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Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for July 8, 2011:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Researchers observe structural transformations in single nanocrystals- Predatory fish have large guts to help them through famine
- The universe may have been born spinning, according to new findings on the symmetry of the cosmos
- Researchers describe genetic basis of rare human diseases
- Dawn team members check out spacecraft
- When it comes to eating, rats follow their noses
- Single drug, soft environment can increase platelet production
- A change of heart: Researchers reprogram brain cells to become heart cells
- Spotify says US launch coming 'soon'
- Atlantis blasts off on end-of-era spaceflight
- Microsoft adds a collaboration feature to the Word Web App
- Scientists discover how best to excite brain cells
- Study demonstrates how memory can be preserved -- and forgetting prevented
- Study offers new clues about hereditary spastic paraplegia
- Plant branching hormone discovered
Space & Earth news
Helping space shuttles achieve liftoff
Friday’s scheduled liftoff of Space Shuttle Atlantis marks the beginning of the end of nearly four decades of collaboration between MIT and NASA on the nation’s space shuttle program -- a partnership that has shaped spacecraft design, operations and scientific payloads since Space Shuttle Columbia first blasted off in 1981.
Shuttle Atlantis to launch with yeast
When NASA's final space shuttle mission launches today it will carry four astronauts and some unusual passengers – yeast cell growth experiments developed by Canadian researchers at the University of Toronto's Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research.
MILA tracks its last launch and landing
(PhysOrg.com) -- With its beginnings rooted deeply in the historic days of Apollo, the MILA Spaceflight Tracking and Data Network Station has played a key role throughout the 30 years of the Space Shuttle Program. But just as the shuttle program is drawing to a close, so is the long history of MILA.
Composer debuts fanfare honoring final shuttle mission
Emmy-nominated composer Bear McCreary, known for his television scores, has composed a fanfare specifically to commemorate the final space shuttle flight. After composing four seasons of music for a television show set in space, creating music inspired by a historic NASA mission was a natural fit. The composition will be played first on Friday morning at the NASA launch TweetUp.
From astronauts to the boss, thoughts on shuttle
(AP) -- One thing about the end of space shuttle flight: Everyone has an opinion. A look at some of the views from those close to the space program:
Outrage at drilling permit for Australia reef
Australian green activists expressed outrage at a government decision to allow energy giant Shell to drill for gas at a pristine reef that was listed as a World Heritage site just two weeks ago.
Australia pollution tax wins crucial backing
Australia's controversial pollution tax looked all but certain to pass after a key lawmaker confirmed that he would support the package, which aims to reduce emissions blamed for climate change.
We'll miss you, you adorable Martian rovers
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA made its final attempt to uplink a command to the Spirit rover May 25. That afternoon, a group of us who work with the rovers at Cornell gathered at a bar to mourn. We drank sangria outside, soaking up the solar energy that Spirit needed so desperately, and toasted the rover's seven years on Mars.
US astronaut recalls 'roller coaster' of shuttle flight
Riding a space shuttle is sort of like surging skyward aboard a high-speed, rickety roller coaster and then returning through a pulsing cosmic nightclub, US astronaut Terry Virts says.
NASA sends phones, cells, spores and more to space on last shuttle
NASA's Ames Research Center will send a variety of life science experiments and technology demonstrations aboard the final space shuttle to better our understanding of how robots can help humans live and work in space and how spaceflight affects the human body, the growth of cells, yeast and plants. Future astronauts on long-term space missions in low-Earth orbit, to asteroids, other planets and beyond will rely on robots and need to understand how to prevent illnesses during space travel.
Cap-and-trade trumps taxes for clean tech adoption
A cap-and-trade system is more likely than a carbon tax system to trigger the adoption of clean energy technologies, according to a study by professor Yihsu Chen at the University of California, Merced.
Gas giant spacecraft all gassed up
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Juno spacecraft completed hydrazine fuel loading, oxidizer loading and final tank pressurizations this week, and now the complete propulsion system is ready for the trip to Jupiter. The spacecraft is currently at the Astrotech processing facility in Titusville, Fla.
Shuttle program's final 4 astronauts riding high
(AP) -- Four astronauts are taking space shuttle Atlantis for one last spin - the very last one of the 30-year space shuttle era.
Tailgate party to remember for last shuttle launch
(AP) -- It was a tailgate party for the ages. They came packing tents and camp chairs, coolers and snacks, Sodoku books and laptops, parking cars and RVs in almost every available space along U.S. 1 to witness history blasting off in the haze across the Indian River.
Why shuttles are being retired, what's next
(AP) -- Thirty years of flight by NASA's space shuttles will end once Atlantis returns home from this last mission. The space agency will be looking to deeper space exploration, but the future is still somewhat unclear.
Did colossal WWII bombing raids alter weather?
On May 11, 1944, a warm and cloudless spring day, U.S. Army Air Force B-24 Liberators, B-17 Flying fortresses and their fighter escorts lifted off from airfields across southeast England. They climbed, circled, and then formed into one huge formation before heading out to bomb targets in Nazi-occupied Europe.
Atlantis, astronauts ready; weather maybe not
(AP) -- NASA fueled space shuttle Atlantis for liftoff Friday on the final flight of the 30-year program, even though stormy weather threatened to delay the launch.
First-ever view of a sungrazer comet in front of the sun (w/ video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- On the evening of Tuesday, July 5, a comet flew into the sun. Such comets are not unusual, and they're called "sungrazers" since they come so close to the star that it is believed they evaporate and disappear. However, no one has actually seen the end of that journey, since the comets are best seen in cameras from SOHO (SOlar and Heliospheric Observatory) that block out the bright disk of the sun itself.
Dawn team members check out spacecraft
(PhysOrg.com) -- Mission managers for NASA's Dawn spacecraft are studying the spacecraft's ion propulsion system after Dawn experienced a loss of thrust on June 27. Dawn team members were able to trace the episode to an electronic circuit in the spacecraft's digital control and interface unit, a subsystem that houses the circuit and a computer that provides the "brains" to Dawn's ion propulsion system. That circuit appeared to lose an electronic signal. As a result, the valves controlling the flow of xenon fuel did not open properly. Dawn automatically put itself into a more basic configuration known as "safe-communications" mode, where the spacecraft stopped some activities and turned its high-gain antenna to Earth.
Atlantis blasts off on end-of-era spaceflight
Atlantis blazed a path into history Friday as it rocketed off the launch pad for a final time, marking the last-ever liftoff of the 30-year-old American space shuttle program.
The universe may have been born spinning, according to new findings on the symmetry of the cosmos
(PhysOrg.com) -- Physicists and astronomers have long believed that the universe has mirror symmetry, like a basketball. But recent findings from the University of Michigan suggest that the shape of the Big Bang might be more complicated than previously thought, and that the early universe spun on an axis.
Technology news
UK's Cameron calls for new regulation of press
(AP) -- Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday promised a full investigation into the phone hacking and the police bribery that lead to the collapse of the News of the World tabloid, saying that British politicians had for too long looked the other way at illegal practices.
Cuba reports 16 percent online in some capacity
(AP) -- About 16 percent of Cubans are online in some capacity with access to email, the island's intranet or the worldwide Web, a government agency says.
CERN launches Open Hardware initiative
Four months after launching the alpha version, CERN has today issued version 1.1 of the Open Hardware Licence (OHL), a legal framework to facilitate knowledge exchange across the electronic design community.
Measuring Chicago's internet use
Following up on a 2008 study finding that many Chicago residents did not or could not use the Internet, a University of Illinois at Chicago researcher is working with Rutgers University's Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling to survey city residents on their current use of the Internet and technology.
Rising Twitter valued at $8 bn: report
The US micro-blogging website Twitter is gaining value and is now worth an estimated $8 billion, the New York Times reported Friday.
Washington Post website jobs section hacked
The Washington Post said Thursday that a hacker had gained access to nearly 1.3 million email addresses and user IDs on its online jobs section.
Two S. Korea firms bid for Hynix stake
Two South Korean companies said Friday they had submitted preliminary bids to buy a controlling stake in Hynix Semiconductor, the world's second-largest memory chip maker.
Visa again blocks funds for WikiLeaks
(AP) -- Visa said Friday it has closed a donation channel to WikiLeaks after a payment processor briefly accepted money transfers to the anti-secrecy site.
A mobile guide for buses and trains
If people had access to a fully-fledged system to help them navigate public transport, it could persuade many drivers to switch to their local trains, buses and trams. Researchers are busy developing an application that will enable passengers to use a cell phone to navigate their way through the public transport network.
German parliament backs nuclear exit by 2022
The German parliament sealed plans Friday to phase out nuclear energy by 2022, making the country the first major industrial power to take the step in the wake of the disaster at Japan's Fukushima plant.
Internet access a fundamental human right: OSCE
Access to the Internet should be seen as a fundamental human right and respected as much as freedom of expression, the transatlantic security body OSCE said in a report Friday.
Art project draws US Secret Service interest
A New York electronic artist who took pictures of shoppers using computers in Apple stores as part of a project has drawn the attention of the US Secret Service.
UrtheCast to show live HD video of Earth from space (w/ video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- UrtheCast, a Canadian-based company, has announced a new project with a global scale, literally. The system will allow those of us who have not actually been in to space to see the earth from space. A set of cameras are going to be mounted on the International Space Station, and pointed back towards earth to show both still shots and videos of the planet Earth. The goal of the project is to create an Internet-based video streaming platform that will show the footage taken in near real time high definition video.
Zynga buys Toronto mobile software studio
Online social games sensation Zynga on Friday announced it has bought a Canadian firm specializing in software applications for mobile devices.
Challenge to Groupon's model with trio of deals
(AP) -- Groupon's online coupons save people cash, but they're not always great deals for merchants. Some businesses complain that bargain hunters rarely return after scoring a cheap meal or massage.
NYC judge asked to throw out border search lawsuit
(AP) -- A federal judge in New York City is questioning why laptops and smartphones should be excluded from random searches done by U.S. customs agents protecting the border.
NTT DoCoMo plans green-energy cellphone masts
Japan's largest mobile phone operator, NTT DoCoMo, plans to start powering its cellphone tower network with renewable energy such as solar, wind or biomass, the company said Friday.
Improving recommendation system algorithms
Recommendation algorithms are a vital part of today’s Web, the basis of the targeted advertisements that account for most commercial sites’ revenues and of services such as Pandora, the Internet radio site that tailors song selections to listeners’ declared preferences. The DVD rental site Netflix deemed its recommendation algorithms important enough that it offered a million-dollar prize to anyone who could improve their predictions by 10 percent.
Flexible, printable sensors detect underwater hazards
(PhysOrg.com) -- Breakthroughs in nanoengineering often involve building new materials or tiny circuits. But a professor at the University of California, San Diego is proving that he can make materials and circuits so flexible that they can be pulled, pushed and contorted – even under water – and still keep functioning properly.
MIT spinout unveils new more powerful direct-diode laser
(PhysOrg.com) -- TeraDiode, a spinout company from MIT and located nearby in Littleton, MA, has unveiled, a new powerful direct-diode laser capable of cutting all the way through steel up to half an inch thick at various speeds. The laser is based on technology developed by company co-founders Dr. Bien Chann and Dr. Robin Huang while still at MIT.
Spotify says US launch coming 'soon'
Swedish music streaming service Spotify said Friday it will launch shortly in the United States, where it is not currently available because of copyright issues.
Microsoft adds a collaboration feature to the Word Web App
(PhysOrg.com) -- Microsoft is looking to make a move into Google's office suite functionality on the web. They announced on the Windows Live blog that they are adding a new feature to the Word Web App and that is real time collaboration. While this feature already existed in two of the Microsoft products, Excel and OneNote, it was one of the most requested features for the Word Web App.
Medicine & Health news
Differing lifestyles: A study of ethnicity and health
In recent years, the UK government has made bold statements regarding the recommendations for living a healthy life; including guidelines for how much fruit and how many vegetables we should eat daily, along with the ideal amount of physical activity we should do in order to avoid the risks of obesity. Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the research found that men from most of the minority ethnic groups studied, and women from Pakistani and Bangladeshi groups, are more likely than their white counterparts to eat the recommended five portions of fruit or vegetables a day. Pakistani and Bangladeshi men and women and Indian and Chinese women are less likely to be as physically active.
Male smokers less likely to need joint replacement surgery of hip or knee
Surprising results from a new study revealed that men who smoke had less risk of undergoing total joint replacement surgery than those who never smoked. Researchers also reported that men who were overweight, or who engaged in vigorous physical activity were more likely to need arthroplasty. Details of this study are now available in Arthritis & Rheumatism,a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).
Calif. hospital system settles celeb records cases
(AP) -- Years after hospital employees were accused of snooping into the medical records of celebrity patients, UCLA Health System agreed to pay an $865,000 settlement for potential violations of federal privacy laws.
Do patients think GPs should be paid for performance?
A study has found that patients were surprised that a pay-for-performance scheme rewarded GPs for simple tasks such as recording blood pressure, suggesting that it should focus on more complex issues.
Study shows lace-up ankle braces keep athletes on the court
Lace-up ankle braces can reduce the occurrence of acute ankle injuries in male and female high school basketball players, according to research presented at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Annual Meeting in San Diego. The study demonstrated that the braces are effective for athletes both with and without a history of ankle injury.
Researchers closing in on safe treatment for parasitic diseases
With the help of another $2 million in funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, researchers are moving closer to setting up human clinical trials for a reformulated drug that could be the linchpin of treatment efforts against two debilitating tropical diseases.
Researchers, clinicians seek progress on vasospasm
(Medical Xpress) -- The commonly heard phrase "complications from stroke” can cover a wide variety of medical issues, including seizures and swelling of the brain.
Medtronic warns of battery problem with drug pumps
(AP) -- Medical device maker Medtronic is warning patients about a rare problem with its SynchroMed drug pumps that can cause them to lose battery power and fail.
Arthroscopy and open surgery are equally efficacious in treating common hip problem in most patients
Researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery have found that in comparison to open surgery, arthroscopic treatment of a common hip problem that leads to arthritis produces similar outcomes in terms of repairing structural problems in most patients. The study will be published in the July 2011 TK issue of the American Journal of Sports Medicine.
2008 crisis spurred rise in suicides in Europe
The financial crisis that began to hit Europe in mid-2008 reversed a steady, years-long fall in suicides among people of working age, according to a letter published on Friday by The Lancet.
Children who seldom smile, laugh or hug a parent might be at risk for depression
(Medical Xpress) -- A new study from the University of Michigan and the University of Pittsburgh shows that even if a child isn't crying, frowning or displaying other negative emotions on a consistent basis, another warning sign is when a child shows fewer positive displays, like hugging a parent or smiling and laughing.
Can gel shrink some cancer tumors?
(Medical Xpress) -- Can a gel applied to the skin of a woman's breast provide the same cancer-fighting benefits as a pill taken by mouth but reduce the side effects of the medicine?
Common cough medicine may help treat multiple sclerosis
(Medical Xpress) -- A drug widely used in over-the-counter cough medicines appears to protect against symptoms of multiple sclerosis, a finding that could offer a new and inexpensive therapy for a condition with few effective treatment options, a study by UC Davis researchers has found.
Stroke risk in pregnant women 2.4 times higher
High blood pressure during pregnancy is a leading cause of maternal and fetal mortality worldwide.
Gene study offers clues on memory puzzle
Scientists have shed light on why it is easier to learn about things related to what we already know than it is to learn about unfamiliar things, according to a new study.
Indoor air pollution linked to cardiovascular risk
An estimated two billion people in the developing world heat and cook with a biomass fuel such as wood, but the practice exposes people – especially women – to large doses of small-particle air pollution, which can cause premature death and lung disease.
Why patients with epidermolysis bullosa suffer extreme pain
For patients suffering from epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a hereditary skin disease, even a gentle touch is extremely painful. Now Dr. Li-Yang Chiang, Dr. Kate Poole and Professor Gary R. Lewin of the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin-Buch have discovered the causes underlying this disease. Due to a genetic defect, individuals with EB cannot form laminin-332, a structural molecule of the skin that in healthy individuals inhibits the transduction of tactile stimuli and neuronal branching. According to the findings of the MDC researchers, this explains why EB patients are more sensitive to touch and experience it as painful.
Heart disease and stroke tied to national income
(Medical Xpress) -- An analysis of heart disease and stroke statistics collected in 192 countries by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that the relative burden of the two diseases varies widely from country to country and is closely linked to national income, according to researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
The Medical Minute: July is eye injury prevention month
Summer is here and from lawn care and household projects to summer sports, there are plenty of things we find to keep ourselves busy during these hot months. And the best thing about July … the fireworks! But before beginning any of these activities, does it ever cross your mind to put on your sun or safety glasses?
Federal report shows drop in adolescent birth rate
(Medical Xpress) -- The adolescent birth rate declined for the second consecutive year, preterm births declined for the third consecutive year, adolescent injury deaths declined, and fewer 12th graders binge drank, according to the federal government’s annual statistical report on the well-being of the nation’s children and youth.
Pinpointing a tell-tale mark of liver cancer
Persistent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can lead to chronic hepatitis C and then progress to fatal liver diseases including liver cirrhosis and liver cancer, the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths. Worldwide, more than 170 million people are infected with HCV, and the virus accounts for 30–70% of liver cancer cases. The recent identification of a genetic variant associated with increased susceptibility to hepatitis C virus-induced liver cancer could have major implications for global healthcare, as it may lead to tests that predict liver cancer susceptibility.
Drug designer: New tool reveals mutations that cause HIV-drug resistance
Protease inhibitor drugs are one of the major weapons in the fight against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, but their effectiveness is limited as the virus mutates and develops resistance to the drugs over time. Now a new tool has been developed to help predict the location of the mutations that lead to drug resistance.
European E. coli confirmed in Arizona death
(AP) -- Health officials have confirmed the first American death tied to the food-poisoning outbreak in Europe.
Targeted agent addition to herceptin has positive effect on metastatic HER-2 breast cancer
Adding Afinitor to Herceptin, the main treatment for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, helps some women with disease that has been resistant to previous Herceptin-based therapies, according to a study led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Children's personalities linked to their chemical response to stress
Is your kid a "dove" – cautious and submissive when confronting new environments, or perhaps you have a "hawk" – bold and assertive in unfamiliar settings?
Green tea reduces cholesterol risk
(Medical Xpress) -- In a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Xin-Xin Zheng reports that green tea reduces LDL and total cholesterol. This could explain the reasoning behind green tea’s apparent reduction to the risk of heart disease.
New information revealed about a protein implicated in autism and similar disorders; could lead to better drug design
(Medical Xpress) -- University of Michigan researcher Gabrielle Rudenko and her Life Sciences Institute lab have solved the structure of a protein that is implicated in a number of neuropsychiatric disorders including autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia and mental retardation.
When it comes to eating, rats follow their noses
(PhysOrg.com) -- Associate professor Don Katz sits in his modest office while a colleague makes a cappuccino next door. The small machine gurgles and churns and the smell of fresh brewed coffee wafts through the air.
How memory is read out in the brain: MB-V2 nerve cells enable the read-out of associative memories
What happens if you cannot recall your memory correctly? You are able to associate and store the name and face of a person, yet you might be unable to remember them when you meet that person. In this example, the recall of the information is temporarily impaired. How such associative memories are "read out" in the brain remains one of the great mysteries of modern neurobiology. Now, scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology in Martinsried and from the Ecole Superieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles in Paris, with an international team of colleagues, took the first step to unravel this mechanism.
Single drug, soft environment can increase platelet production
(Medical Xpress) -- Humans produce billions of clot-forming platelets every day, but there are times when there aren’t enough of them, such as with certain diseases or during invasive surgery. Now, University of Pennsylvania researchers have demonstrated that a single drug can induce bone marrow cells called megakaryocytes to quadruple the number of platelets they produce.
Scientists discover how best to excite brain cells
Oh, the challenges of being a neuron, responsible for essential things like muscle contraction, gland secretion and sensitivity to touch, sound and light, yet constantly bombarded with signals from here, there and everywhere.
Study demonstrates how memory can be preserved -- and forgetting prevented
As any student who's had to study for multiple exams can tell you, trying to learn two different sets of facts one after another is challenging. As you study for the physics exam, almost inevitably some of the information for the history exam is forgotten. It's been widely believed that this interference between memories develops because the brain simply doesn't have the capacity necessary to process both memories in quick succession. But is this truly the case?
Study offers new clues about hereditary spastic paraplegia
New research from Rice University and Italy's Eugenio Medea Scientific Institute is yielding clues about hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), a group of inherited neurological disorders that affect about 20,000 people in the United States. A study in the July 5 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences offers the first detailed account of the biochemical workings of atlastin, a protein produced by one of the genes linked to HSP.
Researchers describe genetic basis of rare human diseases
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and in Michigan, North Carolina and Spain have discovered how genetic mutations cause a number of rare human diseases, which include Meckel syndrome, Joubert syndrome and several other disorders.
A change of heart: Researchers reprogram brain cells to become heart cells
For the past decade, researchers have tried to reprogram the identity of all kinds of cell types. Heart cells are one of the most sought-after cells in regenerative medicine because researchers anticipate that they may help to repair injured hearts by replacing lost tissue. Now, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania are the first to demonstrate the direct conversion of a non-heart cell type into a heart cell by RNA transfer. Working on the idea that the signature of a cell is defined by molecules called messenger RNAs (mRNAs), which contain the chemical blueprint for how to make a protein, the investigators changed two different cell types, an astrocyte (a star-shaped brain cell) and a fibroblast (a skin cell), into a heart cell, using mRNAs.
Biology news
Scientists identify how cells respond to mechanical force
Many aspects of cell behaviour are influenced by mechanical force, but how single cells respond to these forces is unclear. An EU-funded team of researchers sheds light on the relationship between the signals that affect cells' behaviour and their physical properties. The findings are published in the journal Nature Cell Biology.
On Darwin and gender
In 1864, German naturalist Ernst Haeckel wrote to naturalist Charles Darwin, promising to send some marine shells that displayed “a detailed representation of the Rhizopod organism.” But for the “female members of your family,” Haeckel quickly added, the intricate shells would make nice “embroidery patterns.”
Marla Spivak: A scientist with a real bee in her bonnet
How do we study bees and why are they disappearing? How are scientists working to save bees? Marla Spivak--a MacArthur Fellow and Distinguished McKnight Professor, and extension entomologist in the Department of Entomology at the University of Minnesota--answers these questions and more.
Clyde fish stock at 80-year high -- but most are too small to be landed
Stocks of seabed-living fish in the Firth of Clyde have reached their highest level since 1927 – according to research by academics at the University of Strathclyde.
Plant branching hormone discovered
(PhysOrg.com) -- In an important breakthrough, plant biologists at The University of Queensland have identified a hormone that plays a key role in determining the size and shape of plants.
Predatory fish have large guts to help them through famine
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study by scientists in the US has solved the mystery of why predatory fish have a far greater digestive capacity than they actually need. The study suggests the reason is that the extra-large guts allow them to gorge on food when it is available so they can store the calories for use in the lean times.
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