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Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for October 10, 2011:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Physicists propose solution to constraint satisfaction problems- Clear link between solar activity and winter weather revealed
- Sexual selection by sugar molecule helped determine human origins
- Berkeley robot uses tiny, spiny toes to climb cloth
- In bubble-rafting snails, the eggs came first
- Progress in quantum computing, qubit by qubit
- Crows are capable of distinguishing symbols, study finds
- Tanning beds could provide a greater risk than originally thought: new study
- US Army purchases robotic scouts (w/ video)
- Seeking superior stem cells: 100-fold increase in efficiency in reprogramming human cells to induced stem cells
- Researchers show molecule inhibits metastasis of colon, melanoma cancers
- LHSee - Large Hadron Collider app - Big bang science in your pocket
- Researchers study aging's effect on the brain
- Mega beats Mimi for world's biggest virus
- Fuel economy of new vehicles still at lowest point in the past year
Space & Earth news
Critical minerals ignite geopolitical storm
The clean energy economy of the future hinges on a lot of things, chief among them the availability of the scores of rare earth elements and other elements used to make everything from photovoltaic panels and cellphone displays to the permanent magnets in cutting edge new wind generators. And right out of the gate trouble is brewing over projected growth in demand for these minerals and the security of their supplies.
Australia approves BHP's huge Olympic Dam expansion
Australia on Monday gave environmental approval for mining behemoth BHP Billiton to expand its Olympic Dam project and create what officials said could be the world's largest open pit mine.
Reducing drug waste in the environment
In a letter to the science journal Nature this week, Professor Michael Depledge from the European Center for Environment & Human Health warns about the rising levels of pharmaceuticals in our environment.
Oil slick hits N.Z. coast as storm threatens ship
Oil from a stranded container ship began washing up on the shore of New Zealand's Bay of Plenty Monday, as salvage crews battened down the crippled vessel in the face of a looming storm.
Engineering team heads to Antarctica to explore hidden lake
Next week a British engineering team heads off to Antarctica for the first stage of an ambitious scientific mission to collect water and sediment samples from a lake buried beneath three kilometres of solid ice. This extraordinary research project, at the frontier of exploration, will yield new knowledge about the evolution of life on Earth and other planets, and will provide vital clues about the Earth's past climate.
Research explores virus movement in Madison groundwater
According to the conventional wisdom, drinking water taken from a deep aquifer protected by a semi-permeable layer of rock should be protected from many contaminants, including viruses.
Hubble mosaic of the Galactic center
(PhysOrg.com) -- This NASA Hubble Space Telescope infrared mosaic image represents the sharpest survey of the Galactic Center to date. It reveals a new population of massive stars and new details in complex structures in the hot ionized gas swirling around the central 300 x 115 light-years. This sweeping infrared panorama offers a nearby laboratory for how massive stars form and influence their environment in the often violent nuclear regions of other galaxies. The infrared mosaic was taken with Hubble's Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS). The Galactic core is obscured in visible light by dust clouds, which infrared light can penetrate.
NZ oil spill may hurt marine ecosystems, experts say
Experts have warned of damage to marine ecosystems after the cargo ship Rena struck a New Zealand reef and leaked around 50 tons of oil into the Bay of Plenty.
Population growth set to significantly affect ecosystem services
Changing land use can have a significant impact on a region’s vital ecosystem services, a recent research study has revealed.
Abuse from other universes -- a second opinion
At the end of last year, there was a flurry of activity from astronomers Gurzadyan and Penrose that considered the evidence of alternate universes or the existence of a universe prior to the Big Bang and suggested that such evidence may be imprinted on the cosmic microwave background as bruises of concentric circles. Quickly, this was followed by an announcement claiming to find just such circles. Of course, with an announcement this big, the statistical significance would need to be confirmed. A recent paper in the October issue of the Astrophysical Journal provides a second opinion.
Astronomers fret over Webb Telescope's future
Congressional wrangling over the future of the overdue, over-budget James Webb Space Telescope has split astronomers in a struggle over billions in funding.
Students plot experiments for YouTube Space Lab
Teenagers around the world on Monday were invited to design experiments that will be conducted on the International Space Station and streamed for all to see on YouTube.
Terrestrial biodiversity recovered faster after Permo-Triassic extinction than previously believed
While the cause of the mass extinction that occurred between the Permian and Triassic periods is still uncertain, two University of Rhode Island researchers collected data that show that terrestrial biodiversity recovered much faster than previously thought, potentially contradicting several theories for the cause of the extinction.
Giant kraken lair discovered
Long before whales, the oceans of Earth were roamed by a very different kind of air-breathing leviathan. Snaggle-toothed ichthyosaurs larger than school buses swam at the top of the Triassic Period ocean food chain, or so it seemed before Mount Holyoke College paleontologist Mark McMenamin took a look at some of their remains in Nevada. Now he thinks there was an even larger and more cunning sea monster that preyed on ichthyosaurs: a kraken of such mythological proportions it would have sent Captain Nemo running for dry land. McMenamin will be presenting the results of his work on Monday, 10 October at the Annual Meeting of The Geological Society of America in Minneapolis.
Stellar winds
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Sun, glowing with a surface temperature of about 5500 degrees Celsius, warms the Earth with its salutary light. Meanwhile the Sun's hot outer layer (the corona), with its temperature of over a million degrees, ejects a wind of charged particles at a rate equivalent to about one-millionth of the moon's mass each year. Some particles bombard the Earth, producing radio static, auroral glows, and (in extreme cases) disrupted global communications. Astronomers can only partially explain two longstanding, related questions: how is the corona heated to temperatures so much hotter than the surface? And how does the corona produce the wind? The answers to both involve turbulence in the Sun's atmosphere, and magnetic fields.
Clear link between solar activity and winter weather revealed
Scientists have demonstrated a clear link between the 11-year sun cycle and winter weather over the northern hemisphere for the first time.
Technology news
Infineon succeeds in producing chips on new 300-millimeter thin wafer technology for power semiconductors
Infineon Technologies AG has produced the first chips ("first silicon") on a 300-millimeter thin wafer for power semiconductors at the Villach site in Austria. This makes Infineon the first company in the world to succeed in taking this step forward. The chips now produced on a 300-millimeter thin wafer exhibit the same behavior as the power semiconductors made on 200-millimeter wafers – as has been demonstrated by successful application tests using Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors (MOSFETs) for High Voltage applications.
Tweeting disasters
Professor John Preston, who is based at the University of East London's Cass School of Education, will tell the ‘Violent Nature’ Research Councils UK debate that Twitter and Facebook have been credited with being able to pick up advance signals of disasters. However, it is only in retrospect that the significance of the signals can be ascertained.
Phone linked to Facebook leads to burglary suspect
(AP) -- A New Mexico man is facing burglary charges after authorities say he broke into an Albuquerque-area home then left behind a cell phone linked to his Facebook profile.
Mitsubishi Heavy 'targeted by over 50 computer viruses'
Japanese defence contractor Mitsubishi Heavy has been hit by over 50 separate computer viruses in a series of cyber attacks so far this year, a report said Monday.
Netflix kills plan to split off DVD rentals
(AP) -- Netflix Inc. is abandoning its widely panned decision to separate its DVD-by-mail and Internet streaming services because it would make them more difficult to use.
Apple says pre-orders of iPhone 4S break record
(AP) -- Apple says first-day pre-orders of the iPhone 4S topped 1 million, breaking the record set by last year's model.
Samsung: Android phone launch delayed 'for Jobs'
South Korea's Samsung Electronics said Monday it delayed the launch of a smartphone based on Google's latest Android operating system as a gesture of respect for legendary Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
Robot car to cut jams & prangs
Robotic car technology being developed at Oxford University that interprets its surroundings and makes decisions about where to go could eliminate the agony and cost of traffic jams.
Steve Jobs: From an appliance to cool, united by one philosophy
The deaths of CEOs rarely touch as many people as the sudden announcement that Steve Jobs had died on Wednesday.
BlackBerry outage hits Europe, Middle East, Africa
The maker of the BlackBerry smartphone confirmed Monday that an outage had hit some of its services in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
More U.S. consumers spurn cable TV bills
In July, the Benediktssons of Chandler, Ariz., declared their independence from cable television.
Two pairs of specs in one: Touch of finger changes prescription
If you're over 45 and wear glasses, you've probably got more than one pair. Or you're using bifocals or progressive lenses. As most people get older, their eyes have more trouble focusing on objects that are close, which is why you need that extra help for things like sewing, drawing - or reading this article.
Questions and answers about Netflix's flip-flops
(AP) -- Puzzled by Netflix Inc.'s recent changes? You're not alone. Here are basic questions and answers about the company's reversal of its decision to split off its DVD-by-mail service and rename it "Qwikster."
Facebook buys question-and-answer friend.ly
Facebook said Monday it has acquired friend.ly, a firm behind a Facebook social question-and-answer service.
Yahoo shares rise on more takeover speculation
(AP) -- Shares of Yahoo Inc. rose Monday as more reports emerged that potential buyers are circling the Internet search company.
New undersea cable lands in Sierra Leone
An undersea telecommunications table landed in Sierra Leone on Monday, part of a 17,000-kilometre fiber optic line that aims to connect countries along the west African coast to Europe.
Virus hits US drone fleet: report
A computer virus has hit the US Predator and Reaper drone fleet that Washington deploys to hunt down militants, logging the keystrokes of pilots remotely flying missions, Wired magazine reported.
US tracked email of Wikileaks volunteer: report
US authorities have obtained a secret court order to force search giant Google and a small Internet provider to hand over information from email accounts of a volunteer for whistleblower website WikiLeaks, a report said.
Stanford summer course yields touchscreen Braille writer
Each summer, under the red-tiled roofs and sandstone of Stanford, the Army High-Performance Computing Research Center (AHPCRC) invites a select group of undergraduates from across the country gather for a two-month immersion into the wonders of advanced computing.
Research in Motion executive confident in PlayBook
(AP) -- Research in Motion Ltd. is "absolutely confident" in its PlayBook tablet despite disappointing sales and aims to appeal to customers already hooked on its BlackBerry smartphones, a company executive said Monday.
Fuel economy of new vehicles still at lowest point in the past year
(PhysOrg.com) -- For the second straight month, the average fuel economy of all new vehicles sold in the United States remained the same, according to a researcher at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
After long wait, Facebook set to release iPad app
One of the big, enduring questions of the technology world: "When will iPad users get their very own Facebook app?"
Medicine & Health news
Antiretroviral therapy has tripled the proportion of adults achieving undetectable levels of HIV
Over the past decade in western Europe there has been a dramatic improvement in the ability of antiretroviral therapy to keep HIV under control in adults with virological failure to drugs from all three of the original antiretroviral classes, and an accompanying decrease in the rates of AIDS, according to a study published Online First in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The authors claim that this effect is probably the result of several new drugs being introduced over the same period that are more tolerable, easier to use, and active against virus resistant to typical first-line and second-line drugs.
Health effects of financial crisis: Omens of a Greek tragedy
There are signs that health outcomes in Greece have worsened during the financial crisis, especially in vulnerable groups. These concerns are detailed in Correspondence published Online First by The Lancet, written by Alexander Kentikelenis and Dr David Stuckler, University of Cambridge, UK, and Professor Martin McKee, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, and colleagues.
Abortions in Africa rise despite ban on aid for such procedures
(Medical Xpress) -- Two days after taking office as president, George W. Bush did what was widely expected: He adopted a Reagan-era policy that cut cash to all nongovernmental organizations operating abroad that provided or counseled women on abortion.
Action guide for reducing alcohol outlet density
A new publication, Strategizer 55—Regulating Alcohol Outlet Density: An Action Guide, outlines available evidence-based community prevention strategies shown to decrease the consequences associated with alcohol outlet density, the concentration of bars, restaurants serving alcohol, and liquor and package stores in a given geographic area.
Study finds more rehospitalization, emergency visits in patients with substance use disorders
According to a new study conducted by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), people diagnosed with substance use disorders are more likely to be re-admitted to the hospital within 30 days of their discharge than patients who do not have a substance abuse disorder. Alexander Walley, MD, an assistant professor of medicine at BUSM and a primary care physician at Boston Medical Center (BMC), is the lead author of this study, which is published online in the Journal of Addiction Medicine.
Poor people more likely to view cancer as fatal
(Medical Xpress) -- People in lower paid jobs are pessimistic about the benefits of diagnosing cancer early and more scared than affluent people to see a doctor about an unusual symptom, new research shows.
New insight into the cellular defects in Huntington's disease
Huntington disease is a devastating neurogenerative disorder that causes a progressive loss of functional capacity and reduced life span. It is an inherited condition caused by a mutant HTT gene. Although this has been known for many years, the functions of the normal Htt protein and the mechanisms by which the mutant protein generated from the mutant HTT gene causes disease are not well understood. A team of researchers led by Frédéric Saudou, at the Institut Curie, France, has now uncovered a new function for normal Htt protein and determined that this function is disrupted in a mouse model of Huntington disease and in patients with the disorder.
UK government claims that patient choice improves health care is based on flawed research, experts say
Research which claims to show that the introduction of patient choice in the NHS reduced deaths from heart attacks is flawed and misleading, according to a report published in The Lancet today.
Drug prevents bone loss side effects of breast cancer medication
A new study has found that an osteoporosis drug protects against the bone damaging side effects of certain breast cancer medications. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study indicates that some breast cancer patients could take zoledronic acid in addition to their anti-cancer medications to maintain bone health.
WHO chief accuses 'big tobacco' of dirty tricks
The World Health Organization's chief on Monday urged governments to unite against "big tobacco", as she accused the industry of dirty tricks, bullying and immorality in its quest to keep people smoking.
Addressing how cigarettes cause cardiovascular disease
Although cigarette smoking has long been linked to cardiovascular disease, scientists are still on the lookout for insights into how smoking causes this disease. A team of researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Utah has determined that cigarette smoking and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can both influence oxidative modifications on specific proteins in blood plasma. Specifically, smoking and COPD can affect the levels of 3-nitrotyrosine, a biomarker associated with many pathological conditions. The results of this study demonstrated that smoking was consistently associated with a decrease in protein nitrotyrosine levels compared with non-smokers but that the presence of COPD in smokers was associated with an increase in protein nitrotyrosine levels.
Air shield keeps bacteria out of open wounds
This spring, Nimbic Systems, based near Houston, Texas, received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for the company's Air Barrier System, a unique medical device for reducing surgical-incision site contamination by infection-causing microorganisms.
The influence of the internet on suicidal behavior
A recent study by the University of Otago, Wellington into internet pro-suicide and support sites indicates that significant improvements need to be made in this area to help prevent suicidal behavior.
Pausing to make memories
Before the effects of training become hard-wired, the neural imprint of a newly learned motor skill is initially encoded in a temporary ‘holding area’ for memory, after which the memory ‘trace’ is transferred to a different region of the brain for long-term retention. The basis for this learning process has proven challenging to untangle, but new research from a group led by Soichi Nagao of the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Wako, Japan, has revealed some of the key steps involved.
Rare gene variants linked to inflammatory bowel disease
(Medical Xpress) -- An international team of scientists, including researchers from Karolinska Institutet, have identified several rare gene variants that predispose to IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease). The study provides new insights into disease pathogenesis, and suggests next-generation sequencing may speed hoped-for personalized treatment of common complex disorders.
Experimental vaccine protects monkeys from blinding trachoma
An attenuated, or weakened, strain of Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria can be used as a vaccine to prevent or reduce the severity of trachoma, the world's leading cause of infectious blindness, suggest findings from a National Institutes of Health study in monkeys.
Combination therapies for drug-resistant cancers
Some cancers can be effectively treated with drugs inhibiting proteins known as receptor tyrosine kinases, but not those cancers caused by mutations in the KRAS gene. A team of researchers led by Jeffrey Engelman, at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, has now identified a potential way to effectively use receptor tyrosine kinases inhibitors to treat individuals with KRAS mutant colorectal cancers — combine them with inhibitors of the MEK/ERK signaling pathway.
Crossing legs after severe stroke may be a good sign of recovery
People who are able to cross their legs soon after having a severe stroke appear to be more likely to have a good recovery compared to people who can't cross their legs. That's according to new research published in the October 11, 2011, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Restless legs syndrome may raise high blood pressure risk in middle-aged women
If you're a middle-aged woman with Restless Legs Syndrome, you may have a higher risk of developing high blood pressure, according to new research reported in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Certain dietary supplements associated with increased risk of death in older women
Consuming dietary supplements, including multivitamins, folic acid, iron and copper, among others, appears to be associated with an increased risk of death in older women, according to a report in the October 10 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The article is part of the journal's Less Is More series.
Educational interventions appear to be effective for patients with poorly controlled diabetes
Three randomized controlled trials published Online First today in Archives of Internal Medicine examine the effectiveness of behavioral and educational interventions for patients with poorly controlled diabetes. All three reports are part of the journal's Health Care Reform series.
Small study shows association between medication and reduction in brain amyloid levels related to AD
Although it is a small study and more clinical trials are needed, treatment with the medication gantenerumab appeared to result in a reduction in brain amyloid levels in patients with Alzheimer disease, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Neurology.
Millions with low vision stay active by using special tools
As a pre-teen, Amber McMahon was a voracious reader. When she stopped curling up with her favorite books, her family chalked it up to adolescent distractions. When she asked to sit closer to the blackboard in school, her parents began to worry and take her to doctors for her worsening vision.
Golfing reawakens some of dementia's muscle memories
Names, dates, places - such memories are lost to the unforgiving chasm of Alzheimer's disease.
California bans minors from using tanning beds
California governor Jerry Brown won praise Monday for banning under 18s from using tanning beds, the first US state to do so to protect minors from increased skin cancer risks.
Exercise just as good as drugs at preventing migraines: study
Although exercise is often prescribed as a treatment for migraine, there has not previously been sufficient scientific evidence that it really works. However, research from the Sahlgrenska Academy has now shown that exercise is just as good as drugs at preventing migraines.
Can antivirulence drugs stop infections without causing resistance?
Antivirulence drugs disarm pathogens rather than kill them, and although they could be effective in theory, antivirulence drugs have never been tested in humans. A new study to be published in the online journal mBio on Tuesday, October 18 reveals these drugs have the potential to fight infection while avoiding the pitfalls of drug resistance.
A new approach to cancer treatment published
(Medical Xpress) -- Scientists have discovered a mechanism that causes an aggressive type of lung cancer to re-grow following chemotherapy, offering hope for new therapies.
Paralyzed man uses mind-powered robot arm to touch
Giving a high-five. Rubbing his girlfriend's hand. Such ordinary acts - but a milestone for a paralyzed man.
Study links schizophrenia genetics to disruption in how brain processes sound
(Medical Xpress) -- Recent studies have identified many genes that may put people with schizophrenia at risk for the disease. But, what links genetic differences to changes in altered brain activity in schizophrenia is not clear. Now, three labs at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have come together using electrophysiological, anatomical, and immunohistochemical approaches - along with a unique high-speed imaging technique - to understand how schizophrenia works at the cellular level, especially in identifying how changes in the interaction between different types of nerve cells leads to symptoms of the disease. The findings are reported this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Researchers show molecule inhibits metastasis of colon, melanoma cancers
Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin have shown that a protein can inhibit metastasis of colon and melanoma cancers. The findings are published in the October 10, 2011 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Researchers study aging's effect on the brain
Research by biologists at the University of York and Hull York Medical School has revealed important new information about the way the brain is affected by age.
Tanning beds could provide a greater risk than originally thought: new study
(Medical Xpress) -- A new study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology has found that, despite previous information, the UVA radiation used in tanning beds may cause more damage to the skin that was originally thought.
Sexual selection by sugar molecule helped determine human origins
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say that losing the ability to make a particular kind of sugar molecule boosted disease protection in early hominids, and may have directed the evolutionary emergence of our ancestors, the genus Homo.
Biology news
Foreign insects, diseases got into US
(AP) -- Dozens of foreign insects and plant diseases slipped undetected into the United States in the years after 9/11, when authorities were so focused on preventing another attack that they overlooked a pest explosion that threatened the quality of the nation's food supply.
Seeking superior stem cells: 100-fold increase in efficiency in reprogramming human cells to induced stem cells
Researchers from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute have today announced a new technique to reprogramme human cells, such as skin cells, into stem cells. Their process increases the efficiency of cell reprogramming by one hundred-fold and generates cells of a higher quality at a faster rate.
Crows are capable of distinguishing symbols, study finds
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study published in Animal Behavior shows that crows are capable of recognizing symbols designed to represent different quantities and is one of many different studies currently looking at the behavior and intelligence of crows.
Mega beats Mimi for world's biggest virus
A virus found in the sea off Chile is the biggest in the world, harbouring more than 1,000 genes, surprised scientists reported on Monday.
In bubble-rafting snails, the eggs came first
(PhysOrg.com) -- It's "Waterworld" snail style: Ocean-dwelling snails that spend most of their lives floating upside down, attached to rafts of mucus bubbles.
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