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Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for June 30, 2011:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Vertical cavity quantum switch could lead us away from electronics-based computing- Transporting spatially entangled photons through an optical fiber
- Integral challenges physics beyond Einstein
- Takeoffs and landings cause more precipitation around major airports
- Pigment patterns from the prehistoric past: X-ray technique reveals fossil pigmentation
- Social pressure falsifies memory: study
- Clocking Neptune's spin
- MicroRNAs in the songbird brain respond to new songs (w/ video)
- How to make e-beam lithography more practical as a mass-production technique
- Researchers identify enzyme that is an important regulator of aggressive breast cancer development
- 'Zombie' stars key to measuring dark energy
- Showa Hanako 2: A realistic robot for novice dentists (w/ video)
- WiFi 'napping' doubles phone battery life
- Down-under digestive microbes could help lower methane gas from livestock
- Key ingredient: Change in material boosts prospects of ultrafast single-photon detector
Space & Earth news
NM fire poised to become largest in state history
(AP) -- With firefighters bracing for another day of strong, erratic winds, a wildfire near the nation's premier nuclear weapons laboratory and a northern New Mexico community was poised Thursday to become the largest in state history.
Study could help recreate ancient woods
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers from the University and the Forestry Commission studied remnants of the ancient Caledonian pine forests in the Scottish Highlands.
Assessing agroforestry's advantages
Agroforestry, the deliberate placement of trees into crop and livestock operations, can help capture substantial amounts of carbon on agricultural lands while providing production and conservation benefits. However, we currently lack tools for accurately estimating current and projected carbon values in these systems.
Calif. delays cap and trade
(AP) -- California regulators on Wednesday said they would give power plants, refineries and other major polluters another year to comply with a new state program that provides financial incentives to emit fewer greenhouse gases.
Kenya project: making safer water to sell carbon credits
To protect the environment and improve the health of four million people while making a profit is the goal of a Swiss-based company distributing water filters and aiming to sell carbon credits.
Global warming could alter the US premium wine industry in 30 years, says study
Higher temperatures could significantly impact California and other premium winegrowing regions of the United States in the next 30 years, according to a new study led by Stanford University climate scientists.
Texas wetland restoration could be model for Gulf
(AP) -- Brown pelicans, long-necked egrets, flamingo-like roseate spoonbills and squawking seagulls fly lazily around a Texas Gulf Coast island. Nearby, a toddler-aged wetland seeded with marsh grass completes the ecosystem, its thousands of inhabitants unaware their home is a manmade creation dredged from the Houston Ship Channel.
The seasonal potato: Recalculation of the Potsdam geoid shows time-dependent variation of gravity
The "Potsdam Gravity potato", as this representation of terrestrial gravity has become known, can for the first time display gravity variations that change with time. The seasonal fluctuations of the water balance of continents or melting or growing ice masses, i.e. climate-related variables, are now included in the modeling of the gravity field. "EIGEN-6C" is the name of this latest global gravity field model of the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences. It was recently calculated in Potsdam in cooperation with the Groupe de Recherche de Géodésie Spaciale from Toulouse. This new gravity field model is based on measurements of the satellites LAGEOS, GRACE and GOCE. These were combined with ground-based gravity measurements and data from the satellite altimetry. EIGEN-6C has a spatial resolution of about 12 kilometres. Compared to the last version of the Potsdam potato, this is a four-fold increase.
Climate change increases the risk of ozone damage to plants
Ground-level ozone is an air pollutant that harms humans and plants. Both climate and weather play a major role in ozone damage to plants. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have now shown that climate change has the potential to significantly increase the risk of ozone damage to plants in northern and central Europe by the end of this century.
Researchers predict locations for deer vs. car collisions
University of Alberta researchers have produced a map of Edmonton predicting the most likely locations where vehicles will collide with deer. These collisions can be fatal for drivers and their passengers. The hot spots for deer vs. vehicle collisions virtually encircle Edmonton along the city limit, border line.
NASA completes mirror polishing for James Webb Space Telescope
Mirrors are a critical part of a telescope. The quality is crucial, so completion of mirror polishing represents a major milestone. All of the mirrors that will fly aboard NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have been polished so the observatory can see objects as far away as the first galaxies in the universe.
Expert's reentry flap endures hot baptism
(PhysOrg.com) -- A spacecraft control flap designed for the super-heated hypersonic fall through Earth’s atmosphere has come through testing in the world’s largest plasma wind tunnel to be ready for its first flight next year.
Driving a robot from Space Station
(PhysOrg.com) -- Meet Justin, an android who will soon be controlled remotely by the astronauts in ESA’s Columbus laboratory on the International Space Station. With this and other intriguing experiments like the Eurobot rover, ESA is paving the way for exploring the Moon and planets with tele-operated robots.
Average U.S. temperature increases by 0.5 degrees F
According to the 1981-2010 normals to be released by NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) on July 1, temperatures across the United States were on average, approximately 0.5 degree F warmer than the 1971-2000 time period.
Sunrise view of Tycho crater's peak
(PhysOrg.com) -- On June 10, 2011, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft angled its orbit 65° to the west, allowing the LRO Camera NACs to capture a dramatic sunrise view of Tycho crater.
Tropical Storm Arlene moves inland over Mexico: A GOES-13 satellite movie view
Tropical Storm Arlene made landfall early today and is making its way through northeastern Mexico today as the GOES-13 satellite continues to track its movement. A movie from today's GOES satellite data shows Arlene making that landfall and moving inland.
Supercomputer simulations to help predict tornadoes
Each year, tornadoes tear across the United States, causing numerous deaths and physical damage to the environment and infrastructure.
How ocean arteries carry life across the Indian Ocean
Research at the University of Melbourne and the Bureau of Meteorology has overturned conventional ideas of ocean circulation.
Study finds plastic in nine percent of 'garbage patch' fishes
The first scientific results from an ambitious voyage led by a group of graduate students from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego offer a stark view of human pollution and its infiltration of an area of the ocean that has been labeled as the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch."
Scientists hope to get glimpse of adolescent universe from revolutionary instrument-on-a-chip
Scientists know what the universe looked like when it was a baby. They know what it looks like today. What they don't know is how it looked in its youth. Thanks to technological advances, however, scientists hope to complete the photo album and provide a picture of how the cosmos developed into the kind of place that could support life like that found on Earth.
Can I come? Final shuttle crew besieged for favors
(AP) -- The four astronauts assigned to NASA's last space shuttle flight can't seem to escape all the fuss and hubbub.
Astronomers reveal a cosmic 'axis of evil'
(PhysOrg.com) -- Astronomers are puzzled by the announcement that the masses of the largest objects in the Universe appear to depend on which method is used to weigh them. The new work was presented at a specialist discussion meeting on 'Scaling Relations of Galaxy Clusters' organised by the Astrophysics Research Institute (ARI) at Liverpool John Moores University and supported by the Royal Astronomical Society.
Heavy metal meets hard rock: Battling through the ocean crust's hardest rocks
Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 335 Superfast Spreading Rate Crust 4 recently completed operations in Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Hole 1256D, a deep scientific borehole that extends more than 1500 meters below the seafloor into the Pacific Ocean's igneous crust – rocks that formed through the cooling and crystallization of magma, and form the basement of the ocean floor.
'Zombie' stars key to measuring dark energy
"Zombie" stars that explode like bombs as they die, only to revive by sucking matter out of other stars. According to an astrophysicist at UC Santa Barbara, this isn't the plot for the latest 3D blockbuster movie. Instead, it's something that happens every day in the universe -- something that can be used to measure dark energy.
Down-under digestive microbes could help lower methane gas from livestock
The discovery that a bacterial species in the Australian Tammar wallaby gut is responsible for keeping the animal's methane emissions relatively low suggests a potential new strategy may exist to try to reduce methane emissions from livestock, according to a new study.
Making a spectacle of star formation in Orion
(PhysOrg.com) -- Looking like a pair of eyeglasses only a rock star would wear, this nebula brings into focus a murky region of star formation. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope exposes the depths of this dusty nebula with its infrared vision, showing stellar infants that are lost behind dark clouds when viewed in visible light.
Sulfurous signs of life
Any sulfurous molecules that astronomers spot on alien worlds might be a way to reveal whether or not those distant planets host life, researchers suggest.
Spitzer finds distant galaxies grazed on gas
(PhysOrg.com) -- Galaxies once thought of as voracious tigers are more like grazing cows, according to a new study using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.
Clocking Neptune's spin
(PhysOrg.com) -- By tracking atmospheric features on Neptune, a UA planetary scientist has accurately determined the planet's rotation, a feat that had not been previously achieved for any of the gas planets in our solar system except Jupiter.
Integral challenges physics beyond Einstein
(PhysOrg.com) -- ESA's Integral gamma-ray observatory has provided results that will dramatically affect the search for physics beyond Einstein. It has shown that any underlying quantum 'graininess' of space must be at much smaller scales than previously predicted.
Takeoffs and landings cause more precipitation around major airports
Researchers have found that areas near commercial airports sometimes experience a small but measurable increase in rain and snow when aircraft take off and land under certain atmospheric conditions.
Technology news
Jihadist web forum knocked off Internet
(AP) -- A popular jihadist Internet forum has been knocked off the Internet, and counterterrorism experts say it appears it was hacked.
Ariz. police confirm 2nd hack on officers' email
(AP) -- A second computer hacking attack in as many weeks against Arizona state police targeted the personal email accounts of some of its officers, an official confirmed Wednesday.
Testing the T-shirt antenna
NPL worked with BAE Systems Advanced Technology Centre, to measure the pattern and efficiency of radiation emitted from next generation wearable antennas embedded in T-shirts.
Research tools can ensure optimal financial returns from wind farms
But how does it actually affect wind turbines, if you arrange them closely together, and overall, how do you get the most benefits in terms of financial outcome from a wind farm? TOPFARM, a large-scale EU project led by Risø DTU, has been looking into these matters during the last 3 years. The result: a simulation platform that can optimize the total economic benefitsA recently completed EU project, TOPFARM, has focused on how a wide range of factors affect the economically optimum location of each wind turbine within the wind farms – in technical terms this is called the topology of a wind farm. And contrary to common practice, productions as well as costs associated with the establishment and operation of each wind turbine are included in the model of calculation.
Fujitsu launches new SPI FRAMs in 0.18µm technology
Fujitsu Semiconductor Europe is sampling customers with the new SPI FRAMs based on its 0.18µm technology. With this step, Fujitsu approaches the end of the migration process from 0.35 to 0.18µm technology achieving the industry-leading FRAM performance with E2PROM compatible package.
Justin Timberlake part of group buying MySpace
(AP) -- Justin Timberlake apparently wasn't satisfied with just playing a social media impresario in the movies, so now he's becoming one in real life.
Solar loan guarantees announced
(AP) -- The Department of Energy has announced nearly $4.5 billion in conditional commitments for loan guarantees for three California solar projects, the agency said.
Amazon to cut off California-based Web affiliates
(AP) -- Amazon.com Inc. said Wednesday that it will stop working with online affiliates based in California since the state passed a new rule that forces online retailers to collect sales tax there.
Samsung seeks US import ban on Apple products
South Korea's Samsung Electronics said Thursday it had asked the US International Trade Commission to ban the import of Apple products into the United States, expanding its patent war with the US giant.
S. Korea firm to launch mega-fast wireless service
South Korea's top mobile carrier SK Telecom said it would launch its super-fast 4G wireless service Friday to meet growing demand from users of smartphones and tablet computers.
Oracle buys data storage firm Pillar
US business software giant Oracle has reached a deal to buy Pillar Data Systems, a data storage start-up majority owned by Oracle founder and principal owner Larry Ellison.
Japan sweats out summer in shadow of nuclear crisis
Air conditioning has been switched off, office hallways are darkened and escalators have ground to a halt as a government decree to reduce power usage forces Tokyo to sweat out a hot summer.
Trade forum weighs Kodak patent dispute with Apple
(AP) -- Embattled photography pioneer Eastman Kodak Co. is nearing the end of a high-stakes patent-infringement fight with smartphone giants Apple Inc. and Research in Motion Ltd.
China repeals controversial technology trade rule
(AP) -- China has repealed a policy favoring Chinese producers in government purchases of computers and other technology that triggered complaints by foreign companies and governments that it violated free trade.
Tests show wireless network could harm GPS systems
Test results filed with federal regulators Thursday show that a proposed high-speed wireless broadband network being planned by a Virginia company called LightSquared could interfere with GPS systems used for everything from aviation to high-precision timing networks to consumer navigation devices.
Argonne electrifies energy storage research
A multidisciplinary team of researchers at Argonne National Laboratory is working in overdrive to develop advanced energy storage technologies to aid the growth of a nascent U.S. battery manufacturing industry, help transition the U.S. automotive fleet to one dominated by plug-in hybrid and electric passenger vehicles, and enable greater use of renewable energy technologies.
Obama to hold Twitter town hall meeting
US President Barack Obama will hold a "Twitter town hall" meeting next week at the White House on jobs and the economy as he hones his message on the key 2012 election issue.
Technology is trampling privacy rights, experts say
They're tools of convenience. Smartphones allow us to make calls, check e-mail, download music, browse the web and take pictures. GPS capabilities tell us where we're going. Facebook lets us reconnect with friends and show off pictures from tropical vacations. Many of those same tools are now being successfully used by police agencies to aid in investigations.
Amazon cuts off California affiliates
(AP) -- Amazon.com Inc. and much smaller Overstock.com Inc. are cutting off their advertising affiliates in California because of a new state rule forcing online retailers to collect sales tax there.
Microsoft pulls plug on home energy monitor
Microsoft announced on Thursday it is pulling the plug on a free online home energy monitoring tool that allows consumers to gauge their usage and reduce consumption.
IBM scientists demonstrate computer memory breakthrough
(PhysOrg.com) -- For the first time, scientists at IBM Research have demonstrated that a relatively new memory technology, known as phase-change memory (PCM), can reliably store multiple data bits per cell over extended periods of time. This significant improvement advances the development of low-cost, faster and more durable memory applications for consumer devices, including mobile phones and cloud storage, as well as high-performance applications, such as enterprise data storage.
Porsche is developing a system for a self-driving car, no pedal pressing needed
(PhysOrg.com) -- How much of the driving experience are you willing to give up to the computer in your car? Are you OK with cruise control? Anti-lock brakes? Skid control systems? How about taking your feet off of the pedals and letting the car decide how fast you should be going at any given moment, are you OK with that idea?
Home of suspected LulzSec member raided: WSJ
US Federal Bureau of Investigation agents carried out a raid on the home of an Ohio man suspected of being a member of the Lulz Security hacker group, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
WiFi 'napping' doubles phone battery life
A Duke University graduate student has found a way to double the battery life of mobile devices – such as smartphones or laptop computers – by making changes to WiFi technology.
How to make e-beam lithography more practical as a mass-production technique
For 50 years, the transistors on computer chips have been getting smaller, and for 50 years, manufacturers have used the same technique -- photolithography — to make their chips. But the very wavelength of visible light limits the size of the transistors that photolithography can produce. If chipmakers are to keep shrinking chip features, they’ll probably need to turn to other manufacturing methods.
Medicine & Health news
Junior doctors clueless about what to do during major incidents
Junior doctors have no idea what they should be doing when a major incident, such as a terrorist attack or transport disaster, occurs, reveals research published in the online journal BMJ Open.
ESC calls for greater awareness of potential for adverse events from bleeding as a result of PCI
The European Society of Cardiology (ESC Working Group on Thrombosis) is calling for greater attention to be paid by health care staff to reducing bleeding in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), and for increased research in the field. The position paper, published online today in The European Heart Journal, summarises current knowledge regarding the epidemiology of bleeding in ACS and PCI, and provides a European perspective on management strategies to minimise the extent of bleeding and subsequent adverse consequences.
Bill revision could mean money for NJ drug company
(AP) -- A billion-dollar "technical revision" added to a patent bill passed by the House last week could provide huge financial benefits to one pharmaceutical company and a law firm.
Ovarian cancer outcomes may improve with 'dose-dense' chemotherapy
Dose-dense chemotherapy has shown promise in smaller clinical trials, and now is being investigated in a multi-center, phase III study in which nearly 700 women will participate. Earlier phase II trials pointed to anti-cancer effects for the treatment approach, even when ovarian cancers had become resistant to standard treatment.
17 infants die in 48 hours at 1 Indian hospital
(AP) -- At least 17 infants have died in the last 48 hours at a government-run hospital in eastern India and the state is investigating, media reported Thursday.
New clues to the cause of Alzheimer's disease
Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, have identified a series of novel proteins in human cerebrospinal fluid. The proteins, which carry specific sugar molecules, are found in greater concentrations in patients with dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease than in patients with dementia caused by other diseases. This gives hope for new forms of treatment in the future.
Wake Forest Baptist conducts clinical study for insomnia using new technology
Insomnia is the most prevalent sleep disorder, affecting up to 50 percent of the adult population in the United States on a weekly basis.
Many more lungs suitable for transplantation
Four patients now have new lungs thanks to a purpose-built machine used for the first time worldwide by Sahlgrenska University Hospital. Acquired for research at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, the new machine will contribute to more lung transplants in the long term.
Scientists develop method to determine order of mutations that lead to cancer
Zeroing in on the early cell mutations that enable a cancer to grow is one of the best ways to find a personalized therapy to stop it. Scientists were able to use a statistical approach for the first time to map out the order in which these abnormalities form to analyze the pattern of DNA changes in advanced skin and ovarian tumors.
Heart transplant patients at risk for serious skin cancers
A new study published in the American Journal of Transplantation reveals that there is a significant risk of serious skin cancers, including cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma, in heart transplant patients.
Up to 220,000 California children excluded from health care reform due to immigrant status
Restrictions on eligibility for health care reform programs will result in the potential exclusion of up to 220,000 children from affordable health care coverage in California, according to a new policy brief from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
Foot positioning during walking and running may influence ankle sprains
(Medical Xpress) -- The position of the foot just before ground contact during running and walking may put people at risk for ankle sprains, according to a new study published by a University of Georgia kinesiology researcher.
Brain scan reveals how our brain processes jokes
(Medical Xpress) -- A new Medical Research Council (MRC) study which has uncovered how our brain responds to jokes, could help to determine whether patients in a vegetative state can experience positive emotions.
BMC conducts high rates of thyroid testing in pregnant women, study finds
A recent study completed by researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC) demonstrates that BMC conducts a high rate of thyroid function testing in pregnant women. The retrospective study, which is currently published online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, showed that if BMC had not done routine thyroid testing on pregnant women, approximately 80 percent of cases of mild hypothyroidism (a condition whereby the thyroid does not produce enough thyroid hormone) would not have been detected.
Worse outcomes for older breast cancer patients with other health problems
Older breast cancer patients with certain other health problems have higher mortality rates than patients without these problems according to a study published online June 30 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The other health problems, or 'comorbidities', include heart attack and other heart-related problems, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, and others.
Medicare confirms payment for prostate cancer drug
(AP) -- Medicare officials confirmed Thursday that the program will cover the $93,000 price tag for prostate cancer drug Provenge, an innovative therapy that typically gives men suffering from an incurable stage of the disease an extra four months to live.
Cancer treatment funds run out for Swazi patients
(AP) -- Swaziland's government has run out of money to send its cancer patients to neighboring South Africa for treatment, and a spokeswoman said Thursday the tiny impoverished kingdom does not have any government hospitals that can provide chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
Text message support for smokers doubles quit rates
Mobile phones could hold the key to people giving up smoking after a programme involving sending motivational and supportive text messages to smokers doubled quit rates at six months.
Drink-fueled memory blackouts among students predict future injury risk
The higher the number of drink fuelled memory blackouts a student experiences, the greater is his/her risk of sustaining a future injury while under the influence, reveals research published online in Injury Prevention.
Outpatient electronic prescribing systems don't cut out common mistakes
Outpatient electronic prescribing systems don't cut out the common mistakes made in manual systems, suggests research published online in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA).
Study suggests UN force brought cholera to Haiti
(AP) -- Evidence "strongly suggests" that a United Nations peacekeeping mission brought a cholera strain to Haiti that has killed thousands of people, a study by a team of epidemiologists and physicians says.
E. coli outbreak may be traced to Egypt seeds
(AP) -- European food and disease prevention authorities said Wednesday they are investigating whether the E. coli outbreak in Germany and France may be traced back to fenugreek seeds imported from Egypt either in 2009 or last year.
Fuzzy math in health law formula
(AP) -- Older adults of the same age and income with similar medical histories would pay sharply different amounts for private health insurance due to what appears to be an unintended consequence of the new health care law.
Scalia's pro-tobacco order tossed by high court
(AP) -- Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia exercised a rarely used power last fall to let Philip Morris USA and three other big tobacco companies delay making multimillion-dollar payments for a program to help people quit smoking.
Anxious wait for Australians exposed to rare virus
Eight people endured an anxious wait Thursday after being exposed to the potentially deadly Hendra virus, which is spread to humans from horses and believed to be unique to Australia.
Dust on office surfaces can be a source of exposure to PBDEs
In a study of 31 Boston offices, polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants now banned internationally by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants were detected in every office tested. The research, published online June 30 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP), links concentrations of PBDEs in office dust with levels of the chemicals on the hands of the offices’ occupants.
Supplement burns muscle fat, improves exercise performance
A new study has shown for the first time that taking a particular food supplement increases muscle carnitine content and reduces muscle carbohydrate use, while increasing fat used for energy production during exercise.
Intake of the right fatty acids can help to prevent heart attacks
There is much confusion at present about the importance of fatty acids in preventing heart attacks. Recent studies have questioned the need to reduce the intake of saturated fatty acids in the diet and to increase that of polyunsaturated fatty acids. In an article in the British Journal of Nutrition based on a desk study, researchers of Wageningen University, part of Wageningen UR, clarify what is the best intake. A low intake of saturated and trans fatty acids, a minimum intake of 10 grams per day for women and 15 grams per day for men of the polyunsaturated fatty acid linoleic acid and a minimum intake of 250 mg per day of certain fish fatty acids give the best guarantee of a low risk of a heart attack.
Antivenom against lethal snake gives hope to developing countries
(Medical Xpress) -- Researchers from the Australian Venom Research Unit (AVRU) at the University of Melbourne have collaborated with scientists from the University of Papua New Guinea and the University of Costa Rica, to develop new antivenom against the lethal Papuan taipan.
Shortening time between CPR and shocks improves cardiac-arrest survival
June 29, 2011 – Reducing the intervals between giving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and an electronic defibrillator shock after cardiac arrest significantly improves survival, according to UT Southwestern Medical Center emergency medicine doctors involved in an international study.
Experts: Seeds tainted by E. coli still out there
(AP) -- Health experts warned Thursday there could be more E. coli cases across Europe and elsewhere after finding that recent deadly outbreaks were probably linked to contaminated Egyptian fenugreek seeds.
Your brain on nicotine: Nicotine receptors affect social behavior
If you think nicotine receptors are only important to smokers trying to kick the tobacco habit, think again. New research published in the FASEB Journal suggests that these receptors also play an important role in social interaction and the ability to choose between competing motivations. Specifically, scientists from France show that the nicotinic receptors in the prefrontal cortex are essential for social interaction in mice and that this area of the brain is necessary for adapted and balanced social interactions to occur. This new knowledge could one day lead to novel treatments for ADHD, schizophrenia, and depression, among other illnesses.
Researchers find herbal medicine treatment reduces inflammation in allergen-induced asthma
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) using a traditional Korean medicine, SO-CHEONG-RYONG-TANG (SCRT) that has long been used for the treatment of allergic diseases in Asia, found that SCRT treatment alleviates asthma-like pulmonary inflammation via suppression of specific chemokines or proteins. These findings appear online in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
Mobile phone derived electromagnetic fields can disturb learning
High frequency non-ionizing radiation, emitted by mobile phones, is redundantly matter of discussions. The effects of high frequency electromagnetic fields derived from mobile phones have been discussed since the 1950s. Neuroscientists from Germany were now able to elucidate this question. For the first time, they provide proof that extremely high-powered electromagnetic fields indeed influence learning processes on the synaptic level within the brain, independent from other factors like stress.
TV food advertising increases children's preference for unhealthy foods
Researchers at the University of Liverpool have found that children who watch adverts for unhealthy food on television are more likely to want to eat high-fat and high-sugar foods.
Sound localization at cocktail parties is easier for men
Differences in male and female behaviour are often subject to study. Women are known to be more verbally fluent, have better manual dexterity and are better at noticing things (like a new haircut). Men on the other hand often take less time parking their cars and have less trouble than women in navigating in a new city. The latter capacities, in which men tend to excel, are known as visuo-spatial abilities. A new study has demonstrated that men have a similar advantage in their hearing. The findings are published in the June 2011 issue of Cortex.
Variation in make-up of generic epilepsy drugs can lead to dosing problems
Generic anti-epilepsy drugs, pharmaceutical products similar to brand-name versions, save consumers billions of dollars each year, but some are different enough from branded formulations that they may not be effective, particularly if patients switch between two generic drugs, a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests. A report on the study, published online and in an upcoming issue of Annals of Neurology, raises questions about whether some generic products are safe and effective when a narrow dose range separates patients from help and harm.
Red wine: Exercise in a bottle?
As strange as it sounds, a new research study published in the FASEB Journal, suggests that the "healthy" ingredient in red wine, resveratrol, may prevent the negative effects that spaceflight and sedentary lifestyles have on people. The report describes experiments in rats that simulated the weightlessness of spaceflight, during which the group fed resveratrol did not develop insulin resistance or a loss of bone mineral density, as did those who were not fed resveratrol.
Novel analysis method organizes genomic cancer data
The technology that allows scientists to profile the entire genome of individual tumors offers new hope for discovering ways to select the best treatment for each patient's particular type of cancer. However, these profiles produce huge amounts of data, and the volume alone creates unique analytical problems.
Babies are specially attuned to our voices and emotions
Young babies' brains are already specially attuned to the sounds of human voices and emotions, according to a report published online on June 30 in Current Biology.
Resistant mice provide clues about successful immune response to retroviruses
Although our body's defense mechanisms are usually capable of detecting and destroying many types of pathogens, some viruses are able to evade the immune system and make us sick. In particular, "retroviruses," such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), are notorious for eluding host immune defenses and causing disease. Now, a new study published by Cell Press online on June 30th in the journal Immunity identifies a key virus-sensing mechanism that is necessary for a successful immune response against infection with this particularly deadly type of virus. The research may help to guide the future design of more effective antiretroviral vaccines.
High-risk hearts: A South Asian epidemic
(Medical Xpress) -- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most common cause of death and disability worldwide. For South Asians, though, this global killer poses an even more sinister threat. Over the past three decades, the incidence of heart attacks and strokes among South Asians has risen steeply. Today, South Asians, even those living in other countries, are considerably more likely to die prematurely from the disease than any other group. Moreover, the increase appears to be unrelenting.
Match your treatment to your cancer
(Medical Xpress) -- New research has uncovered why certain cancers don’t respond to conventional chemotherapy, highlighting the need to match treatments to cancers better.
Four blood pressure changes in a lifetime
(Medical Xpress) -- Changes in blood pressure occur during four phases in a person's lifetime, new research led by the Medical Research Council Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, University College London suggests. Presented in the journal PLoS Medicine, the research was funded in part by the Member States participating in NEW OSH ERA ('New and emerging risks in occupational safety and health [OSH] - anticipating and dealing with change in the workplace through coordination of OSH risk research') project.
Surgical complications twelve times more likely in obese patients
(Medical Xpress) -- Obese patients are nearly 12 times more likely to suffer a complication following elective plastic surgery than their normal-weight counterparts, according to new research by Johns Hopkins scientists.
E. coli death toll rises to 50: authorities
The death toll from a killer E. coli outbreak centred in Germany has risen to 50 with another death in Germany and one in the United States, health authorities said Thursday.
Women win out in gastrointestinal surgery
In the first study to consider the impact of gender on patient outcomes in major gastrointestinal surgeries, researchers at UC San Diego Health System have found that women are more likely to survive after the procedure than men. The pattern is even more pronounced when comparing women before menopause with men of the same age.
New research identifies key reasons racial disparities exist in emergent stroke treatment
African-Americans are less likely than whites to receive critical stroke treatment primarily because they do not get to a hospital soon enough for time-sensitive treatment and because of preexisting medical conditions. For patients who are eligible for treatment, no racial disparity was found.
Discovery of genetic mutations better diagnose myelodysplastic syndromes
For patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), choosing the appropriate treatment depends heavily on the prognosis. Those patients at the highest risk of dying from their disease are typically offered the most aggressive therapies, while patients at lower risk could live several years with MDS, needing only supportive care or other relatively side-effect free treatments. While some clinical variables are useful, current methods for predicting prognosis for individual patients are not ideal. Patients with the same clinical features can have very different outcomes from their disease. Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have developed a means of improving prognosis methods and predicting how long patients with MDS will live after diagnosis by identifying certain gene mutations in their abnormal bone marrow. These findings are published in the June 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Study uncovers novel genetic variation linked to increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest
A study by a global consortium of physician-scientists has identified a genetic variation that may predispose people to double the risk of having a sudden cardiac arrest, a disorder that gives little warning and is fatal in about 95 percent of cases. Although previous, smaller studies have identified some genes with a potential association with sudden cardiac arrest, this is the first study large enough to enable scientists to apply results to the general population. Findings are published today by the Public Library of Science (PloS Genetics).
New approach to link genome-wide association signals to biological function
Researchers have developed a new strategy to improve the outcome of genome-wide association (GWA) studies.
Reproductive behavior of the silkmoth is determined by a single pheromone receptor protein
Pheromone preference, and the initiation of a complex programmed sexual behavior, is determined by the specificity of a single sex pheromone receptor protein expressed in a population of olfactory receptor neurons in the silkmoth (Bombyx mori). The study, which will be published on June 30th in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics, provides the first direct proof of the long-held belief that the control of sexual behavior in male moths originates in the chemical specificity of the pheromone receptor proteins expressed in pheromone receptor neurons.
Preventing diabetes damage: Zinc's effects on a kinky, two-faced cohort
In type 2 diabetes, a protein called amylin forms dense clumps that shut down insulin-producing cells, wreaking havoc on the control of blood sugar. But zinc has a knack for preventing amylin from misbehaving.
Massive genome studies identify genetics behind white blood cell counts
A trio of large-scale genome-wide association studies, or GWAS, have identified more than 15 gene variants responsible for the diversity of white blood cell counts among whites, African-Americans, and Japanese. Supported in part by the National Institutes of Health, each study examined the genomes of tens of thousands of people. Combined, the studies offer the first comprehensive analysis into why some people, and some populations, have more or fewer white blood cells than others.
Possible new drug for children with progeria
(Medical Xpress) -- A new study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine shows that rapamycin and its derivative everolimus, which is currently used to treat cancer and transplant rejections, may work to reverse the aging effects seen in children with Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, better known as simply progeria.
Don't show, don't tell? Trade-off between direct instruction and independent exploration
Suppose someone showed you a novel gadget and told you, “Here’s how it works,” while demonstrating a single function, such as pushing a button. What would you do when they handed it to you?
Nervous system stem cells can replace themselves, give rise to variety of cell types, even amplify
(Medical Xpress) -- A Johns Hopkins team has discovered in young adult mice that a lone brain stem cell is capable not only of replacing itself and giving rise to specialized neurons and glia – important types of brain cells – but also of taking a wholly unexpected path: generating two new brain stem cells.
'Other-race effect': Clues to why 'they' all look alike
Northwestern University researchers have provided new biological evidence suggesting that the brain works differently when memorizing the face of a person from one's own race than when memorizing a face from another race.
Researchers invent new drug delivery device to treat diabetes-related vision loss
A team of engineers and scientists at the University of British Columbia has developed a device that can be implanted behind the eye for controlled and on-demand release of drugs to treat retinal damage caused by diabetes.
Malfunctioning protein a cause of Alzheimer's plaques
(Medical Xpress) -- In a new study published in Science Translational Medicine, scientists from the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis reveal their discovery of a protein made by an Alzheimer’s gene that hinders the brain’s ability to remove the key ingredient in the amyloid plaques that are a signature of the disease.
Researchers identify enzyme that is an important regulator of aggressive breast cancer development
Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have identified an enzyme that appears to be a significant regulator of breast cancer development. Called PTPN23, the enzyme is a member of a family called protein tyrosine phosphatases, or PTPs, that plays a fundamental role in switching cell signaling on and off.
Two genes linked to why telomeres stretch in cancer cells
Scientists at Johns Hopkins have provided more clues to one of the least understood phenomena in some cancers: why the "ends caps" of cellular DNA, called telomeres, lengthen instead of shorten.
The genome guardian's dimmer switch: Regulating p53 is a matter of life or death
Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have found clues to the functioning of an important damage response protein in cells. The protein, p53, can cause cells to stop dividing or even to commit suicide when they show signs of DNA damage, and it is responsible for much of the tissue destruction that follows exposure to ionizing radiation or DNA-damaging drugs such as the ones commonly used for cancer therapy. The new finding shows that a short segment on p53 is needed to fine-tune the protein's activity in blood-forming stem cells and their progeny after they incur DNA damage.
Social pressure falsifies memory: study
How easy is it to falsify memory? New research at the Weizmann Institute shows that a bit of social pressure may be all that is needed. The study, which appears Friday in Science, reveals a unique pattern of brain activity when false memories are formed – one that hints at a surprising connection between our social selves and memory.
Biology news
Using DNA in fight against illegal logging
Advances in DNA 'fingerprinting' and other genetic techniques led by Adelaide researchers are making it harder for illegal loggers to get away with destroying protected rainforests.
Breakthrough treatment for hurting horses
A new osteoarthritis drug combination trialled by University of Sydney researchers could significantly extend the working life of racing and other performance horses and could potentially benefit humans.
How safe is mist netting? First large-scale study into bird capture technique evaluates the risks
Capturing birds using mist nets to study behaviour, movement or the demographics of a species is one of the most common research techniques in ornithology, yet until now there have been no large scale studies into the risks mist nets pose to birds. Writing in the British Ecological Society's Methods in Ecology and Evolution researchers from California used a dataset of over 345,000 records to evaluate the risks of mist netting.
Regulation blocking genetically engineered food animal development, report finds
(PhysOrg.com) -- A cumbersome and time-consuming federal regulatory process is stifling commercial investment in the development of genetically engineered animals for food and has serious long-term implications for agriculture and food security in the United States, reports a task force of experts led by a UC Davis animal scientist.
Papaya plants reduce the need for pesticides on tomatoes in Florida, new study finds
Whiteflies can be biologically controlled in Florida greenhouse tomatoes, according to a new University of Florida study, which helps reduce the need for pesticide applications.
Many a mickle makes a muckle: How changes in animals' size and shape arise
How does nature's great diversity in the shape and size of organisms evolve? The group of David Stern at Princeton University has managed to show how in fruit flies a gene enhancer can change its function through stepwise changes in DNA sequence to give rise to differences in animals' appearance. Alistair McGregor of the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, contributed to the work, which is published as an article in the current issue of Nature.
Sea urchins see with their whole body
Many animals have eyes that are incredibly complex – others manage without. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have shown that sea urchins see with their entire body despite having no eyes at all. The study has been published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Adult stem cells carry their own baggage: Epigenetics guides stem cell fate
Adult stem cells and progenitor cells may not come with a clean genetic slate after all. That's because a new report in the FASEB Journal shows that adult stem or progenitor cells have their own unique "epigenetic signatures," which change once a cell differentiates. This is important because epigenetic changes do not affect the actual make up in a cell's DNA, but rather, how that DNA functions. Epigenetic changes have been shown to play a role in a wide range of diseases, including obesity, and have been shown to be heritable from mother to child.
Genome analysis will reveal how bacteria in our guts make themselves at home
Researchers from the Institute of Food Research and The Genome Analysis Centre have published the genome sequence of a gut bacterium, to help understand how these organisms evolved their symbiotic relationships with their hosts.
Time to let science drive Great Lakes policy on Asian carp, experts say
The threat Asian carp pose to the Great Lakes community may be politically controversial, but pales in comparison to the costs and danger of continuing to wring hands over established facts. It's time, a Michigan State University fisheries expert says, to let science drive policy and put knowledge into action.
More than bacon: Genetic alterations in pig tissue may allow for human transplantation
A sizzling genetic discovery by Chinese scientists may one day allow pig tissue to be transplanted successfully into humans. Their research presented in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology represents a major step forward toward filling the shortage of vital organs for human transplantation. At the core of their work, they showed that altering or overexpressing the human programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) molecule in the endothelial cells of pig arteries reduces the conditions that lead to rejection. This strongly suggests that humans could receive altered porcine organs with fewer complications.
Variation in susceptibility to a virus is the key to understanding infection biology
A new study shows that differences in the vulnerability of animals to a virus are crucial to understanding patterns of infection, and that variation in susceptibility to two marginally different viruses increases the number of infections when the two virus variants are present in the same animal. This study, by researchers from the Netherlands and Spain, will be published on June 30th in the open-access journal PLoS Computational Biology.
Hundreds of new species found in Philippines
Lobsters without shells and a small shark that bulks up with water to scare off predators are among hundreds of potential new species found in the Philippines, according to a US-led biodiversity survey.
Evolutionary kings of the hill use good, bad and ugly mutations to speed ahead of competition
Evolutionary adaptation is often compared to climbing a hill, and organisms making the right combination of multiple mutations – both good and bad – can become the king of the mountain.
New tasks attributed to Aurora proteins in cell division
(PhysOrg.com) -- When a cell divides, the genetic information in the chromosomes must be passed on error-free to the daughter cells. Researchers at the Friedrich Miescher Laboratory in Tübingen are studying this process using fission yeast as a model organism. In cooperation with researchers at the University of Tübingen, they succeeded in attributing additional tasks to the Aurora enzymes, which were already recognized as important cellular tools for the reliable transmission of genetic information. Because uncontrolled cell division is a feature of tumours, Aurora enzyme inhibitors are already being tested as new cancer treatments, and these new insights from basic research may prove to be of use for this clinical research.
Researchers identify new mechanism used by cells to reverse silenced genes
Scientists at Fox Chase Cancer Center have discovered a new mechanism used by cells in the body to turn on silenced genes. This process is critical in preventing the development of cancer -- suggesting the possibility of new therapies that might target the specific changes underlying the disease. The findings will be published online in the journal Cell on June 30, 2011.
When viruses infect bacteria
(PhysOrg.com) -- Viruses are the most abundant parasites on Earth. Well known viruses, such as the flu virus, attack human hosts, while viruses such as the tobacco mosaic virus infect plant hosts.
MicroRNAs in the songbird brain respond to new songs (w/ video)
Whenever it hears an unfamiliar song from a bird of the same species, a zebra finch stops chirping, hopping and grooming. It listens attentively for minutes at a time, occasionally cocking its head but otherwise immobile. Once it becomes familiar with the song, it goes back to its busy routine.
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