade drug treatments. Further testing revealed that one of the genes, when inserted into drug-sensitive parasites, rendered them less vulnerable to three antimalarial drugs.
Prenatal pesticide exposure tied to lower IQ in children
(PhysOrg.com) -- In a new study suggesting pesticides may be associated with the health and development of children, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley's School of Public Health have found that prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides – widely used on food crops – is related to lower intelligence scores at age 7.
Israeli engineers build artificial device capable of detecting cancer in breath
(PhysOrg.com) -- Professor Hossam Haick of the Israel Institute of Technology, at Technion, and his team have built an artificial nose which is capable of detecting molecules in human breath that signal the presence of head and neck cancers in people. In a paper published in the British Journal of Cancer, Haick describes how he and his colleagues set to work on coming up with a device that could mimic the ability that dogs have demonstrated in detecting certain types of cancers.
Biology news
Discovery identifies elaborate G-protein network in plants
The most elaborate heterotrimeric G-protein network known to date in the plant kingdom has been identified by Dr. Sona Pandey, principal investigator at the Danforth Plant Science Center. The results of this research are published in the recent article, "An elaborate heterotirmeric G-protein family from soybean expands the diversity of G-protein networks," in the New Phytologist.
Antimalarial trees in East Africa threatened with extinction
Research released in anticipation of World Malaria Day finds that plants in East Africa with promising antimalarial qualities -- ones that have treated malaria symptoms in the region's communities for hundreds of years -- are at risk of extinction. Scientists fear that these natural remedial qualities, and thus their potential to become a widespread treatment for malaria, could be lost forever.
Study finds that diversity can trump ability
Dr Dick James from the Department of Physics at the University of Bath, UK, working with other colleagues from Germany and the UK, has found that decision making among groups can be significantly better than that of individuals.
Curious butterflies are genetically different
Understanding mechanisms that are fundamental to changes in life history traits is crucial for our understanding of adaption by natural selection. While research in this field has improved, functional genomics studies of life history adaptations have only started to get off the ground. A team of scientists from Finland and the US are helping drive this research. They have found that descendants of 'exploratory' butterflies that colonised new habitats are genetically different from their cousins that prefer to stay put.
Lawn of native grasses beats traditional lawn for lushness, weed resistance
A lawn of regionally native grasses would take less resources to maintain while providing as lush a carpet as a common turfgrass used in the South, according to a study by ecologists at The University of Texas at Austin's Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
New technique improves sensitivity of PCR pathogen detection
A new procedure devised by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists and colleagues can improve polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods of detecting plant disease organisms.
Salmonella utilize multiple modes of infection
Scientists from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig, Germany have discovered a new, hitherto unknown mechanism of Salmonella invasion into gut cells: In this entry mode, the bacteria exploit the muscle power of cells to be pulled into the host cell cytoplasm. Thus, the strategies Salmonella use to infect cells are more complex than previously thought. According to the World Health Organization, the number of Salmonella infections is continuously rising, and the severity of infections is increasing. One of the reasons for this may be the sophisticated infection strategies the bacteria have evolved. The striking diversity of invasion strategies may allow Salmonella to infect multiple cell types and different hosts.
Bacteria interrupted: Disabling coordinated behavior and virulence gene expression
New research reveals a strategy for disrupting the ability of bacteria to communicate and coordinate the expression of virulence factors. The study, published by Cell Press in the April 22nd issue of the journal Molecular Cell, may lead to the development of new antibacterial therapeutics.
Expedition to search for hybrid gibbons
This July an expedition will set out for the central highlands of Indonesian Borneo to sample the biodiversity of uncharted areas, track ape populations and find out how remote communities interact with their environment.
In time for spring, biologist illuminates how seedlings regulate growth
With seedlings and shoots still poking their leafy tops out of the soil, it's hard to read the newly published research of Brown University biologist Alison DeLong without musing that it provides a deeper understanding of what puts the spring in spring.
Believing in the pygmy bunny
Like the Easter Bunny, the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit of Washington state may soon exist only in our imaginations. None have been seen in the wild since 2004. But a new breeding program is aiming to rebuild this endangered species into a thriving wild population.
Starting a new metabolic path: Researchers develop technique to help metabolic engineering
(PhysOrg.com) -- Efforts to engineer new metabolic pathways into microbes for the inexpensive production of valuable chemical products, such as biofuels or therapeutic drugs, should get a significant boost in a new development from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI). Researchers there have successfully demonstrated a technique they call "targeted proteomics" that speeds up and improves the ability to identify and quantify specific proteins within a cell or microorganism.
Worm studies shed light on human cancers
(PhysOrg.com) -- Research in the worm is shedding light on a protein associated with a number of different human cancers, and may point to a highly targeted way to treat them.
Evolution can cause a rapid reduction in genome size
(PhysOrg.com) -- It would appear reasonable to assume that two closely related plant species would have similar genetic blueprints. However, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen, working in cooperation with an international research team have now decoded, for the first time, the entire genome of the lyre-leaved rock cress (Arabidopsis lyrata), a close relative of the thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana), the model plant used by geneticists. They discovered that the genome of the lyre-leaved rock cress is fifty percent bigger than that of the thale cress. Moreover, these changes arose over a very short period in evolutionary terms. This new high-quality genome analysis will provide a basis for further detailed comparative studies on the function, ecology and evolution of the plant genus Arabidopsis.
Giant tortoises show rewilding can work
'Rewilding with taxon substitutes', the intentional introduction of exotic species to fulfil key functions in ecosystems following the loss of recently extinct species, is highly controversial, partly due to a lack of rigorous scientific studies.
Learning to tolerate our microbial self
The human gut is filled with 100 trillion symbiotic bacteria—ten times more microbial cells than our own cells—representing close to one thousand different species. "And yet, if you were to eat a piece of chicken with just a few Salmonella, your immune system would mount a potent inflammatory response," says Sarkis K. Mazmanian, assistant professor of biology at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Chimpanzee birth similar to humans: study
(PhysOrg.com) -- Published in Biology Letters, researchers led by Satoshi Hirata from the Great Ape Research Institute of Hayashibara Biochemical Laboratories in Japan reveal their findings on chimpanzee births. The researchers were able to observe the live births of three chimpanzees because they had developed a close relationship with the animals.
Scientists observe single gene activity in living cells
Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have for the first time observed the activity of a single gene in living cells. In an unprecedented study, published in the April 22 online edition of Science, Einstein scientists were able to follow, in real time, the process of gene transcription, which occurs when a gene converts its DNA information into molecules of messenger RNA (mRNA) that go on to make the protein coded by the gene.
This email is a free service of PhysOrg.com
You received this email because you subscribed to our list.
If you no longer want to receive this email use the link below to unsubscribe.
http://www.physorg.com/profile/nwletter/
You are subscribed as jmabs1@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment