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Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for April 28, 2011:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Carbon nanotube enabled vertical organic light-emitting transistor paves way for next-gen consumer electronics- Swift and Hubble probe an asteroid crash (w/ video)
- Electrical oscillations critical for storing spatial memories in brain: study
- Stem cell discoveries pace growing understanding of human brain's uniqueness
- Bacteria have evolved a unique chemical mechanism to become antibiotic-resistant
- Jump in communication skills led to species explosion in electric fishes
- Galaxy S2: Samsung challenges Apple with new smartphone
- Two unsuspected proteins may hold the key to creating artificial chromosomes
- China announces Space Station plans
- Nanotechnologists must take lessons from nature
- Researchers probe link between theta rhythm, ability of animals to track location
- Early warning signal for ecosystem catastrophe detected
- As the worm turns, its secrets are revealed
- From the beginning, the brain knows the difference between night and day
- Eddies found to be deep, powerful modes of ocean transport
Space & Earth news
NASA receives European commitment to continue space station
The Multilateral Coordination Board (MCB) for the International Space Station partner agencies met Wednesday, April 27, to discuss increased efforts to use the station as a test-bed for exploration. The MCB also congratulated the European Space Agency (ESA) on its recent decision to continue station operations to at least 2020.
Managing California's water: From conflict to reconciliation
The rapid decline of salmon and the steady increase in the number of endangered fish species show that a new approach is needed to manage California's aquatic ecosystems, according to the book "Managing California's Water: From Conflict to Reconciliation," co-authored by Buzz Thompson, co-director of the Woods Institute for the Environment.
Will the U.S. continue to 'reach for the stars'?
With the space shuttle program winding down — Discovery returned from its final mission in March, Endeavor is scheduled for its last flight this Friday, and Atlantis should launch at the end of June — observers are wondering about the future of the U.S. space program. Will there be room for any kind of ambitious space program, given the state of the U.S. economy? Will space flight move increasingly toward privatization? As former Florida congressman James Bacchus, one of the principal congressional sponsors of the International Space Station, wrote in The Hill’s Congress Blog in March, there has been “utter bipartisan failure thus far to figure out what to do next in human space flight, how to make it work, and how to pay for it at a price our chosen leaders think we can afford.” Here, Associate Professor of Political Science William Kay, an expert on the history and politics of the space program, offers some predictions.
Ride along with Rhea
Assembled from 29 raw images taken by the Cassini orbiter on Monday, April 25, this animation brings us along an orbital ride with Rhea as it crosses Saturn’s nighttime face, the planet’s shadow cast across the ringplane. Sister moons Dione and Tethys travel the opposite lane in the background, eventually appearing to sink into Saturn’s atmosphere.
New crops show potential for sustainable biomass
A new source of biomass grown on unused land could help the UK meet renewable energy targets without affecting food production or the environment, according to the results of a new study.
Ecologist: La Nina one major cause for Texas wildfires
(PhysOrg.com) -- About 1.5 million acres of Texas has burned this year, and a Texas Tech University plant ecologist said a natural weather event called La Nina has much of the blame for the recent rash of wildfires.
Asbestos, dioxin threats in Japan tsunami rubble
Japanese workers tackling the Herculean task of clearing millions of tonnes of debris from last month's earthquake and tsunami also face health risks from asbestos and dioxins.
Endeavour launch brings tourists, traffic to Fla.
(AP) -- Florida Space Coast hotels are sold out, residents are renting bedrooms and restaurants are doubling food supplies as thousands of tourists arriving for Friday's launch of space shuttle Endeavour are boosting a region fearing its economic future.
GOES satellite follows tracks of powerful U.S. storm
A powerful storm system with a history of severe weather continues to march across the U.S. and toward the east coast today. The low and associated cold front was captured in a two-day animation of GOES-13 satellite imagery.
Era of canopy crane ending; certain research and education activities remain
The 25-story construction crane used since 1995 to investigate such things as how Pacific Northwest forests absorb carbon dioxide, obtain sufficient water and resist attacks by pests and diseases is being pruned back to just the tower.
TRMM Satellite sees massive thunderstorms in severe weather system
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission or TRMM satellite again flew over severe thunderstorms that were spawning tornadoes over the eastern United States on April 28 and detected massive thunderstorms and very heavy rainfall.
Tornadoes whipped up by wind, not climate: officials
US meteorologists warned Thursday it would be a mistake to blame climate change for a seeming increase in tornadoes in the wake of deadly storms that have ripped through the US south.
Fingernail-sized satellites depart on Endeavor's last run
(PhysOrg.com) -- A group of Cornell-developed, fingernail-sized satellites may travel to Saturn within the next decade, and as they flutter down through its atmosphere, they will collect data about chemistry, radiation and particle impacts.
Meteors from Halley's comet
Looking for an adventure? Get up in the wee hours of the morning May 6th and head out into the country, far from the city lights. You won't be alone. The birds will be up and singing about the coming dawn, and, of course, about the eta Aquarid meteor shower.
China announces Space Station plans
(PhysOrg.com) -- Less than a decade after launching their first astronaut into space, the China Manned Space Engineering Office announced in a news conference this week their plans to build and develop a 60-ton space station with three capsules and a cargo spacecraft.
Eddies found to be deep, powerful modes of ocean transport
Researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and their colleagues have discovered that massive, swirling ocean eddies -- known to be up to 500 kilometers across at the surface -- can reach all the way to the ocean bottom at mid-ocean ridges, some 2,500 meters deep, transporting tiny sea creatures, chemicals, and heat from hydrothermal vents over large distances.
Next-generation US space racers outline plans
A handful of companies competing to make the spaceship to replace the iconic US shuttle said Thursday they are racing to shrink what will be a long gap in flying Americans into space aboard US craft.
Swift and Hubble probe an asteroid crash (w/ video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- Late last year, astronomers noticed an asteroid named Scheila had unexpectedly brightened, and it was sporting short-lived plumes. Data from NASA's Swift satellite and Hubble Space Telescope showed these changes likely occurred after Scheila was struck by a much smaller asteroid.
Technology news
Former BEA Systems CEO back in business software
(AP) -- BEA Systems co-founder Alfred Chuang got rich licensing business software applications to companies that installed the programs on their own computers.
Immigrant-smuggling game rejected by Apple
(AP) -- An iPhone game that allows users to drive a truck full of immigrants through the desert while trying to prevent them from getting thrown out of the vehicle has been rejected by Apple Inc., the software's developer announced Thursday.
China's Huawei sues ZTE for patent infringement
China telecoms giant Huawei said Thursday it is suing hometown rival ZTE in Europe for alleged patent and trademark infringements, as the Chinese firms battle for overseas market share.
Thomson Reuters net profit nearly doubles
Thomson Reuters said Thursday that its net profit nearly doubled in the first quarter and announced plans to sell off two more businesses to fuel investment in its "core" activities.
$53 million pledged to Kickstarter in two years
Kickstarter, a website which collects donations for creative projects, said Thursday that it has received pledges of more than $53 million since its launch two years ago.
BlackBerry maker slashes short-term sales forecast
(AP) -- Research In Motion Ltd., the maker of the BlackBerry, on Thursday cut its sales and earnings forecasts for the current quarter, saying it's shipping fewer and cheaper phones than it had expected.
There's more to implants than meets the eye
In this month's Physics World, Richard Taylor, professor of physics, psychology and art at the University of Oregon, warns that artificial retinal implants – a technology fast becoming a reality – must adapt to the unique features of the human eye in order to become an effective treatment.
Experts: Apple should've addressed concerns sooner
Apple should have responded much sooner to concerns about location data stored on its iPhones, even if the company didn't have all the answers ready, marketing and crisis-management experts say.
Hynix Semiconductor 1Q profit falls 66 percent
(AP) -- Hynix Semiconductor's quarterly profit fell 66 percent as sales declined and memory chip prices remained weak, though the company said business conditions should improve in the second quarter.
Sony working with police on PlayStation Network hack
Sony said it was working with investigators after hackers stole data from users of its PlayStation Network, and told customers it would restore services only when it was confident it was secure.
SAP disappoints with quarterly profit of 403 mln euros
German software giant SAP said on Thursday that it made a net profit of 403 million euros ($600 million) in the first quarter, a four-percent gain which fell short of expectations.
Friendster evolves to escape Facebook's shadow
(AP) -- Faded social networking site Friendster will soon delete nearly a decade's worth of user photos, blog entries and other data in a revamp to set it apart from Facebook, a company official said Thursday.
Time Warner Cable sees Web future as 1Q tops views
(AP) -- Time Warner Cable Inc.'s high-speed Internet service overshadowed its core cable TV business as a boost in broadband subscribers contributed to a 52 percent increase in first-quarter net income.
Panasonic reports loss, plans to cut 17,000 jobs
(AP) -- Panasonic Corp., Japan's biggest home appliance maker, is cutting about 17,000 jobs worldwide over two years as its losses swell from restructuring costs and damage from the March 11 disasters.
Sony says stolen PlayStation credit data encrypted
(AP) -- Sony is telling PlayStation users that it had encrypted the credit card data that hackers may have stolen, reducing the chances that thieves could have used the information.
New device puts vision impaired in the picture
(PhysOrg.com) -- Visually impaired people may soon have greater access to graphical information thanks to a new device developed by Monash University’s Faculty of Information and Technology.
Sprint adds 1.1M subscribers, halves 1Q loss
(AP) -- Sprint Nextel Corp. on Thursday said it added more wireless subscribers in the first quarter than it has in five years, mainly on cheap service plans, as its turnaround continued despite the new threat of Verizon's iPhone.
Russia's Yandex announces NASDAQ listing
Russia's top Internet portal Yandex announced plans Thursday to hold an initial public offering on New York's NASDAQ stock exchange.
Wireless carriers get consent to use location data
(AP) -- The nation's four largest wireless carriers say they obtain customer permission before using a subscriber's physical location to provide driving directions, family-locator applications and other location-based services, and before sharing a subscriber's location with any outside mobile apps that provide such services.
Viewdle lets Android smartphones recognize friends
Northern California startup Viewdle on Wednesday released software that lets Android-powered smartphones recognize people's faces.
Swiss solar plane to attempt first international flight
Switzerland's solar-powered aircraft is expected to attempt its first international flight as early as next week to Brussels, the team managing the project said on Thursday.
Microsoft's fiscal 3Q earnings surge 31 percent
(AP) -- Microsoft Corp.'s latest quarterly earnings rose 31 percent even as sales of its Windows operating system sagged.
Medicine & Health news
Adult-supervised drinking in young teens may lead to more alcohol use, consequences
Allowing adolescents to drink alcohol under adult supervision does not appear to teach responsible drinking as teens get older. In fact, such a "harm-minimization" approach may actually lead to more drinking and alcohol-related consequences, according to a new study in the May 2011 issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
Adults with arthritis suffer with poorer health related quality of life
A new study reports that the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for U.S. adults with arthritis is much worse than for those without this condition. Both physical and mental health are affected by arthritis, which poses a significant health and economic burden as the number of those diagnosed continues to climb. Details of this study are now online in Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).
Expert sources: Potent alcoholic beverages look like soda pop, target young drinkers
It works every time? The marketing and rebranding efforts for the fruity flavored malt beverage "Blast by Colt 45," referred to as "binge in a can" by its critics, are "irresponsible" from a health perspective but admittedly effective, says Antonio Williams, a fitness and marketing expert in Indiana University's School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation.
Obesity: Conclusive results for the Montreal Heart Institute's Kilo-Actif program
A program which combines interval training and healthy eating practices seems to be perfectly indicated for those suffering from obesity, according to the results of a new study from the Montreal Hearth Institute's centre for preventive medicine and physical activity (ÉPIC Centre). Results of the study were announced at the National Obesity Summit, currently taking place in Montreal.
Guidelines on rare diseases: Methods on handling evidence neither identified nor required
People with rare diseases have the same right to high-quality health care in line with current medical knowledge as other patients do. However, relevant and reliable clinical studies on rare diseases are often lacking. Among other things, this makes the development of corresponding guidelines more difficult, but precisely such guidelines could help improve treatment quality.
The Medical Minute: Keeping the young pitcher healthy
Late childhood and early adolescence is a period of a tremendous development for the young elbow. During these years, several growth plates emerge and fuse in a coordinated fashion to assume the anatomy required for optimal function. Youth baseball can pose a significant threat to the health of this developing joint. Damage to cartilage, growth plates, and ligaments are common injuries among juvenile pitchers and pose a potentially permanent impedance to normal elbow function.
Twin dangers: Malnutrition and obesity
Even as developing countries continue to struggle with the old scourge of malnutrition, the West’s obesity epidemic is spreading into such nations, creating twin nutritional problems that demand attention from already strapped health care systems.
The tangled NETs of the immune system
When scientists can’t believe their eyes, it is very likely that they are on to something quite extraordinary. This was precisely the case for Arturo Zychlinsky and his colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin. White blood cells that cast net-like structures to ensnare pathogens? No one had ever seen the likes of it before. Now the first patients are reaping the benefits of this discovery.
Black churches teach kids about safe sex, disease prevention
When 10th-grader Quintin Scott learned that only physicians could diagnose AIDS, he wasn't in sex education class and he wasn't overhearing locker room talk: Scott was in church.
New immigrants less likely to have premature babies in the first 5 years in Canada: study
Immigrants living less than five years in Canada are less likely than their Canadian-born counterparts to have premature babies regardless of where they live, according to a new study by St. Michael's Hospital.
Reducing risk of renal failure in obese patients
The angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor drug, ramipril, is particularly effective in lowering the risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in obese patients, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).
5-minute screen identifies subtle signs of autism in 1-year olds
A five-minute checklist that parents can fill out in pediatrician waiting rooms may someday help in the early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Published today in the Journal of Pediatrics, the study's design also provides a model for developing a network of pediatricians to adopt such a change to their practice.
Women at higher risk than men of kidney damage after heart imaging test
Women are at higher risk than men of developing kidney damage after undergoing a coronary angiogram, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study.
Heart attacks are more serious if they occur at certain times of the day
People who have a heart attack are likely to be more seriously affected if the attack happens in the morning, reveals research published ahead of print in Heart journal.
IPF lung disease numbers are rising quickly to become a significant cause of mortality in UK
The number of cases of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has continued to rise significantly in the first decade of the 21st century and could lead to more deaths than ovarian cancer, lymphoma, leukaemia, or kidney cancer, reveals research published ahead of print in the Thorax journal.
Indian newlyweds offered cash to delay having children
While countries like Japan, Canada and Australia hand out "baby bonuses" to encourage people to have children, couples in one part of India are getting cash to do just the opposite.
Study: Antibiotics, not surgery, may sometimes better treat appendicitis
(Medical Xpress) -- Antibiotics rather than surgery may be the better treatment for cases of appendicitis in which the appendix hasn't burst, according to a new study.
Ostracism hurts -- but how? Shedding light on a silent, invisible abuse
(Medical Xpress) -- Humans need to belong. Yet they also commonly leave others out. Animals abandon the weakest to ensure the survival of the fittest. So do kindergartners and ’tweens, softball players and office workers.
Study targets treatment for serious ACE inhibitor side effect
A new Henry Ford Hospital study takes a closer look at one of the lesser known, but potential most serious side-effects of ACE inhibitor use – facial, tongue and airway swelling – and identifies a successful and less invasive course of treatment.
Use of costly breast cancer therapy strongly influenced by reimbursement policy
What Medicare would pay for and where a radiation oncologist practiced were two factors that strongly influenced the choice of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for treating breast cancer, according to an article published April 29 online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The use of IMRT and the cost of radiation therapy increased sharply over the period of the study.
Shielding body protects brain from 'shell shocking' blast injuries
Stronger and tougher body armor to shield the chest, abdomen and back may be just what soldiers fighting in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars need to better protect their brains from mild injuries tied to so-called "shell shock," results of a Johns Hopkins study in mice suggest. Such mild trauma, resulting from the initial shock of exploding mines, grenades and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) now accounts for more than 80 percent of all brain injuries among U.S. troops. Some 160,000 American veteran men and women are estimated to have sustained this kind of trauma.
First lupus breakthrough in 50 years
(Medical Xpress) -- A Monash researcher has played a crucial role in the first major lupus treatment breakthrough for over 50 years.
New gene therapy technique on iPS cells holds promise in treating immune system disease
Researchers have developed an effective technique that uses gene therapy on stem cells to correct chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) in cell culture, which could eventually serve as a treatment for this rare, inherited immune disorder, according to a study published in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology.
Taking safety personally
A year after the BP explosion and oil spill, those trying to find someone to blame are misguided, says psychological scientist E. Scott Geller, Alumni Distinguished professor at Virginia Tech, and author of a new paper published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. Geller has spent much of his 42-year career developing interventions to keep people safe, particularly helping companies develop a culture that promotes occupational safety.
Study finds Avastin and Lucentis are equally effective in treating AMD
Researchers are reporting results from the first year of a two-year clinical trial that Avastin, a drug approved to treat some cancers and that is commonly used off-label to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is as effective as the Food and Drug Administration-approved drug Lucentis for the treatment of AMD.
Mystery solved: How sickle hemoglobin protects against malaria
The latest issue of the journal Cell carries an article that is likely to help solve one of the long-standing mysteries of biomedicine. In a study that challenges currently held views, researchers at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC), in Portugal, unravel the molecular mechanism whereby sickle cell hemoglobin confers a survival advantage against malaria, the disease caused by Plasmodium infection. These findings, by the research team lead by Miguel P. Soares, open the way to new therapeutic interventions against malaria, a disease that continues to inflict tremendous medical, social and economic burdens to a large proportion of the human population.
Our own status affects the way our brains respond to others
Our own social status influences the way our brains respond to others of higher or lower rank, according to a new study reported online on April 28 in Current Biology. People of higher subjective socioeconomic status show greater brain activity in response to other high-ranked individuals, while those with lower status have a greater response to other low-status individuals.
Fish livers contain beneficial fatty acids
The fishing industry usually discards fish livers, but a team of researchers from the University of Almeria (Spain) has confirmed that they are a good source of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are beneficial to health. Anchovies are one of the fish whose livers contain the highest levels of these substances.
Cheaper eye drug proves as good as pricier one
A new study shows that a cheaper drug for a common eye disease is as effective as a more expensive one approved for the condition.
Pediatric flu vaccination: Understanding low acceptance rates could help increase coverage
A study of H1N1 and seasonal influenza vaccination in a sample of black and Hispanic children in Atlanta found a low rate of vaccine acceptance among parents and caregivers. Only 36 percent of parents and caregivers indicated they would immunize children against H1N1, and 22 percent indicated their children received the seasonal influenza vaccine in the previous three months. The majority of children in the sample (71 percent) were from households with less than $40,000 in annual income.
Stress and depression are associated with shorter survival in head and neck cancer patients
Studies have shown that stress can affect the immune system and weaken the body's defense against infection and disease. In cancer patients this stress can also affect a tumor's ability to grow and spread. However, the biological mechanisms that underlie such associations are not well understood. Now, researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center find that poor psychosocial functioning is associated with greater vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression––a signaling protein that not only stimulates tumor growth, but is also associated with shorter disease-free survival in head and neck cancer patients.
Study: Cotton swabs prove problematic for ear health
A study by Henry Ford Hospital shows a direct association between cotton swab use and ruptured eardrum.
FDA panel endorses Vertex hepatitis C drug
(AP) -- Federal health experts say an experimental hepatitis C drug from Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a significant step forward in treating the virus, despite a high rate of rashes among patients taking the tablet.
Video: Top 10 risky food pathogens
Researchers at the University of Florida have identified the top 10 riskiest combinations of food and disease-causing microorganisms. Number one on the list, a microorganism called campylobacter, which is linked with poultry. Researchers created the list in part as a guide for the Food and Drug Administration to adopt a more preventive approach to regulation.
Alcohol, mood and me (not you)
Thanks in part to studies that follow subjects for a long time, psychologists are learning more about differences between people. In a new article published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, the author describes how psychologists can use their data to learn about the different ways that people's minds work.
Being tall, obese may significantly increase risk of blood clots in deep veins
Being tall and obese may increase your risk for potentially dangerous blood clots, according to new research in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Green light for flu vaccine in transplant recipients
Getting vaccinated against the flu lowers kidney transplant recipients' risk of organ loss and death, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). The results suggest that concerns about the safety of the influenza vaccine in transplant recipients are unwarranted.
Spring babies face anorexia risk
(Medical Xpress) -- Anorexia nervosa is more common among people born in the spring, a new study led by Oxford University scientists has found.
Similar structures for face selectivity in human and monkey brains
(Medical Xpress) -- Face recognition and the interpretation of facial expressions and gaze direction play a key role in guiding the social behavior of human beings, and new study results point to similar mechanisms in macaques. Until now, many scientists have assumed that the capability for face recognition in monkeys is significantly different from that in humans – and that different parts of the brain are involved. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen have now discovered that the circuitry for face processing in the brain is remarkably similar in both macaques and humans. Consequently, macaque monkeys could be suitable model organisms for studying human disorders such as autism or prosopagnosia, so-called “face blindness.”
Social bonding in prairie voles helps guide search for autism treatments
Researchers at the Center for Translational Social Neuroscience (CTSN) at Emory University are focusing on prairie voles as a new model to screen the effectiveness of drugs to treat autism.
Mutations in single gene may have shaped human cerebral cortex
The size and shape of the human cerebral cortex, an evolutionary marvel responsible for everything from Shakespeare's poetry to the atomic bomb, are largely influenced by mutations in a single gene, according to a team of researchers led by the Yale School of Medicine and three other universities.
Researchers probe link between theta rhythm, ability of animals to track location
In a paper to be published today in the journal Science, a team of Boston University researchers under the direction of Michael Hasselmo, professor of psychology and director of Boston University's Computational Neurophysiology Laboratory, and Mark Brandon, a recent graduate of the Graduate Program for Neuroscience at Boston University, present findings that support the hypothesis that spatial coding by grid cells requires theta rhythm oscillations, and dissociates the mechanisms underlying the generation of entorhinal grid cell periodicity and head-direction selectivity.
From the beginning, the brain knows the difference between night and day
The brain is apparently programmed from birth to develop the ability to determine sunrise and sunset, new research on circadian rhythms at the University of Chicago shows.
Stem cell discoveries pace growing understanding of human brain's uniqueness
(Medical Xpress) -- Scientists are making great strides in figuring out how the human brain – with its expansive cerebral cortex and corresponding capacity for higher thinking – became one of nature’s greatest wonders. Insights about how the brain develops are leading to novel ideas about the causes of a range of brain disorders, and are raising hopes for the regeneration of tissue that is lost in diseases such as Alzheimer’s. At the center of this scientific ferment are new stem cell discoveries by researchers at UCSF.
Electrical oscillations critical for storing spatial memories in brain: study
Biologists at UC San Diego have discovered that electrical oscillations in the brain, long thought to play a role in organizing cognitive functions such as memory, are critically important for the brain to store the information that allows us to navigate through our physical environment.
Biology news
'Test tube' reef a key to understanding coral disease
Microbial ecologist and UTS Research Fellow Dr Justin Seymour is part of an international team that will apply emerging technology to investigate the causes of bacterial disease in coral.
Animals have personalities, too
An individual's personality can have a big effect on their life. Some people are outgoing and gregarious while others find novel situations stressful which can be detrimental to their health and wellbeing. Increasingly, scientists are discovering that animals are no different.
Huge sperm whale washes up on Sydney beach
A dead 10-metre (32-feet) sperm whale has washed up on a Sydney beach, with rescuers struggling Thursday to remove it as the animal's blood runs into the water, attracting sharks.
Trapping threatens near-extinct Philippine eagle
Conservationists raised alarm Thursday over the future of the near-extinct Philippine eagle after several maimed or diseased birds were retrieved from captivity over recent months.
New method for measuring biomass reveals fish stocks are more stable than widely believed
Fish and marine species are among the most threatened wildlife on earth, due partly to over exploitation by fishing fleets. Yet there are differences in assessing trends in worldwide fishing stocks which, researchers writing in Conservation Biology argue, stem from inappropriate use of time trends in catches.
Key discovery made in war on sea lice infestations
University of Maine researchers have published a paper in which they demonstrate that the blue mussel can eat larvae of the sea louse, a parasitic pest that has recently made a comeback on fish farms, decimating populations of farmed finfish.
Penn anthropologists delve into genetic history of Kazakhstan and the Mongolian expansion
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have painted the clearest picture yet of the history of the Kazakhs of the Altai Mountain Range, providing insights into the heritage of a wide swath of people in Central and East Asia.
New paper on ivory-billed woodpecker published
Dr. Michael Collins, Naval Research Laboratory scientist and bird watcher, has published an article titled "Putative audio recordings of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis)" which appears in the March issue of the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.
Missouri elk are being reintroduced in the wrong part of the state, anthropologist says
According to prehistoric records, elk roamed the northwestern part of Missouri until 1865. Now, the Missouri Department of Conservation is planning to reintroduce elk, but this time in the southeast part of the state. While a University of Missouri anthropologist believes the reintroduction is good for elk, tourism and the economy, he said the effort may have unintended negative consequences that are difficult to predict.
Mutant mouse reveals new wrinkle in genetic code
Call it a mystery with a stubby tail: an odd-looking mouse discovered through a U.S. government breeding program in the 1940s that had a short, kinky tail and an extra set of ribs in its neck – and nobody knew why.
Stem-cell patent battle continues
(PhysOrg.com) -- A group of 13 of the top stem-cell research scientists submitted a letter to the journal Nature this week in response to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) case that could ban all patents involving stem-cell based therapies in Europe.
Monkey recall memory mirrors that of humans
A new study shows for the first time that monkeys can recall and reproduce simple shapes from memory. Identifying this recall ability is critical to our understanding of the evolution of memory and other cognitive abilities, and it could be applied to better diagnosing and treating memory impairments in humans.
Video captures cellular 'workhorses' in action
Scientists at Yale University and in Grenoble France have succeeded in creating a movie showing the breakup of actin filaments, the thread-like structures inside cells that are crucial to their movement, maintenance and division.
Through unique eyes, box jellyfish look out to the world above the water
Box jellyfish may seem like rather simple creatures, but in fact their visual system is anything but. They've got no fewer than 24 eyes of four different kinds. Now, researchers reporting online on April 28 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, have evidence revealing that four of those eyes always peer up out of the water, regardless of the way the rest of the animal is oriented. What's more, it appears that those eyes allow the jellies to navigate their way around the mangrove swamps in which they live.
Two unsuspected proteins may hold the key to creating artificial chromosomes
Whitehead Institute scientists report that two proteins once thought to have only supporting roles, are the true "stars" of the kinetochore assembly process in human cells.
Jump in communication skills led to species explosion in electric fishes
Bruce Carlson stands next to a fish tank in his lab, holding a putty colored Radio Shack amplifier connected to two wires whose insulation has been stripped. At the bottom of the tank a nondescript little fish lurks in a sawed-off section of PVC pipe.
Early warning signal for ecosystem catastrophe detected
Researchers eavesdropping on complex signals emanating from a remote Wisconsin lake have detected what they say is an unmistakable warning -- a death knell -- of the impending collapse of the lake's aquatic ecosystem.
As the worm turns, its secrets are revealed
An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, have developed a new method for discerning the functions of previously uncharacterized genes and placing them in interactive, functional networks that reveal how gene products interact to bring about cellular events.
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