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Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for December 28, 2011:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Remembrance of things future: Long-term memory sets the stage for visual perception- Holographic 3-D looks tantalizingly closer in 2012
- Controversial research on bird flu
- NASA twin spacecraft GRAIL on final approach for moon orbit
- Diet, nutrient levels linked to cognitive ability, brain shrinkage
- The perils of 'bite-size' science
- A new cat in adulthood can up your allergy risk
- Scientists discover a brain cell malfunction in schizophrenia
- Team uses high-tech optical technique to pull sound from 125 year old recordings
- Research shows ocean bacteria glow to attract those that would eat them
- Weather deserves medal for clean air during 2008 Olympics
- Space Image: Ring of fire
- Gentile cites positive, negative effects of video games on the brain in Nature Reviews article
- Study finds unexplored link between airlines' profitability and their accident rates
- Avastin disappoints against ovarian cancer
Space & Earth news
Cloud droplets, ready for prime time
(PhysOrg.com) -- Some make the cut, some don't. Like auditions for the school play, scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Goethe-University Frankfurt were looking for promising atmospheric particles that turn into cloud droplets, and then plotting their origins. Separating the formed droplets from the inactive particles, they uncovered the chemical structure of those that formed droplets. In doing so, they devised a method that can be used in real-life scenes to characterize these promising particles. Their research was published in Atmospheric Measurement Techniques.
As seen from space: Volcanic eruption creates new island in the red sea
Looking for some new lake-front property? Here’s the newest available on the planet. Volcanic activity in the Red Sea that started in mid-December has created what looks like a new island. The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite captured a high-resolution, natural-color image on December 23, 2011 showing an apparent island where previously there was none. Here, a thick plume of volcanic ash still rises from the new island.
What if the earth had two moons?
The idea of an Earth with two moons has been a science fiction staple for decades. More recently, real possibilities of an Earth with two moon have popped up. The properties of the Moon’s far side has many scientists thinking that another moon used to orbit the Earth before smashing in to the Moon and becoming part of its mass. Since 2006, astronomers have been tracking smaller secondary moons that our own Earth-Moon system captures; these metre-wide moons stay for a few months then leave.
Japanese tsunami debris scatters in the Pacific Ocean, possibly heading to US
Debris from the tsunami that devastated Japan in March could reach the United States as early as this winter, according to predictions by NOAA scientists. However, they warn there is still a large amount of uncertainty over exactly what is still floating, where it's located, where it will go, and when it will arrive. Responders now have a challenging, if not impossible situation on their hands: How do you deal with debris that could now impact U.S. shores, but is difficult to find?
The impact of human activities on a selection of lakes in Tanzania
An increase in human activity is posing a threat to natural aquatic ecosystems in Tanzania and contributing to environmental damage and ecological changes. Doctoral research carried out by Hezron Emmanuel Nonga shows that agriculture and livestock farming leads to eutrophication in lakes and the proliferation of cyanobacteria which produce microcystins. New information about microcystins and other mycotoxins in Tanzanian lakes is useful for appraising the risk linked to drinking water and edible fish, which in turn affects the health of both humans and animals.
Space Image: Ring of fire
(PhysOrg.com) -- This composite image shows the central region of the spiral galaxy NGC 4151. X-rays (blue) from the Chandra X-ray Observatory are combined with optical data (yellow) showing positively charged hydrogen (H II) from observations with the 1-meter Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope on La Palma. The red ring shows neutral hydrogen detected by radio observations with the NSF's Very Large Array. This neutral hydrogen is part of a structure near the center of NGC 4151 that has been distorted by gravitational interactions with the rest of the galaxy, and includes material falling towards the center of the galaxy. The yellow blobs around the red ellipse are regions where star formation has recently occurred.
Weather deserves medal for clean air during 2008 Olympics
(PhysOrg.com) -- New research suggests that China's impressive feat of cutting Beijing's pollution up to 50 percent for the 2008 Summer Olympics had some help from Mother Nature. Rain just at the beginning and wind during the Olympics likely contributed about half of the effort needed to clean up the skies, scientists found. The results also suggest emission controls need to be more widely implemented than in 2008 if pollution levels are to be reduced permanently.
NASA twin spacecraft GRAIL on final approach for moon orbit
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's twin spacecraft to study the moon from crust to core are nearing their New Year's Eve and New Year's Day main-engine burns to place the duo in lunar orbit.
Technology news
NYTimes floods inboxes with subscription email
The New York Times accidentally flooded email inboxes on Wednesday when a message destined for a few readers who had canceled their subscriptions ended up going out to millions.
Running a country? There's an app for that, almost
(AP) -- Britain's government says experts are considering developing a bespoke iPad app that would deliver key data straight to Prime Minister David Cameron's tablet computer.
China cuts 2012 rare earths export quota
(AP) -- China announced a cut Tuesday in its rare earths export quota as it tries to shore up sagging prices for the exotic metals used in mobile phones and other high-tech goods.
Review: Scrutinizing your presence on Facebook
(AP) -- Here's one way to sum up 2011: I added 71 people as Facebook friends, shared 26 links and commented on 98 of my friends' status updates. I was tagged in 33 photos and added 18 of my own to the site.
Holiday shopping online rockets in US
US consumers turned in record levels to the Internet for holiday shopping this year, further boosting online sellers' share of the huge national retail pie.
Team uses high-tech optical technique to pull sound from 125 year old recordings
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have succeeded in using 3D optical scanning technology to effectively lift the voices from 125 year old recordings created by researchers working in Alexander Graham Bell’s Volta laboratory. The recordings were made on various media as researchers tried to improve the sound quality of Thomas Edison’s recently invented phonograph.
Holographic 3-D looks tantalizingly closer in 2012
(PhysOrg.com) -- Applications like holographic TV have long been relegated as the next big thing in the distant future but a Leuven, Belgium-based R&D lab for nanoelectronics has come up with a process that might bring holographic images closer to realtime.
Medicine & Health news
New fee coming for medical effectiveness research
Starting in 2012, the government will charge a new fee to your health insurance plan for research to find out which drugs, medical procedures, tests and treatments work best. But what will Americans do with the answers?
Student team's glucose sensor uses DNA instead of chemicals
People with diabetes may one day have a less expensive resource for monitoring their blood glucose levels, if research by a group of Missouri University of Science and Technology students becomes reality.
Preventive care: It's free, except when it's not
(AP) -- Bill Dunphy thought his colonoscopy would be free.
France approves soda tax
France's top constitutional body on Wednesday approved a new tax on sugary drinks that aims to fight obesity while giving a boost to state coffers.
Oklahoma baby is 3rd sickened by rare bacteria
(AP) -- An Oklahoma baby is the third infant this month sickened by bacteria sometimes associated with tainted infant formula.
Panels recommend gearing back on prostate-cancer screenings, cancer
A blood screening result that suggests prostate cancer is bound to provoke high anxiety - even though up to 80 percent of those findings turn out to be false positives.
French breast implant tycoon hits back as scandal grows
Holed up at his home in the south of France, the founder of troubled breast implant manufacturer PIP is fighting back against a growing international scandal over his allegedly faulty products.
Study suggests new way to ensure effectiveness of TB treatment
A UT Southwestern Medical Center study using a sophisticated "glass mouse" research model has found that multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is more likely caused in patients by speedy drug metabolism rather than inconsistent doses, as is widely believed.
An inside look at face transplantation
In March 2011, a surgical team at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) performed the first full face transplantation (FFT) in the United States and went on to complete a total of three FFTs this year. Now, in the first research publication to evaluate FFT in the US, and largest series worldwide, the researchers describe details of patient preparation, novel design and execution of the operation as well as unique immunosuppression protocol allowing for lowest long-term maintenance drug regimen. They also share details of the early functional outcomes and demonstrate FFT as a viable option in the treatment of severe facial deformities and injuries. This research is published in the New England Journal of Medicine in the December 27, 2011 issue.
Targeted therapy extends progression-free survival of patients with advanced ovarian cancer
Targeted drugs, which block or disrupt particular molecules involved in the growth of tumors, have been shown to be effective treatments against many types of cancer. A new phase 3 clinical trial conducted by the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) showed that a targeted therapy called bevacizumab (Avastin) effectively delayed the progression of advanced ovarian cancer. Patients with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer now typically undergo surgery and chemotherapy, but the new research suggests an additional avenue of treatment. The results of the trial appear in the December 29 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Ovarian cancer study proves drug delays disease progression, may improve survival
Treating ovarian cancer with the drug bevacizumab ("Avastin") delays the disease and may also improve survival, show the results of an international clinical trial co-led by Drs. Amit Oza of the Princess Margaret Cancer Program, University Health Network and Timothy Perren, St James's Institute of Oncology, Leeds, UK.
Turn down the iPod to save your hearing
(PhysOrg.com) -- Today's ubiquitous MP3 players permit users to listen to crystal-clear tunes at high volume for hours on end — a marked improvement on the days of the Walkman. But according to Tel Aviv University research, these advances have also turned personal listening devices into a serious health hazard, with teenagers as the most at-risk group.
New clues as to why some older people may be losing their memory
New research links 'silent strokes,' or small spots of dead brain cells, found in about one out of four older adults to memory loss in the elderly. The study is published in the January 3, 2012, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Innovative approach successfully maps susceptibility to type 2 diabetes
Research carried out at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has provided the first proof of molecular risk factors leading to type 2 diabetes, providing an “early warning” sign that could lead to new approaches to treating this and other human disease conditions.
Controversial research on bird flu
In a top-security lab in the Netherlands, scientists guard specimens of a super-killer influenza that slays half of those it infects and spreads easily from victim to victim.
Gentile cites positive, negative effects of video games on the brain in Nature Reviews article
(Medical Xpress) -- Douglas Gentile says his own research has found both positive and negative effects from playing video games. And the Iowa State University associate professor of psychology cites examples of both in a new article he coauthored in the December issue of Nature Reviews/Neuroscience.
Scientists discover a brain cell malfunction in schizophrenia
Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered that DNA stays too tightly wound in certain brain cells of schizophrenic subjects.
Diet, nutrient levels linked to cognitive ability, brain shrinkage
New research has found that elderly people with higher levels of several vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids in their blood had better performance on mental acuity tests and less of the brain shrinkage typical of Alzheimer's disease – while "junk food" diets produced just the opposite result.
A new cat in adulthood can up your allergy risk
(Medical Xpress) -- According to a new study published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, getting a cat for the first time as an adult can nearly double your chances of developing allergies to the cat dander.
The perils of 'bite-size' science
Short, fast, and frequent: Those 21st-century demands on publication have radically changed the news, politics, and culture—for the worse, many say. Now an article in January's Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal published by the Association for Psychological Science, aims a critique at a similar trend in psychological research. The authors, psychologists Marco Bertamini of the University of Liverpool and Marcus Munafò of the University of Bristol, call it "bite-size science"—papers based on one or a few studies and small samples.
Avastin disappoints against ovarian cancer
Avastin, the blockbuster drug that just lost approval for treating breast cancer, now looks disappointing against ovarian cancer, too. Two studies found it did not improve survival for most of these patients and kept their disease from worsening for only a few months, with more side effects.
Remembrance of things future: Long-term memory sets the stage for visual perception
(Medical Xpress) -- Rather than being a passive state, perception is an active process fueled by predictions and expectations about our environment. In the latter case, memory must be a fundamental component in the way our brain generates these precursors to the perceptual experience – but how the brain integrates long-term memory with perception has not been determined. Recently, however, researchers in the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford, by devising a method for integrating memory and attention, showed how LTM optimizes perception by varying brain states associated with anticipation of spatial localization in the visual field. The scientists also used fMRI to articulate a neural network involving a number of cortical areas likely to be active in the predictive use of memory in the visual cortex.
Biology news
DNA duplications may be responsible for genomic-based diseases
An important part of saving a species is often understanding its DNA. Through a collaborative effort including 14 scientists representing organizations across Europe and the United States, researchers have been able to analyze the genome of the great ape species of the world.
Microbial communities on skin affect humans' attractiveness to mosquitoes
The microbes on your skin determine how attractive you are to mosquitoes, which may have important implications for malaria transmission and prevention, according to a study published Dec. 28 in the online journal PLoS ONE.
Research shows ocean bacteria glow to attract those that would eat them
(PhysOrg.com) -- In most situations in the wild, animals develop abilities to help them avoid being eaten. The chameleon, for example, can change its color to avoid being seen by predators. What’s less usual, are animals or organisms that develop abilities that do the opposite, i.e. develop traits that encourage predators to eat them. But that’s just what certain ocean bacteria appear to do. Margarita Zarubin, a marine science grad student in Israel, and her colleagues have shown, as they report in their paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, that a certain type of bioluminescent bacteria glow to attract the attention of other organisms, so as to be eaten; and they do so as a means of assisted dispersal.
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