Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for June 21, 2011:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Astronomers discover that galaxies are either asleep or awake- New study finds HIV Achilles Heel
- How dense is a cell? Researchers have devised a way to answer that question
- Putting a new spin on computing
- Stanford team devises a better solar-powered water splitter (w/ video)
- Can humans sense the Earth's magnetism?
- What do we pay attention to?
- Self-cleaning anodes could facilitate cost-effective coal-powered fuel cells
- New study shows small prey able to detect predators by a chemical in their urine
- Magnetic properties of a single proton directly observed for the first time
- Android Security Alert: Trojan GGTracker subscribes users to premium SMS services
- Watching particles' jekyll-to-hyde transformation
- Researchers slow immune attack on ovaries in mice
- European space freighter is destroyed after mission
- Neuroscientists' discovery could bring relief to epilepsy sufferers
Space & Earth news
Duo of big telescopes probes the depths of binary star formation
A team of researchers from four Japanese universities (Kobe, Saitama, Osaka, and Tokyo) has been able to delineate the intricate structure of the circumbinary disk that surrounds a young binary star system from the observation with the Subaru Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope. By using different wavelengths to examine the system's internal structure, they succeeded in demonstrating a distinct color difference between its northern and southern portions. The researchers are now prepared to apply their approach of combining optical and near-infrared observations to other regions of binary formation.
Glimmers of green hope for Asian cities
The air in most Asian cities is getting more polluted and the rivers filthier, but experts say there are many reasons to believe in a green vision for the region as urbanisation powers ahead.
Johannes Kepler has left the Station
Europe’s Johannes Kepler ATV cargo ferry undocked from the International Space Station today at 14:46:30 GMT (16:46:30 CEST). The craft is now leaving the orbital outpost far behind and will end its mission on Tuesday evening as a shooting star over the Pacific Ocean.
Artificial sweetener leaves lingering aftertaste in the environment
(PhysOrg.com) -- Recently, the global use of artificial sweeteners in foods has dramatically increased. A new study led by Cesar Torres, and Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown – researchers at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University – examines the trail of sucralose, one of the most popular of such products, after it is digested in the human body.
NASA to embark on last leg of Arctic sea study
The US space agency said Tuesday it is sending a team of scientists on the second and final mission of a NASA field study of how melting Arctic ice is changing the life cycles of sea creatures.
Japan's tsunami debris set for 10-year Pacific tour
Debris sucked from the shoreline of Japan by the March 11 tsunami has embarked on a 10-year circuit of the North Pacific, posing an enduring threat to shipping and wildlife, a French green group says.
Space shuttle commander Kelly to retire from NASA
Mark Kelly, the US astronaut who commanded the final flight by the shuttle Endeavour, announced Tuesday he is retiring to spend more time with his lawmaker wife as she recovers from a gunshot wound to the head.
New data reveals how storms are triggered in the Sahel
In the Sahel, the frequency of storms increases when soil moisture varies over a few kilometers. Such contrasts cause air circulation between dry and humid areas, contributing to the development of storms. For the first time, these contrasts have been studied on a small scale by a collaboration between French researchers from the Groupe d'Etude de l'Atmosphere Meteorologique (CNRS) and UK researchers from CEH, as part of the AMMA project. Their findings, published in the July 2011 issue of Nature Geoscience, provide new data that should help to address the issue of drought in the Sahel.
Space station supplies launched into orbit
Russia launched a cargo spacecraft carrying fuel and water bound for the International Space Station on Tuesday.
NASA details achievements of Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
NASA has declared full mission success for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). As a result of the mission, LRO has changed our view of the entire moon and brought it into sharper focus with unprecedented detail.
Infrared NASA imagery reveals a weaker tropical cyclone in the South China Sea
Tropical Depression 06W is still slowing, making its way through the South China Sea today and has weakened overnight. NASA infrared satellite imagery showed a much more disorganized storm with scattered convection, which accounts for its weakened status from tropical storm to tropical depression.
NASA sees Hurricane Beatriz 'wink' on the Mexican coast
Hurricane Beatriz is skirting the southwestern Mexican coast today, June 21 and bringing heavy rains and high surf to coastal areas, including Mexico's biggest port. NASA satellite imagery showed that Beatriz seemed to develop an eye that opened on microwave imagery and closed on visible imagery, appearing to give satellites a "wink."
Lab-grown meat would 'cut emissions and save energy'
(PhysOrg.com) -- Meat grown using tissue engineering techniques, so-called ‘cultured meat’, would generate up to 96% lower greenhouse gas emissions than conventionally produced meat, according to a new study.
Team makes discoveries about major event in history of complex life
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of scientists led by Montana State University has discovered the "when" of a major event that led to the evolution of complex life on Earth.
Cassini captures ice queen Helene
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Cassini spacecraft has successfully completed its second-closest encounter with Saturn's icy moon Helene, beaming down raw images of the small moon. At closest approach, on June 18, Cassini flew within 4,330 miles (6,968 kilometers) of Helene's surface. It was the second closest approach to Helene of the entire mission.
Greater tsunami threat identified
The shape of the seabed where the 2004 Sumatra earthquake struck may indicate that the strength of the underlying rocks added to the size of the resulting tsunami, according to new research.
Astronomers find evidence for a strange new planetary system
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of astronomers, including Dr Gavin Ramsay of the Armagh Observatory, has found evidence that suggests the existence of an extraordinary planetary system. Two giant planets appear to be revolving at some distance around a compact, interacting stellar binary known as UZ For, which comprises two small stars orbiting very closely one about the other.
Slowing down stars
One of the long standing challenges in stellar astronomy, is explaining why stars rotate so slowly. Given their large masses, as they collapsed to form, they should spin up to the point of flying apart, preventing them from ever reaching the point that they could ignite fusion. To explain this rotational braking, astronomers have invoked an interaction between the forming star’s magnetic field, and forming accretion disc. This interaction would slow the star allowing for further collapse to take place. This explanation is now over 40 years old, but how has it held up as it has aged?
European space freighter is destroyed after mission
A robot freighter was destroyed on Tuesday in a scheduled operation after a successful mission to supply the International Space Station (ISS), the European Space Agency (ESA) said.
Astronomers discover that galaxies are either asleep or awake
(PhysOrg.com) -- Astronomers have probed into the distant universe and discovered that galaxies display one of two distinct behaviors: they are either awake or asleep, actively forming stars or are not forming any new stars at all.
Technology news
NTU unveils newest 3-D technologies for real-world applications
Point your mobile phone camera at a building and it will display the building's history, elaborate on its architecture and even highlight dignitaries who have visited it before.
EBay sells a piece of papal history
The online auction site eBay, with a plethora of things up for sale, recently put on the block a bit of papal history, the identity card of Albino Luciani, who later became pope John Paul I.
Israel urges Apple to remove pro-Palestinian app
(AP) -- The Israeli government on Tuesday appealed to Apple Inc. to remove an application called "ThirdIntifada" from its App Store, saying the program glorifies violence against the Jewish state.
Hipmunk travel booking lands on iPad
Hipmunk's slick travel booking service that sorts flights by "agony" and hotels by "ecstasy" landed on Apple's iPad tablet computers on Tuesday.
Fukushima raises questions about new Finnish reactor
More than 5,000 hard-hat workers swarm over a sprawling nuclear facility in western Finland to build OL3 -- touted as the safest nuclear reactor in the world -- a claim which has come under scrutiny following Japan's nuclear disaster.
Beloved 'Talking Tom' smartphone cat eyes Hollywood
Smartphone character "Talking Tom" has signed with a top Hollywood talent agency in a sign that "apps" are out to break the bonds of mobile gadgets and hit films and television.
Study: Can we balance air conditioning, saving energy?
(PhysOrg.com) -- When it's 100-plus degrees outside, all you want to do is turn up the air conditioning inside. Because of all of this cooling, some government-mandated incentive programs are aimed at getting us to buy more efficient air conditioners to save energy and money. However, a recent study from the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University explains why, even if we buy the more efficient devices, the plan won’t necessarily work.
Dutch parliament voting on mobile 'net neutrality'
(AP) -- The Dutch parliament appears set to approve a bill Tuesday that would force mobile Internet providers to let their customers use Skype and other third-party services on their networks without charging extra or giving preferential treatment to their own offerings.
Police halt Google 'Street View' project in India
Indian police said on Tuesday they had ordered Google to stop taking photos of the city of Bangalore for its Street View product because of fears the images could be used by militants.
Web address boom could be search engine boon
The decision to open the Internet to a flood of Web addresses ending in anything from company names to social movements could prove a boon to search engines.
Facebook exposes children to online threats says EU
Social networking sites such as Facebook are not doing enough to protect children from potential dangers such as grooming by paedophiles or online bullying, European authorities said on Tuesday.
Oracle buys Web management firm FatWire
US business software giant Oracle announced the acquisition on Tuesday of Web management company FatWire Software.
Icarus' revenge: Plane uses sun to power flight
(AP) -- The plane making one of the biggest splashes at the Paris Air Show carries a grand total of one person and is often delayed because there's too much wind or too little sun.
Australia picks Areva for solar energy project
French state-owned energy group Areva announced Tuesday that it had won a bid to participate in an Australian solar energy programme.
The Joule Thief uses cans as a battery power
(PhysOrg.com) -- Thanks to a child's toy and the mind of T.H Culhane visitors to the explorer’s symposium at the National Geographic headquarters got to take a look at how the world of aluminum cans we use every day can be used to power batteries. The project began, as many things do, with a video on YouTube. In this video a child uses aluminum cans to make a very small and simple battery.
Google translates more India languages
Google on Tuesday expanded its free Internet translation service to include five languages spoken by more than a half million people in India and Bangladesh.
Foursquare tops 10 million members
Ranks of Foursquare users have continued to swell this year, with more than 10 million people sharing their locations with gadgets tapped into the service.
Startup creates a biologically inspired picture search engine
(PhysOrg.com) -- We all like to get the best deal possible for the things that we buy but you do not always have the time to go from shop to shop in order to find what you want. Luckily, there is a search tool that can help you to that without using the extra gas. This search tool is a bit different than simply using Google to find the prices. It begins by taking a picture of the item in question. Once your phone takes its snapshot it will begin to look for the item and then give you a look at the prices that you can get in local shops or on the web. This is similar to the bar code scanning applications that are currently on the market only it works with a standard cell-phone photos.
USA Today publisher Gannett cuts 700 jobs
Gannett, the largest US newspaper chain and the publisher of USA Today, said Tuesday it is laying off 700 employees, around two percent of its workforce.
Nokia to launch Microsoft platform phones in 2011
Finnish handset maker Nokia Corp. plans to introduce its first mobile phones using the Microsoft Windows operating system this year, the company's chief executive said Tuesday.
Free app protects Facebook accounts from hackers
(PhysOrg.com) -- Two University of California, Riverside graduate students and a company run by an alumnus of the school have partnered to develop a free Facebook application that detects spam and malware posted on users' walls and news feeds.
Computer scientists claim world data sorting record for second year
(PhysOrg.com) -- Not content to rest on their laurels, a team of data center researchers from the Center for Networked Systems (CNS) at the University of California, San Diego recently broke two of their own world records. They also set world records in three other categories, including one for their TritonSort-MR system sorting a terabyte (one trillion bytes) of data in 106 seconds.
British teen arrested over CIA, US Senate hacking
British police working with the FBI arrested a 19-year-old man over attacks by a hacker group on businesses and government agencies including the CIA, US Senate and Sony, Scotland Yard said Tuesday.
New methods keep bugs out of software for self-driving cars
Driver assistance technologies, such as adaptive cruise control and automatic braking, promise to someday ease traffic on crowded routes and prevent accidents. Proving that these automated systems will work as intended is a daunting task, but computer scientists at Carnegie Mellon University have now demonstrated it is possible to verify the safety of these highly complex systems.
Android Security Alert: Trojan GGTracker subscribes users to premium SMS services
(PhysOrg.com) -- Lookout Security Firm as identified a new android Trojan named GGTracker that is downloaded to a user’s phone after visiting a malicious webpage that imitates the Android Market. The Trojan then proceeds to sign up the user to premium SMS services without their knowledge.
Self-cleaning anodes could facilitate cost-effective coal-powered fuel cells
Using barium oxide nanoparticles, researchers have developed a self-cleaning technique that could allow solid oxide fuel cells to be powered directly by coal gas at operating temperatures as low as 750 degrees Celsius. The technique could provide a cleaner and more efficient alternative to conventional power plants for generating electricity from the nation's vast coal reserves.
Researchers create tool to put the lid on solar power fluctuations
How does the power output from solar panels fluctuate when the clouds roll in? And can researchers predict these fluctuations? UC San Diego Professor Jan Kleissl and Matthew Lave, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Jacobs School, have found the answer to these questions. They also have developed a software program that allows power grid managers to easily predict fluctuations in the solar grid caused by changes in the cloud cover. The program uses a solar variability law Lave discovered.
Medicine & Health news
Pregnacy virus warning
A virus that causes hearing loss and intellectual disabilities in infants is being underdiagnosed, according to UNSW researchers, who are calling for routine screening for all pregnant women and newborns.
New evidence of the benefits of home dialysis for kidney patients
Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital have found more evidence of the benefits of home dialysis for patients with kidney failure.
New book shines light on French versus British models of humanitarian aid
From earthquakes and tsunamis to war and genocide which wreak devastation on millions of people around the world, human suffering is never far from the headlines. But how do policymakers, charities and medics decide how best to reach those in need and what influences their tactics and the style of humanitarian aid?
Attention to mental health boosts academic performance
Australian primary school students whose mental health and wellbeing improved through KidsMatter showed better academic performance equivalent to having up to six months extra schooling, an independent evaluation by Flinders University has found.
Greater R&D funding needed to fight diseases affecting world's poor
Despite significant advancements in increasing distribution and development of vaccines against childhood killer diseases – including pneumococcal disease, rotavirus, and Haemophilus influenzae Type B – global efforts to reduce the burden of infection from neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) has greatly lagged, argues Sabin Vaccine Institute (Sabin) President Dr. Peter Hotez in an article for the June edition of Health Affairs.
Do kids prefer playmates of same ethnicity?
Multicultural daycares don't necessarily foster a desire for kids of visibly different ethnicities to play together. A study on Asian-Canadian and French-Canadian preschoolers has found these children may have a preference to interact with kids of their own ethnic group.
Government should consider public health implications of all major legislation
Because strong evidence indicates that policies beyond the health sector have substantial effects on people's health, all levels of U.S. government should adopt a structured approach to considering the health effects of any major legislation or regulation, says a new report by the Institute of Medicine. In addition, federal and state policymakers should review and revise public health laws so that they adequately address current health challenges.
Planning is key to a healthy and happy retirement, studies find
Retirement is often viewed as a time to relax, travel, participate in leisurely activities and spend time with family. However, for many older adults, chronic health problems and poor planning often hinder the enjoyment of retirement. Now, a University of Missouri researcher has found that planning for changes in lifestyle and health leads to better retirement for married couples.
Sotomayor tells how she deals with diabetes
(AP) -- Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor was seven years old and living in the South Bronx when she found she was thirsty all the time. Soon after, she started wetting her bed at night.
Omega-3 and blood-thinning drugs impact clotting process
Researchers in Poland have discovered that combining omega-3 fatty acids with two blood-thinning drugs, aspirin and clopidogrel, changed the process of blood clotting, potentially helping reduce the risk of heart attacks in patients with stents in their heart arteries. The study's findings, which could lead to improved methods to protect patients, are published in the Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association.
African-Americans with thyroid cancer fare worse than whites
African-Americans have fewer incidences of thyroid cancer but have a more advanced form of the disease once they receive a diagnosis -- and are more likely to die from it, according to a new study.
Obese girls more than twice as likely to be addicted to smoking
Obese teenage girls are more than twice as likely as other girls to develop high-level nicotine addiction as young adults, according to a new study. Nearly 20 percent of American adolescents currently are obese, the authors note.
Treatment for minority stroke patients improves at top-ranked hospitals
After years of research have shown that minorities do not receive the same quality of health care as whites do, a new study suggests there has been some improvement in reducing the gap, at least for stroke patients.
Young Asian/Pacific islander women in Calif. face higher breast cancer risk
Young Asian and Pacific Islander women born in California have higher risks of breast cancer than young white women, and some groups, including Filipinas, might have higher risks than African-Americans, according to a new study that challenges the perception that these women are at a much lower risk of breast cancer than white women.
New study suggests race might not influence life-sustaining treatment decisions in end-stage cancer
Sophisticated simulation techniques typically used for medical training could provide a powerful way of examining interactions between physicians and patients to reveal, for example, how race and other factors influence decision-making, said University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers. In a study published in this month’s Critical Care Medicine, they found that hospital-based physicians did not treat black and white mock patients differently in an intensive care scenario, but they overestimated the preference for life-sustaining intervention in both groups and among blacks in particular.
Most heart-attack patients needing procedure at another hospital not transferred in recommended time
Only about 10 percent of patients with a certain type of heart attack who need to be transferred to another hospital for a PCI (procedures such as balloon angioplasty or stent placement used to open narrowed coronary arteries) are transferred within the recommended time of 30 minutes, according to a study in the June 22/29 issue of JAMA.
Anti-smoking policies for adults also reduce kids' smoking
When governments use comprehensive, well-funded tobacco control programs to reduce adult smoking, they also reduce smoking among adolescents. This bonus effect is an important factor to consider as policymakers face pressure to reduce spending on anti-smoking programs.
Abnormal brain structure linked to chronic cocaine abuse
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have identified abnormal brain structures in the frontal lobe of cocaine users' brains which are linked to their compulsive cocaine-using behaviour. Their findings were published today, 21 June, in the journal Brain.
Researchers find process of cervical ripening differs between term and preterm birth
Cervical ripening that instigates preterm labor is distinct from what happens at the onset of normal term labor, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.
Marriage improves odds of surviving colon cancer
(Medical Xpress) -- A new study shows that being married boosts survival odds for both men and women with colon cancer at every stage of the disease.
Study confirms 'white coat effect;' value of home blood pressure monitoring
(Medical Xpress) -- People with hypertension often experience a spike in blood pressure when the reading is taken in a doctor’s office, leaving doctors with inaccurate information to determine the course of treatment, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center and the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Exercise associated with longer survival after brain cancer diagnosis
(Medical Xpress) -- Brain cancer patients who are able to exercise live significantly longer than sedentary patients, scientists at the Duke Cancer Institute report.
Japan develops 'swimming' capsule endoscope
Japanese researchers said Tuesday they had developed a self-propelled remote controlled capsule endoscope that can "swim" through the digestive tract.
Hong Kong declares scarlet fever outbreak
Hong Kong has declared an outbreak of scarlet fever after it claimed the life of at least one child while infecting thousands of others in the city and elsewhere in China.
Cigarettes will carry grisly new warning labels
(AP) -- Rotting teeth and gums. Diseased lungs. A sewn-up corpse of a smoker. Cigarette smoke coming out of the tracheotomy hole in a man's neck.
Breakthrough in the search for new treatments for multiple sclerosis
Scientists at The University of Nottingham have discovered a molecular mechanism which could bring about the development of new treatments for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) -- a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system.
New study increases understanding of link between low birth weights and obesity later in life
In a study that increases the understanding of the link between fetal development and obesity later in life, researchers at Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed) found altering the levels of two common hormones, insulin and leptin, in utero changes the cellular development in the region of the brain that regulates appetite.
New research on community gardening reveals the roots of emotional and physical health
Did you ever make mud pies as a kid? Remember how good it felt to get your hands in the dirt, to run through the sprinkler, and get pollen from a sweet-smelling flower on your nose? Most kids who grow up in cities today never have this experience. But the latest research is about to change all that.
Decisions and stress and adolescents
Stressing out about a boyfriend or girlfriend or history test is part of a typical day for a teenager. But what is making these insignificant events seem like the end of the world?
Research shows sleepyheads more than grumpy
(Medical Xpress) -- Sleepiness negatively impacts mood and impairs the integration of emotion and cognition when making moral judgments, even to the extent of planning revenge, a UALR psychology professor said in a research abstract presented at the SLEEP 2011 conference in Minneapolis, Minn.
Researchers discover potential new mechanisms of drug resistance in Toxoplasma
Scientists have for years been puzzled by why drugs are sometimes effective in treating parasitic diseases, while other times they have little or no effect.
Older people less likely to fall if they pay attention to their feet
(PhysOrg.com) -- Just as grey hair and wrinkles are widely accepted as a natural part of ageing, so is an increased risk of falling, which can happen for many reasons and with devastating consequences, including increased likelihood of injury, hospitalisation and even death.
Blueberries help lab rats build strong bones
Compounds in blueberries might turn out to have a powerful effect on formation of strong, healthy bones, if results from studies with laboratory rats turn out to hold true for humans.
UF review of resveratrol studies confirms potential health boost
A University of Florida review of research finds the polyphenol compound known as resveratrol found in red wine, grapes and other fruits may not prevent old age, but it might make it more tolerable.
A wise man's treatment for arthritis -- frankincense?
The answer to treating painful arthritis could lie in an age old herbal remedy - frankincense, according to Cardiff University scientists.
UN: Deaths up from cancer, diabetes, heart disease
(AP) -- Nearly two-thirds of deaths in the world are caused by noncommunicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart and lung disease which are rapidly increasing at a cost to the global economy of trillions of dollars, according to U.N. estimates and preliminary results of a new study.
Heat will kill more than cold in Europe eventually
(AP) -- A new study says one of the few benefits of global warming - fewer deaths from the combination of extreme heat and cold - may eventually melt away in Europe.
First genetic mutation linked to heart failure in pregnant women
Researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City have identified the first genetic mutation ever associated with a mysterious and potentially devastating form of heart disease that affects women in the final weeks of pregnancy or the first few months after delivery.
How Do We Recognize Faces?
How do we recognize a face? Do we pick out “local” features— an eye or a mouth— and extrapolate from there? Or do we take in the “global” configuration—facial structure, distance between the features—at once?
Diabetic kidney disease on the rise in America, despite improved diabetes care
Diabetic kidney disease has become more prevalent in the United States over the past 20 years, despite a substantial increase in the use of medications for the treatment of people with diabetes, according to a study to be published June 22 in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Common rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis medications are associated with reduced diabetes risk
Individuals with systemic inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriasis, experience a 1.5 to 2-fold increased rate of cardiovascular disease. Previous research suggests that inflammation and insulin resistance, linked with these conditions, likely accelerate the development of cardiovascular risk and diabetes. Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) sought to determine whether commonly used disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), which are directed against inflammation, might reduce the risk for developing diabetes in patients with RA or psoriasis. They found that among patients with RA or psoriasis, the risk for developing diabetes was lower for those patients who started TNF inhibitor or hydroxychloroquine. Their findings are published in the June 22/29, 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Intensive-dose statin therapy associated with increased risk of diabetes
An analysis of data from previously published studies indicates that intensive-dose statin therapy is associated with an increased risk of new-onset diabetes compared with moderate-dose therapy, according to a study in the June 22/29 issue of JAMA.
New study reveals pigs could grow human organs
(PhysOrg.com) -- At the annual European Society of Human Genetics conference, a group of researchers presented their newly discovered technique that may soon enable pigs to grow human organs for transplant.
Mystery ingredient in coffee boosts protection against Alzheimer's disease
A yet unidentified component of coffee interacts with the beverage's caffeine, which could be a surprising reason why daily coffee intake protects against Alzheimer's disease. A new Alzheimer's mouse study by researchers at the University of South Florida found that this interaction boosts blood levels of a critical growth factor that seems to fight off the Alzheimer's disease process.
Researchers slow immune attack on ovaries in mice
(Medical Xpress) -- In a study of mice, researchers have slowed an immune system attack on the ovaries. The mice developed a disorder resembling primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), a menopause-like condition that affects women under the age of 40, sometimes years or even decades before normal menopause. The study was conducted by scientists at the National Institutes of Health and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
What do we pay attention to?
Once we learn the relationship between a cue and its consequences—say, the sound of a bell and the appearance of the white ice cream truck bearing our favorite chocolate cone—do we turn our attention to that bell whenever we hear it? Or do we tuck the information away and marshal our resources to learning other, novel cues—a recorded jingle, or a blue truck?
Can humans sense the Earth's magnetism?
For migratory birds and sea turtles, the ability to sense the Earth's magnetic field is crucial to navigating the long-distance voyages these animals undertake during migration. Humans, however, are widely assumed not to have an innate magnetic sense. Research published in Nature Communications this week by faculty at the University of Massachusetts Medical School shows that a protein expressed in the human retina can sense magnetic fields when implanted into Drosophila, reopening an area of sensory biology in humans for further exploration.
Neuroscientists' discovery could bring relief to epilepsy sufferers
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have made a discovery in the lab that could help drug manufacturers develop new antiepileptic drugs and explore novel strategies for treating seizures associated with epilepsy – a disease affecting about two million Americans.
Non-coding RNA has role in inherited neurological disorder -- and maybe other brain diseases too
A team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, have uncovered a novel mechanism regulating gene expression and transcription linked to Spinocerebellar ataxia 7, an inherited neurological disorder. The discovery promises to have broad ramifications, suggesting that abundant non-coding transcripts of ribonucleic acid (RNA) may be key players in neurological development and function, and could be powerful targets for future clinical therapies.
Stem cell model offers clues to cause of inherited ALS
An international team of scientists led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have used induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to reveal for the first time how reduced levels of a specific protein may play a central role in causing at least one inherited form of the disease.
Smoking may increase risk of prostate cancer recurrence, death
A new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and University of California, San Francisco, researchers suggests that men with prostate cancer who smoke increase their risk of prostate cancer recurrence and of dying from the disease. A link also was found between smoking at the time of prostate cancer diagnosis and aggressive prostate cancer, overall mortality (death) and cardiovascular disease mortality.
New study finds HIV Achilles Heel
(Medical Xpress) -- A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows how scientists have used a mathematical tool to possibly identify an Achilles heel in HIV which may lead to new vaccines and treatments.
Biology news
Pollination services at risk following declines of Swedish bumblebees
Scientists from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and the University of Lund have discovered that the community composition of bumble bee species and their relative abundances have changed drastically over the last 70 years in Sweden. Over the same period, the average seed yield of red clover has declined and variation in yield has doubled, suggesting that the current dependence on few species for pollination of red clover has been detrimental especially to stability in seed yield.
Not-so-sweet potato from Clemson University, USDA resists pests, disease
Scientists from Clemson University and the USDA Agricultural Research Service have developed a new variety of not-so-sweet potato, called Liberty.
Scientists rise to the challenge of identifying and comparing yeast genomes
If you think yeast is most useful for beer and pizza crust, here's something else to chew on: a team of U.S. researchers has identified and compared the genetic codes for all known species of yeasts closely related to bakers' and brewers' yeast. This information, published in the Genetics Society of America's new open-access journal, G3: Genes | Genomes | Genetics, lays the foundation for future understanding of mutation and disease, as studies of yeasts often identify key genes and mechanisms of disease.
Potato psyllid research helps producers determine best management practices
One potato field west of Bushland hosts three separate studies, all aimed at helping growers nationwide, even internationally, understand the habits and controls of the potato psyllid.
New study reduces threat level for caribou in Alberta's oilsands country
(Edmonton) A University of Alberta researcher has co-written an extensive study of the caribou population in the Fort McMurray oilsands region that show the animals' survival isn't as threatened as was perceived in the past. The study recommends efforts to manage human activity around resource development before resorting to the drastic measure of a wolf kill.
New large crab species discovered in Costa Rica
A new species of large land crab was discovered on Cocos Island in Costa Rica, a local newspaper reported on Monday.
Cooling system may build eggs' natural defenses against salmonella
(PhysOrg.com) -- Once eggs are laid, their natural resistance to pathogens begins to wear down, but a Purdue University scientist believes he knows how to rearm those defenses.
Fighting massive declines in frog populations with bacteria and fungicides
A microscopic chytrid fungus is causing massive declines in frog populations all over the world and even the extinction of certain species. Together with colleagues from Europe and the USA, researchers from the University of Zurich present methods as to how the chytrid fungus can be combated in the journal Frontiers in Zoology: namely with bacteria and fungicides. However, the possibility of vaccinating the frogs is also being considered.
Lyme disease tick adapts to life on the (fragmented) prairie
A new study offers a detailed look at the status of Lyme disease in Central Illinois and suggests that deer ticks and the Lyme disease bacteria they host are more adaptable to new habitats than previously appreciated.
Researchers find smart decisions for changing environmental times
You've just been told you're going on a trip. The only problem is, you don't know where you're going, how you'll be traveling, or what you'll do when you get there.
Picky pollinators: Native bees are selective about where they live and feed
Native bees – often small, stingless, solitary and unnoticed in the flashier world of stinging honeybees – are quite discriminating about where they live, according to U.S. Geological Survey research.
Where will grizzly bears roam?
The independent assessment, written by WCS Senior Conservation Scientist Dr. John Weaver, is a compilation and synthesis of the latest information on these species – and how climate change may affect them – from 30 biologists in the region and from nearly 300 scientific papers. In addition, Weaver spent four months hiking and riding horseback through these remote roadless areas to evaluate their importance for conservation.
Clues on how flowering plants spread
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have long scratched their heads over the Earth’s dazzling array of flowering plants. While conifers took 300 million years to yield hundreds of species, flowering plants diversified in less than half that time into 250,000 species, encompassing everything from massive trees to the most delicate wildflowers, from hardy, low-growing alpine plants to bug-eating carnivores.
Sleeping sickness parasite masters three different swimming modes
(PhysOrg.com) -- The causative agent of African sleeping sickness, annually responsible for several thousands of deaths in Africa and South America, is a motile cell: it propels itself through its host’s bloodstream until – in the last stage of the disease – it overcomes the blood-brain-barrier and penetrates its victim’s brain. In order to fight this deadly disease, scientists are trying to understand the parasite’s exact patterns of movement. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPIDS) in Germany as well as from the Universities of Würzburg, Göttingen and Basel have now succeeded in identifying three different swimming modes. In addition, they were able to show for the first time, that these swimming modes correspond to the shape and stiffness of the parasite.
Origami in seed capsules
(PhysOrg.com) -- A number of plants disperse their seeds in a rather artistic way: the seed capsules of the ice plant Delosperma nakurense, for instance, unfold lids over the seed compartments in the manner of a movable origami when they are moistened by rain. This is the finding of researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam and the Technische Universität Dresden in a precise investigation of the opening mechanism. The lids open up because cells on the inside of them absorb water and change their structure. The plant, which grows in very arid regions, thereby ensures that its seeds have a good chance of opening. The researchers are keen to use this model to develop materials that move when they become wet or when their temperature changes.
Neuroscientist shows bats feel their way through the air using tiny hair sensors
(PhysOrg.com) -- Susanne Sterbing-D'Angelo, has shown, along with her colleagues from the University of Maryland, that bats use tiny hairs on their wings to feel the air around them as they fly, which allows them to adjust to conditions almost instantly and that this feature of their anatomy helps them to perform the intricate acrobatic feats that they are known for. Their findings have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
New study shows small prey able to detect predators by a chemical in their urine
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of biologists from Harvard Medical School have isolated a chemical found in the urine of many, if not all carnivores, that small rodents can smell and that causes them to respond accordingly; i.e. to move away or avoid areas where the chemical is present. In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, the team found that the chemical, 2-phenylethylamine which is found in the urine of virtually all animals, is much more highly concentrated in predators, and rodents such as mice are able to detect and react to it.
New curation tool a boon for genetic biologists
With the BeeSpace Navigator, University of Illinois researchers have created both a curation tool for genetic biologists and a new approach to searching for information.
Surprises from the ocean: Marine plankton and ocean pH
The world's oceans support vast populations of single-celled organisms (phytoplankton) that are responsible, through photosynthesis, for removing about half of the carbon dioxide that is produced by burning fossil fuels – as much as the rainforests and all other terrestrial systems combined. One group of phytoplankton, known as the coccolithophores, are known for their remarkable ability to build chalk (calcium carbonate) scales inside their cells, which are secreted to form a protective armour on the cell surface. On a global scale this calcification process accounts for a very significant flux of carbon from the surface ocean, and hence coccolithophores are an important component of the global carbon cycle, as cells die and the calcium carbonate sinks to form ocean sediments.
How dense is a cell? Researchers have devised a way to answer that question
More than 2,000 years after Archimedes found a way to determine the density of a king’s crown by measuring its mass in two different fluids, MIT scientists have used the same principle to solve an equally vexing puzzle -- how to measure the density of a single cell.
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