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Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for January 13, 2012:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Binary star system found by following gamma-ray signal- Amazon announces it's ready to accept e-books in new KF8 format
- How dogs can walk on ice without freezing their paws
- Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's LAMP reveals lunar surface features
- Twist-and-glow molecules aid rapid gas detection
- Particle-free silver ink prints small, high-performance electronics
- Chemical signal helps plants control their "breathing"
- New silicon probe assists in disease diagnostics and drug discovery
- Cold winters caused by warmer summers, research suggests
- NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor to power Audi's next-gen infotainment and digital instrument clusters
- Energy-saving chaperon Hsp90
- Discovery of plant 'nourishing gene' brings hope for increased crop seed yield and food security
- Superconducting current limiter guarantees electricity supply of the Boxberg power plant
- Uncertainty grows over Russia Mars probe crash site
- Surprising results from smoke inhalation study
Space & Earth news
Creation of database for promising adsorbents for decontamination of radioactive substances from nuclear power plants
(PhysOrg.com) -- NIMS is collecting basic data on natural minerals produced in various regions and inorganic materials with different chemical compositions as a tool for selecting suitable materials, and will make this information available in a NIMS Materials database (MatNavi).
Major environmental study finds traces of many drugs in Swedish waters
(PhysOrg.com) -- High levels of the anti-inflammatory substance diclofenac are released from wastewater plants, according to a study from IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute and Umeå University that was commissioned by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. – This is a wake-up call that this substance and several other pharmaceuticals are so difficult to break down, says Jan Christiansson, the officer in charge at the Swedish EPA.
Cassini testing part of its radio system
Engineers with NASA's Cassini mission are conducting diagnostic testing on a part of the spacecraft's radio system after its signal was not detected on Earth during a tracking pass in late December. The spacecraft has been communicating with Earth using a backup part.
Spacecraft completes biggest maneuver
NASA's Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft successfully refined its flight path Wednesday with the biggest maneuver planned for the mission's journey between Earth and Mars.
Managing private and public adaptation to climate change
New research has found that individuals and the private sector have an important role to play in the provision of public policies to help society adapt to the impacts of climate change.
NASA cold weather airborne campaign to measure falling snow 01.12.12
Beginning Jan. 17, NASA will fly an airborne science laboratory above Canadian snowstorms to tackle a difficult challenge facing the upcoming Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) satellite mission -- measuring snowfall from space.
Space station to move to avoid oncoming junk
(AP) -- The International Space Station is dodging a softball-sized piece of space junk.
Economic incentives could massively reduce deforestation emissions in Indonesia, yield billions of dollars
Indonesia has the potential to realize major reductions in national greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation, and simultaneously earn significant new income for national and regional governments, if policies to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) are developed with strong and specific economic incentives, said scientists in a new paper published in the leading scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Russia says its spacecraft may crash into Atlantic
(AP) -- Russia's space agency has adjusted its forecast for the crash of a failed spacecraft, saying it may shower its fragments into the south Atlantic.
Japanese whalers hand over Australian activists
Three activists who boarded a Japanese whaling ship on the high seas were Friday successfully transferred to an Australian customs vessel after Tokyo agreed to release them without charge.
Cold winters caused by warmer summers, research suggests
Scientists have offered up a convincing explanation for the harsh winters recently experienced in the Northern Hemisphere; increasing temperatures and melting ice in the Arctic regions creating more snowfall in the autumn months at lower latitudes.
New study urges smart targeting of pollution sources to save lives and climate
Researchers at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) at the University of York have played a key role in a new study that shows that implementing 14 key air pollution control measures could slow the pace of global warming, save millions of lives and boost agricultural production.
Quasicrystal is extraterrestrial in origin
A rare and exotic mineral, so unusual that it was thought impossible to exist, came to Earth on a meteorite, according to an international team of researchers led by Princeton University scientists. The discovery provides evidence for the extraterrestrial origins of the world's only known sample of a naturally occurring quasicrystal.
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's LAMP reveals lunar surface features
New maps produced by the Lyman Alpha Mapping Project aboard NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter reveal features at the Moon's northern and southern poles in regions that lie in perpetual darkness. LAMP, developed by Southwest Research Institute, uses a novel method to peer into these so-called permanently shadowed regions (PSRs), making visible the invisible. LAMP's principal investigator is Dr. Alan Stern, associate vice president of the SwRI Space Science and Engineering Division.
Researchers discover novel chemical route to form organic molecules
An international team of scientists led by University of Hawai‘i at M?noa Professor Ralf I. Kaiser, Alexander M. Mebel of Florida International University, and Alexander Tielens of Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands, discovered a novel chemical route to form polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) – complex organic molecules such as naphthalene carrying fused benzene rings – in ultra-cold regions of interstellar space. The team announced their findings in the January 3 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Funding for the study was provided by the U.S. Department of Energy, Basic Energy Sciences.
Earthly machine recreates star's sizzling-hot surface
Since we can't go to the stars yet, let's bring the stars to us. In a giant X-ray-producing facility, astronomers and plasma physicists have heated a cigar-sized sample of gas to over 17,000 degrees Fahrenheit in order to replicate the surface of stars called white dwarfs.
New map of the universe reveals its history for the past six-billion years
The scientists of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), including astronomers at Penn State, have produced a new map of the universe that is in full color, covers more than one quarter of the entire sky, and is full of so much detail that you would need five-hundred-thousand high-definition TVs to view it all. The map consists of more than one-trillion pixels measured by meticulously scanning the sky with a special-purpose telescope located in New Mexico. This week, at the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Austin, Texas, the SDSS scientists announced results of four separate studies of this new map that, taken together, provide a history of the universe over the last six-billion years.
Uncertainty grows over Russia Mars probe crash site
Uncertainty about where a doomed Russian Mars probe might crash back to Earth grew Friday when the Roscosmos space agency changed its prediction thousands of miles (kilometres) from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean.
Binary star system found by following gamma-ray signal
(PhysOrg.com) -- To find a binary star system, which is where two stars are in close proximity to one another, astronomers have traditionally relied on pure luck. They’d first start studying what would look like a single star, then look for a radiation signal that would provide them with more information. Such a system clearly isn’t the best approach to finding such binaries, so a group of researchers have turned the tables around so to speak, as they describe in their paper published in Science, and have found a binary by first finding its gamma-ray signal and then tracing it back to its origin.
Technology news
Brazil: Checking email after hours? It's overtime
(AP) -- Brazilian workers who find themselves answering work emails on their smartphones after the end of their shifts can qualify for overtime under a new law.
Zynga lures mobile gaming exec away from rival EA
(AP) -- Online game maker Zynga Inc. has lured away an executive from rival Electronic Arts Inc.
Senior-driving study eyes safer roadways
For some, a GPS is an invaluable part of a lengthy commute, helping drivers navigate unfamiliar cities. For others – and seniors, in particular – a GPS, along with a number of other automotive gadgets, often proves a distraction, doing more harm than good.
Crowd too big, Beijing Apple store cancels sale
(AP) -- Raw eggs splattered and streaked the gleaming windows of Beijing's Apple store Friday, hurled by angry and frustrated shoppers when the launch of the iPhone 4S was canceled due to fears over the size of the crowd.
US video game sales drop 21 percent in December
(AP) -- U.S. retail sales of video game hardware, software and accessories fell 21 percent in December from a year ago to $3.99 billion as players bought fewer games for their aging consoles, according to market researcher NPD Group.
Gadget Watch: ATM turns your old phone into cash
(AP) -- The International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is all about the latest smartphones, tablet computers and other devices. But what about the old gadgets? Don't they get any love?
Twitter co-founder complains of Chinese blocking
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey arrived on a visit to China on Thursday and complained of the blocking of his popular service in an online exchange with Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.
Development of positive electrode materials for low-cost and high-performance lithium-ion secondary batteries
Mitsuharu Tabuchi (Senior Researcher), Ionics Research Group, the Research Institute for Ubiquitous Energy Devices (Director: Tetsuhiko Kobayashi) of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST; President: Tamotsu Nomakuchi), has developed two types of new oxide material (namely, Li1+x(Fe0.3Mn0.7)1-xO2 and Li1+x(Fe0.3Mn0.5Ti0.2)1-xO2) for the positive electrode of lithium-ion secondary batteries in collaboration with Junji Akimoto (Leader), Crystal and Materials Processes Group, the Advanced Manufacturing Research Institute (Director: Nobumitsu Murayama) of AIST and Junichi Imaizumi (Manager), Technology Development Team 5, Technology Development Department of Tanaka Chemical Corporation (Tanaka Chemical; President: Tamotsu Tanaka). Approximately 30 % of the total amount of transition metals in these newly developed oxide materials is made up of iron, which is a low-cost and resource-wise abundant metal.
Calif. imposes battery charger energy standards
(AP) -- California will require cellphones, tablets and hundreds of other electronic devices to have energy-efficient battery chargers beginning next year.
Giving the electricity network more grunt
A new Queensland University of Technology (QUT) research project aims to overcome one of Australia's main hurdles to the increased use of wind and solar energy.
Air France fined 146,000 euros for 'poisoned' coffee
A French court on Friday ordered Air France to pay 146,000 euros (186,000 dollars) to compensate a passenger who said he was served poisoned coffee on a domestic flight in 2006.
India gov't agrees to prosecute Google, Facebook
India's government authorised on Friday the prosecution of 21 Internet firms including Facebook and Google in a case over obscene content posted online, two sources told AFP.
S.Korea lifts ban on Internet for electioneering
South Korea's election watchdog lifted a ban using Twitter and other social networking sites for campaigning ahead of key polls later this year.
Gadget Watch: Control a PC with body motions
(AP) -- Don't trash your keyboard and mouse just yet. But three companies at the International Consumer Electronics Show demonstrated depth-sensing cameras that let you to control your computer by moving your hands or body.
Next-generation light bulb shines at CES
A California startup out to change the world shined at the Consumer Electronics Show on Thursday with a light bulb blending beauty and efficiency with love for the Earth.
Some dating websites do not remove GPS data from photos
(PhysOrg.com) -- While the majority of dating websites do a good job of managing the privacy of their users, a class research project at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business found that 21 of 90 dating websites the class examined did not properly remove location data from pictures uploaded by their users.
New silicon probe assists in disease diagnostics and drug discovery
IBM scientists have developed a flexible, non-contact microfluidic probe made from silicon can aid researchers and pathologists to investigate critical tissue samples accurately for disease diagnostics and drug discovery.
Medicine & Health news
Educating women about heart attacks could save lives
Heart attacks in women go largely unrecognized 30 to 55 percent of the time and those who miss the warning signs and fail or delay getting help, run the risk of death or grave disability. But researchers at Binghamton University and SUNY Upstate Medical University have developed an educational program they believe will shorten the time to treatment and ultimately, save lives.
Finding the silent killer -- a biomarker test for atherosclerosis
Furring of the arteries, atherosclerosis, is a leading cause of death across the world. Atherosclerosis leads to peripheral arterial disease, coronary heart disease, stroke and heart attacks. However, atherosclerosis is a sneaky killer - most people do not realize they have it until they have cardiovascular disease (CV). New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Medical Genomics has identified a set of biomarkers which can be used to test for early stage atherosclerosis.
Research helping combat drug addiction
(Medical Xpress) -- Better help with battling drug addiction could be at hand as a result of research underway at Victoria University of Wellington.
Health insurance no guarantee for diabetes care in developing countries
As incomes rise around the world, health experts expect a more troubling figure to increase as well: the number of diabetics in developing countries.
Processed meat may increase pancreatic cancer risk
(Medical Xpress) -- Eating too much processed meat may increases the risk of pancreatic cancer, according to new research published in the British Journal of Cancer.
Expert says lessons should be learned from breast implant crisis
The social, and psychological reasons women have breast implant surgery are complex and multi-faceted says Professor Julie Kent a sociologist from the Center for Health & Clinical Research at UWE Bristol. These considerations, as well as ethical issues, need to be part of the debate on faulty breast implants, in order for lessons to be learned from the current crisis says Professor Kent.
India marks 1 year since last polio case
(AP) -- The top U.S. health official administered polio vaccination drops to children in New Delhi on Friday as India marked one year since its last case of the crippling disease.
University of Kentucky offers stroke stem cell trial
The University of Kentucky will be the first site in the state and one of a select few in the entire country participating in the first stages of a groundbreaking study to investigate the effects of MultiStem, a human adult stem cell product, on patients with acute ischemic stroke. The phase II clinical trial, known as Atherys stroke protocol B01-02, was recently approved by UK's institutional review board.
The concept of 'overactive bladder' serves better commercial rather than patient interests
"The overactive bladder syndrome has become an accepted way to simplify a complex array of symptoms and leads people to believe that an overactive bladder is an independent disease in itself. However, the truth is not as simple as this, as there are usually several factors at work explaining the symptoms. This is also one of the reasons why so called overactive bladder medications often do not bring the hoped result," says Kari Tikkinen, MD, PhD, from the HUCS Department of Urology.
Software for analyzing digital pathology images proving its usefulness
As tissue slides are more routinely digitized to aid interpretation, a software program whose design was led by the University of Michigan Health System is proving its utility.
German bosses call to ban cigarette breaks at work
Two major German employers' lobby groups called on Friday for workers to be banned from smoking cigarettes during work hours, saying it harmed productivity and cost firms money.
German firm denies wrongdoing in breast implant scandal
German chemicals distributor Brenntag denied Friday any wrongdoing in the health scandal surrounding French-made breast implants.
Occasional marijuana use doesn't harm lungs, study finds
Smoking marijuana on an occasional basis does not appear to significantly damage the lungs, according to a new study.
Expectant mothers on antidepressants risk newborns with high blood pressure
Mothers who take anti-depressants during pregnancy are more likely to give birth to children with persistent pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the lungs) finds a study published today on bmj.com.
A muffin makeover: Dispelling the low-fat-is-healthy myth
Dozens of studies, many from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers, have shown that low-fat diets are no better for health than moderate- or high-fat diets—and for many people, may be worse.
The microbiome and disease: Gut bacteria influence the severity of heart attacks in rats
New research published online in the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) suggests that the types and levels of bacteria in the intestines may be used to predict a person's likelihood of having a heart attack, and that manipulating these organisms may help reduce heart attack risk. This discovery may lead to new diagnostic tests and therapies that physicians use to prevent and treat heart attacks. In addition, this research suggests that probiotics may be able to protect the heart in patients undergoing heart surgery and angioplasty.
Australia fumes over smoking kangaroos
The Australian government on Friday hit out at British American Tobacco for using images of kangaroos to sell its cigarettes in Europe, telling the company to "get your hands off our icons".
New international research defends genome-wide association studies
(Medical Xpress) -- Since 2005, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have successfully identified thousands of genes responsible for common human diseases.
Scientists find link between gene and sensitivity to emotional environment
Researchers at the University of Essex have shown that a genetic variant could make some people more sensitive to their emotional environment - and more susceptible to anxiety disorders - than others. The study, funded by the Wellcome Trust, could have implications for predicting how well individual patients will respond to treatments for anxiety disorders.
A gender-biased metric guides funding decisions in psychology research
How do psychologists gauge scientific impact? One way is the so-called “journal impact factor,” or JIF, a ranking of a journal derived from the number of citations by other authors to all of the articles it has published in a given year. But JIF isn’t just a statistical abstraction. “JIFs are increasingly used to assess and predict the merits of academic work,” which leads to decisions about hiring, promotion, and the allocation of scarce resources to researchers, says University of Surrey psychologist Peter Hegarty.
Study shows 32 million Americans have autoantibodies that target their own tissues
More than 32 million people in the United States have autoantibodies, which are proteins made by the immune system that target the body's tissues and define a condition known as autoimmunity, a study shows. The first nationally representative sample looking at the prevalence of the most common type of autoantibody, known as antinuclear antibodies (ANA), found that the frequency of ANA is highest among women, older individuals, and African-Americans. The study was conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health. Researchers in Gainesville at the University of Florida also participated.
Brain glia cells increase their DNA content to preserve vital blood-brain barrier
The blood-brain barrier is essential for maintaining the brain's stable environment—preventing entry of harmful viruses and bacteria and isolating the brain's specific hormonal and neurotransmitter activity from that in the rest of the body.
I recognize you! But how did I do it?
Are you someone who easily recognises everyone you've ever met? Or maybe you struggle, even with familiar faces? It is already known that we are better at recognising faces from our own race but researchers have only recently questioned how we assimilate the information we use to recognise people.
Wearing contact lenses can affect glaucoma measurements
A study about how wearing contact lenses affects glaucoma measurements has been named the top presentation at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine's annual St. Albert's Day research symposium.
Researchers identify possible receptor for key breast cancer regulator
A key protein potentially involved in regulating breast cancer progression has been identified by researchers at Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y. Led by professor Costel Darie, the team worked to identify the binding partner of Tumor Differentiating Factor (TDF), a pituitary hormone that had previously been shown to reduce cancer progression in breast cancer cells.
Keeping an eye on the Japanese genome
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common disease that can result in blindness. It is caused by cell death in the eye’s retina, which is partly responsible for transforming visual stimuli into electrical signals to the brain. Asian populations tend to exhibit a particular type of the disease, called exudative AMD, which includes changes in the blood vessels of the eye. Caucasians, however, tend to exhibit AMD without these vascular abnormalities. Now, a research team led by Michiaki Kubo at the RIKEN Center for Genomic Medicine in Yokohama has identified four genomic areas that increase the risk for exudative AMD in Japanese individuals.
Surprising results from smoke inhalation study
A Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine study includes some unexpected findings about the immune systems of smoke-inhalation patients.
Faulty proteins may prove significant in identifying new treatments for ovarian cancer
A constellation of defective proteins suspected in causing a malfunction in the body's ability to repair its own DNA could be the link scientists need to prove a new class of drugs will be effective in treating a broad range of ovarian cancer patients, an Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute study found.
Biology news
Fly named in honor of Beyonce
A previously un-named species of horse fly whose appearance is dominated by its glamorous golden lower abdomen has been named in honour of American pop diva, Beyoncé – a member of the former group Destiny's Child, that recorded the 2001 hit single, Bootylicious.
Learning from lizards
The speedy lizard was streaking across the tabletop when suddenly one foot hit a slippery spot.
Titanium dioxide film enhances the sun's natural disinfection power
The world population is estimated to be seven billion and all these mouths need feeding. With fears about overfishing and the sustainability of fish stocks in our seas fish farming is becoming big business. As with all farming there are issues about maintaining the health of stock and how to prevent bacterial infection. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Microbiology demonstrates that a prototype water purification reactor containing a thin film of titanium dioxide (TiO2) is able to enhance the sun's natural disinfection properties This device could reduce the need for expensive antibiotics or poisonous chemicals.
Discovery in Africa gives insight for Australian Hendra virus outbreaks
A new study on African bats provides a vital clue for unravelling the mysteries in Australia's battle with the deadly Hendra virus.
Researchers find Sydney whales unfazed by whale watching
A team of researchers from Macquarie University and Taronga Zoo has just released the results of a study into the effects of whale watching on the behavior of migrating humpback whales.
Rugged new strawberry has a hint of pineapple
(PhysOrg.com) -- Strawberry lovers will soon have Herriot -- a sweet treat featuring a flavor reminiscent of historic varieties and a slight pineapple overtone -- to look forward to, thanks to a new variety of large, heart-shaped fruit developed by Cornell.
Wasp rediscovered after almost 100 years
Two entomologists in search of one insect have discovered two others: a tiny wasp that hadn't been seen in North America in nearly 100 years, and one that has never been recorded here.
Chemical signal helps plants control their "breathing"
For most plants, staying alive means adapting quickly to a constantly changing environment. In a drought, staving off water loss is vital. On a sunny day, absorbing carbon dioxide to generate energy through photosynthesis is key. Now, researchers have discovered how plants regulate the development of stomata, the pores through which these critical exchanges with the environment occur.
Energy-saving chaperon Hsp90
A special group of proteins, the so-called chaperons, helps other proteins to obtain their correct conformation. Until now scientists supposed that hydrolyzing ATP provides the energy for the large conformational changes of chaperon Hsp90. Now a research team from the Nanosystems Initiative Munich could prove that Hsp90 utilizes thermal fluctuations as the driving force for its conformational changes. The renowned journal PNAS reports on their findings.
Discovery of plant 'nourishing gene' brings hope for increased crop seed yield and food security
University of Warwick scientists have discovered a "nourishing gene" which controls the transfer of nutrients from plant to seed - a significant step which could help increase global food production.
How dogs can walk on ice without freezing their paws
Scientists in Japan have solved a long-standing veterinary mystery: how dogs can stand and walk for so long on snow and ice without apparent discomfort, and without freezing their paws.
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