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Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for November 24, 2011:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Holiday customers will be tracked by their phones- Research finds HIV-killing compound
- Graphene foam detects explosives, emissions better than today's gas sensors
- Researchers rebuild the brain's circuitry
- Spider know-how could cut future energy costs
- Climate sensitivity to CO2 more limited than extreme projections: research
- Surprise role of nuclear structure protein in development
- Ancient environment drives marine biodiversity, study says
- Researchers develop a how-to guide to slashing California's greenhouse gas emissions by 2050
- Russia 'makes first contact' with stranded Mars probe (Update)
- Researchers identify gene that causes rare dementing illness
- Oil sands digger uncovers dinosaur
- Playing music alters the processing of multiple sensory stimuli in the brain
- EU court rules against web filters to block file sharing
- Qualcomm challenges LCDs through new e-reader
Space & Earth news
Mars science laboratory launch milestones
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Mars Science Laboratory is tucked inside its Atlas V rocket, ready for launch on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Nov. 26 launch window extends from 7:02 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. PST (10:02 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. EST). The launch period for the mission extends through Dec. 18.
How will Mars Science Laboratory navigate to Mars? Very precisely
Getting the Mars Science Laboratory to the Red Planet isn’t as easy as just strapping the rover on an Atlas V rocket and blasting it in the general direction of Mars. Spacecraft navigation is a very precise and constant science, and in simplest terms, it entails determining where the spacecraft is at all times and keeping it on course to the desired destination.
Earth's past gives clues to future changes
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists are a step closer to predicting when and where earthquakes will occur after taking a fresh look at the formation of the Andes, which began 45 million years ago.
Southern hemisphere to glimpse year's last solar eclipse
The tip of South Africa, Tasmania and most of New Zealand will -- weather permitting -- enjoy a partial eclipse of the Sun on Friday although the handful of hardy scientists in Antarctica will get the best view, according to astronomers.
Scientists simulate Moon and Mars exploration in Mojave desert
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA and a team of international researchers from Mars Institute and SETI Institute returned to the Mojave Desert this month to complete a series of field tests and simulations aimed at investigating how humans will conduct geotechnical surveys on the moon or Mars.
EU agency: air pollution costs exceed $134 billion
(AP) -- Air pollution isn't just harmful - it's expensive, resulting in health care and environmental costs of more than euro100 billion ($130 billion) in 2009, the European Union's environment agency said Thursday.
Chevron suspends Brazil offshore drilling
US oil giant Chevron Corporation said on Thursday that it had suspended its current and future drilling operations off Rio de Janeiro state, following a crude oil slick in the area.
Pluto's hidden ocean
When NASA's New Horizons cruises by Pluto in 2015, the images it captures could help astronomers determine if an ocean is hiding under the frigid surface, opening the door to new possibilities for liquid water to exist on other bodies in the solar system. New research has not only concluded such an ocean is likely, but also has highlighted features the spacecraft could identify that could help confirm an ocean’s existence.
Plate tectonics coming of age
(PhysOrg.com) -- Plate tectonics in its current form is believed to have started one billion years ago. A study of two billion year old rocks from African gold mines has now shown that the same process of subduction we observe today as a by-product of these large-scale continental movements, was already present on Earth more than two billion years ago. Experiments with X-rays at the ESRF have contributed to this discovery which has been published on 20 November 2011 in Nature Geoscience.
Russia 'makes first contact' with stranded Mars probe (Update)
Russia on Thursday announced its scientists had for the first time made contact with its stranded Mars probe Phobos-Grunt, a day after the European Space Agency said it had received a signal.
Ancient environment drives marine biodiversity, study says
Much of our knowledge about past life has come from the fossil record – but how accurately does that reflect the true history and drivers of biodiversity on Earth?
Researchers develop a how-to guide to slashing California's greenhouse gas emissions by 2050
What will a day in the life of a Californian be like in 40 years? If the state cuts its greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 — a target mandated by a state executive order — a person could wake up in a net-zero energy home, commute to work in a battery-powered car, work in an office with smart windows and solar panels, then return home and plug in her car to a carbon-free grid.
Climate sensitivity to CO2 more limited than extreme projections: research
A new study suggests that the rate of global warming from doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide may be less than the most dire estimates of some previous studies – and, in fact, may be less severe than projected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report in 2007.
Technology news
Steve Jobs' $4.6B in Disney shares go to trust
(AP) -- Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs' $4.6 billion worth of shares in The Walt Disney Co. are now in a trust run by his wife, Laurene Powell Jobs.
Job-seeking Hungarian pleads guilty to hacking
A Hungarian man pleaded guilty Wednesday to hacking into the computer systems of the Marriott hotel chain and threatening to reveal confidential information unless he was given a job.
Outsourcing stems Philippines labour exodus
Malaysia-based computer whiz Arlene Teodoro packed his bags and flew home to the Philippines this year, going against the tide in an impoverished country that sends millions of workers abroad.
Web crawler takes aim at child exploitation
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Simon Fraser University’s International Cybercrime Research Centre hope a tool they’ve developed to track websites that exploit children can help police better investigate the crime.
Elpida develops 1600 Mbps 4-gigabit DDR3 mobile RAM (LPDDR3)
Elpida Memory, Dynamic Random Access Memory ("DRAM") manufacturer, today announced that it has developed an advanced 30nm process 4-gigabit DDR3 Mobile RAMTM (LPDDR3). The new chip can achieve a high-speed data transfer rate of 1600Mbps at low operating voltage of 1.2V.
Apple drops 'Jew or not Jew' iPhone app
French anti-racism groups have dropped anti-Semitism suits against Apple after it withdrew a "Jew or not Jew" iPhone app from its online stores worldwide, the groups' lawyer said on Thursday.
UNIMAS introduces biofuel made from palm waste
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) is to start producing biofuel extracted from palm 'sago' (stem pith) waste - the first of its kind - through its Sago Research Centre.
Microsoft signs agreement to scrutinize Yahoo
It looks as if Microsoft wants a seat at the negotiating table if Yahoo decides to sell part or all of its business.
First implementation of 100 and 40Gbps ultra-high-speed plug-and-play optical communications
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation and NTT Communications Corporation have conducted 100 and 40Gbps transmission tests in real field environments using existing installed optical fiber, and have demonstrated for the first time, plug-and-play functionality that greatly reduces the setup time previously required for configuring optical signals. This was achieved using a new technology developed by NTT which is able to auto-configure 100 and 40 Gbps ultra-high-speed signals.
Satellites and Sun connect isolated communities to the world
A mobile phone unit connecting isolated communities to the rest of the world using satellites and solar power has caught the attention of ESA and the World Economic Forum.
Finnish researchers reduce smart phones power consumption by more than 70 percent
Researchers at Aalto University in Finland have designed a network proxy that can cut the power consumption of 3G smart phones up to 74 percent.
Swiss nuclear shutdown to cost $22.5bn: study
Shutting down Switzerland's five nuclear power stations will cost about 20.7 billion Swiss francs (16.8 billion euros, $22.5 billion) and take about 20 years, Swiss authorities said on Thursday.
Apps to help you skip those Black Friday lines
While you're waiting at the stores on Black Friday, why not check if that deal you're blowing the day for is available online for less money or less aggravation. Here are some key smartphone shopping apps for the holidays.
EU court rules against web filters to block file sharing
Internet service providers cannot be forced to install filters aimed at preventing people from illegally downloading music and other files, the EU's top court ruled Thursday.
Holiday customers will be tracked by their phones
(PhysOrg.com) -- Black Friday shoppers in California and Virginia might learn their phones are being tracked as they move along the mall. That's the plan at the Promenade Temecula in southern California and Short Pump Town Center in Richmond, Virginia. The malls intend to monitor signals from peoples' cell phones starting on Black Friday and running through New Year's Day. Their movements will be tracked as they go from store to store.
Medicine & Health news
Firefighters more likely to be injured exercising than putting out fires
Firefighters are more likely to be injured while exercising than while putting out fires, suggests research published online in Injury Prevention.
Researchers discover why new melanoma drug stops working
(Medical Xpress) -- Research led by investigators at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center has identified a previously unknown mechanism of resistance to the newly approved melanoma drug, vemurafenib, an oral targeted therapy used to treat advanced melanoma whose tumors contain a mutation in a gene called BRAF. The results of the study are published in the November 23rd advanced online edition of the journal Nature.
New guidance for management of self-harm issued
(Medical Xpress) -- The healthcare guidance body NICE has today published a new clinical guideline on the longer-term care of adults, children and young people who self-harm. The guideline development group was chaired by Professor Navneet Kapur in The University of Manchester’s Centre for Suicide Prevention.
Study identifies why UK's most needy parents are not using early years services
It is widely recognised that parent and toddler groups provide support while also improving life-chances for children from low-income families. However, new research from the University of Bristol has found that nearly a quarter of mothers’ first-time visits to a group were so off-putting that they did not return to that group. One in five mothers then became afraid of attending any group.
Global Fund for world health halts new programs
(AP) -- The world's biggest financier in the fight against three killer diseases says it has run out of money to pay for new grant programs for the next two years - a situation likely to hit poor AIDS patients around the world.
Closer to a cure for eczema
Scientists have found that a strain of yeast implicated in inflammatory skin conditions, including eczema, can be killed by certain peptides and could potentially provide a new treatment for these debilitating skin conditions. This research is published today in the Society for Applied Microbiology's journal, Letters in Applied Microbiology.
Simple night time airflow control device eases persistent asthma symptoms
A simple device that filters out airborne asthma triggers during sleep can ease persistent symptoms of the condition during the day and improve quality of life, suggests research published online in Thorax.
Recipient doing well after first artificial windpipe graft
The word's first artificial windpipe transplant has been such a success that a second operation has been carried out and a third is being planned, The Lancet reported on Thursday.
Vitamin D-fortified yoghurt improves cholesterol levels and heart disease biomarkers for diabetics
People with diabetes are known to have an increased risk of heart disease. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine shows that regular consumption of a vitamin D-fortified yoghurt drink improves cholesterol levels and biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction, a precursor of heart disease, in diabetics.
Doctors could learn from Shakespeare's deep understanding of mind-body connection
Shakespeare was a master at portraying profound emotional upset in the physical symptoms of his characters, and many modern day doctors would do well to study the Bard to better understand the mind-body connection, concludes an analysis of his works, published in Medical Humanities.
Teens with autism face major obstacles to social life outside of school, study finds
(Medical Xpress) -- Hanging out with friends after school and on the weekends is a vital part of a teen’s social life. But for adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), social activity outside of school is a rarity, finds a new study by Paul Shattuck, PhD, autism expert and assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.
British women top obesity chart, French aren't all thin: EU
British women and Maltese men topped European obesity rates according to data released Thursday that also undermined popular belief that all French women are thin.
Internal skin cancer prevention: Repairing UV damage in the skin
(Medical Xpress) -- Scientists at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI) of the Novartis Research Foundation have elucidated the mechanisms underlying the repair of UV-induced damage in DNA, which frequently causes skin cancer. The protein structures additionally determined by these researchers will improve our understanding of how the body protects itself against skin cancer. These studies lay the foundations for the development of a new class of anti cancer agents. The findings were published today in Cell.
Scientist discovers why drug boosts memory in Down syndrome mice
(Medical Xpress) -- A University of Colorado School of Medicine researcher who found a drug that improved memory in mice with Down syndrome has unlocked the mystery of how it works.
Daily wheezing treatment no different from intermittent in toddlers
(Medical Xpress) -- Pediatricians often treat young children who have frequent bouts of wheezing with a daily dose of an inhaled steroid to keep asthma symptoms at bay. But results of a recent study are likely to change that.
New evidence of an unrecognized visual process
(Medical Xpress) -- We don’t see only what meets the eye. The visual system constantly takes in ambiguous stimuli, weighs its options, and decides what it perceives. This normally happens effortlessly. Sometimes, however, an ambiguity is persistent, and the visual system waffles on which perception is right. Such instances interest scientists because they help us understand how the eyes and the brain make sense of what we see.
Neuroscientists find that two rare autism-related disorders are caused by opposing malfunctions in the brain
(Medical Xpress) -- Most cases of autism are not caused by a single genetic mutation. However, several disorders with autism-like symptoms, including the rare Fragile X syndrome, can be traced to a specific mutation. Several years ago, MIT neuroscientist Mark Bear discovered that this mutation leads to overproduction of proteins found in brain synapses -- the connections between neurons that allow them to communicate with each other.
How the brain strings words into sentences
(Medical Xpress) -- Distinct neural pathways are important for different aspects of language processing, researchers have discovered, studying patients with language impairments caused by neurodegenerative diseases.
Playing music alters the processing of multiple sensory stimuli in the brain
(Medical Xpress) -- Over the years pianists develop a particularly acute sense of the temporal correlation between the movements of the piano keys and the sound of the notes played. However, they are no better than non-musicians at assessing the synchronicity of lip movements and speech.
Researchers identify gene that causes rare dementing illness
(Medical Xpress) -- By studying family members suspected of having Alzheimer’s disease, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a gene that causes a rare disorder highlighted by memory loss and motor impairments, and that leads to an early death.
Research finds HIV-killing compound
(Medical Xpress) -- A powerful topical preventative for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, could soon be in the works thanks to a newly discovered molecular compound that research at Texas A&M University and the Scripps Research Institute shows dissolves the virus on contact.
Researchers rebuild the brain's circuitry
Neuron transplants have repaired brain circuitry and substantially normalized function in mice with a brain disorder, an advance indicating that key areas of the mammalian brain are more reparable than was widely believed.
Biology news
Infanticide: the biological parents are more often responsible
Several cases of infanticide have made headlines recently in Quebec: the Shafia affair in which a father and mother are accused of killing their three daughters, the case of François Tartamella accused of stabbing his ex and her daughter, and Guy Turcotte who is once again making headlines after being found guilty of killing his two children.
Climate change: South Africa has much to lose
(AP) -- Imagine the savannas of South Africa's flagship Kruger Park so choked with brush, viewing what game is left is nearly impossible. The Cape of Good Hope without penguins. The Karoo desert's seasonal symphony of wildflowers silenced.
Sweet success: First recorded wild breeding from captive-bred Regent Honeyeater
(PhysOrg.com) -- A captive-bred Regent Honeyeater (Anthochaera phrygia) has given efforts to save the species in Victoria a boost by successfully raising young in the wild.
Polyandry drives increased embryo viability
An experimental evolutionary study on house mice (Mus musculus) has found multiple mating is beneficial for both males and females.
Oil palms and conservation -- do they mix?
Conservation science can help protect the variety of living things in tropical landscapes even if they are being turned into oil palm plantations, new research argues.
Pregnancy is a drag for bottlenose dolphins
Lumbering around during the final weeks before delivery is tough for any pregnant mum. Most females adjust their movements to compensate for the extreme physical changes that accompany the later stages of pregnancy. However, no one had been able to find a distinct gait change – such as a change in stride length or frequency – associated with the latter stages of pregnancy.
How bats ?hear? objects in their path
(PhysOrg.com) -- By placing real and virtual objects in the flight paths of bats, scientists at the Universities of Bristol and Munich have shed new light on how echolocation works. Their research is published today in Behavioural Processes.
Surprise role of nuclear structure protein in development
Scientists have long held theories about the importance of proteins called B-type lamins in the process of embryonic stem cells replicating and differentiating into different varieties of cells. New research from a team led by Carnegie's Yixian Zheng indicates that, counter to expectations, these B-type lamins are not necessary for stem cells to renew and develop, but are necessary for proper organ development. Their work is published November 24 by Science Express.
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