Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for January 30, 2012:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Scientists rediscover self-healing silicone mechanism from the 1950s- The hidden nanoworld of ice crystals: Revealing the dynamic behavior of quasi-liquid layers
- Nanotube growth theory experimentally confirmed
- Researchers turn skin cells into neural precusors, bypassing stem-cell stage
- New study confirms that mom's love good for child's brain
- Mouse to elephant? Just wait 24 million generations
- Researchers rewrite textbook on location of brain's speech processing center
- Many bodies make one coherent burst of light: Researchers see superfluorescence from solid-state material
- Quantum physicists shed new light on relation between entanglement and nonlocality
- Nanotube-based terahertz polarizer nears perfection
- Music training has biological impact on aging process
- New study may answer questions about enigmatic Little Ice Age
- Bright lights of purity: Researchers discover why pure quantum dots and nanorods shine brighter
- Cutting off the oxygen supply to serious diseases
- NASA hopes to test new spaceship in 2014
Space & Earth news
NuSTAR spacecraft arrives in California
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, mission arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California Friday morning after a cross-country trip by truck from the Orbital Sciences Corporation's manufacturing plant in Dulles, Va. The mission is scheduled to launch from Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean on March 14.
Voyage to the most isolated base on Earth
Alexander Kumar, the next ESA-sponsored crewmember to stay in Concordia, has arrived safely at the research base in Antarctica. The voyage to one of the remotest places on Earth takes even longer than the voyage to the International Space Station.
UN panel says retool world economy for sustainability
The world can no longer afford to ignore the environmental cost of economic growth and must redefine the very concept of national wealth, a UN panel of heads of state and environment ministers said Monday.
The Arctic is already suffering the effects of a dangerous climate change
Two decades after the United Nations established the Framework Convention on Climate Change in order to "prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system", the Arctic shows the first signs of a dangerous climate change. A team of researchers led by CSIC assures so in an article published in the latest issue of the Nature Climate Change magazine.
Japan studies flora and fauna near Fukushima plant
Japanese scientists are studying how radiation has affected plants and animals living near the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, according to an official.
Remote sensing places nature at our fingertips
When the crew of Apollo 17 snapped the famous Blue Marble photo of Earth in 1972, they gave humanity its first truly global perspective on the planet we all call home. The image helped spark recognition of Earth as having a finite and fragile environment.
Cloud streets off of the Aleutian Islands
(PhysOrg.com) -- Strong winds polished the snow of southwestern Alaska and stretched marine stratocumulus clouds into long, parallel streets in early January, 2012. After crossing Bristol Bay, the winds scraped the clouds across the tall volcanic peaks of the Aleutian Islands. As the wind impacted the immobile mountains, the airflow became turbulent, swirling in symmetric eddies and carving intricate patterns into the clouds on the leeward side of the islands.
First Vega rocket assembled on launch pad
(PhysOrg.com) -- ESA’s new Vega rocket is now fully assembled on its launch pad. Final preparations are in full swing for the rocket’s inaugural flight from Europe’s Spaceport. The launch window opens on 9 February.
Asteroid to make closest approach since 1975
On Tuesday, January 31, asteroid 433 Eros will come closer to Earth than it has in 37 years, traveling across the night sky in the constellations Leo, Sextans and Hydra. At its closest pass of 16.6 million miles (26.7 million km) the relatively bright 21-mile (34-km) -wide asteroid will be visible with even modest backyard telescopes, approaching magnitude 8, possibly even 7. It hasn’t come this close since 1975, and won’t do so again until 2056!
Warming in the Tasman Sea a global warming hot spot
Oceanographers have identified a series of ocean hotspots around the world generated by strengthening wind systems that have driven oceanic currents, including the East Australian Current, polewards beyond their known boundaries.
Biodiversity enhances ecosystems global drylands: researchers
An international team of researchers including Dr. Bertrand Boeken of the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev suggest in a new study that plant biodiversity preservation is crucial to buffer negative effects of climate change and desertification in drylands.
NASA launching multi-player game on Facebook
NASA is seeking friends for a new game the US space agency launched on Facebook.
Nasa study solves case of Earth's 'missing energy'
(PhysOrg.com) -- Two years ago, scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., released a study claiming that inconsistencies between satellite observations of Earth's heat and measurements of ocean heating amounted to evidence of "missing energy" in the planet's system.
Hot molecule explains cold chemistry
(PhysOrg.com) -- Surprisingly, hydrogen cyanide and its far more energetic isomer, hydrogen isocyanide, are present in almost equal amounts in cold interstellar gas clouds. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics have succeeded in explaining how this happens through experiments carried out in the Heidelberg ion storage ring. During interstellar synthesis hydrogen cyanide forms as a hot hybrid from which the two isomers evolve in about equal quantities.
Blip in night sky tells story of cosmic catastrophe
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day, taken by Adam Block of the UA’s Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter, shows the aftermath of a stellar explosion that happened 25 million years ago in an odd-shaped galaxy that may have merged with a second galaxy.
Solar eclipse over the USA
Mark your calendar. On Sunday, May 20th, the sun is going to turn into a ring of fire. It's an annular solar eclipse--the first one in the USA in almost 18 years.
New study may answer questions about enigmatic Little Ice Age
A new University of Colorado Boulder-led study appears to answer contentious questions about the onset and cause of Earth's Little Ice Age, a period of cooling temperatures that began after the Middle Ages and lasted into the late 19th century.
NASA hopes to test new spaceship in 2014
There's no firm date yet, but sometime in early 2014 NASA intends to take its first major step toward rebuilding its human spaceflight program.
Earth's energy budget remained out of balance despite unusually low solar activity
A new NASA study underscores the fact that greenhouse gases generated by human activity -- not changes in solar activity -- are the primary force driving global warming.
Technology news
Darpa seeks new power dynamic for continuation of Moore's Law
Computational capability is an enabler for nearly every military system. But computational capability is increasingly limited by power requirements and the constraints on the ability to dissipate heat. One particular military computational need is found in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems where sensors collect more information than can be processed in real time. To continue to increase processing speed, new methods for controlling power constraints are required.
Gannett shares lower as quarterly profit slides
Gannett shares were down sharply on Monday after the publisher of USA Today and other newspapers reported a steep fall in fourth-quarter net profit.
Major electric utility buys US Solar Decathlon winner
WaterShed, the international-prize-winning solar house built by University of Maryland students, faculty and professional partners, has found a buyer and a permanent site: Electric service provider Pepco is purchasing the high-tech building, and plans to locate it at one of its facilities in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Japan's Fujifilm seeks tie-up with Olympus
Japanese film and camera maker Fujifilm has offered scandal-hit Olympus a capital and business tie-up, it said Monday as it announced a slump in third-quarter profits.
Thailand welcomes Twitter censorship tool
Thailand, which regularly cracks down on Internet content deemed critical of its revered monarchy, on Monday welcomed social media giant Twitter's controversial new censorship policy.
Electronic tattoo monitors brain, heart and muscles (w/ video)
Imagine if there were electronics able to prevent epileptic seizures before they happen. Or electronics that could be placed on the surface of a beating heart to monitor its functions. The problem is that such devices are a tough fit. Body tissue is soft and pliable while conventional circuits can be hard and brittle--at least until now.
Study of Maryland demonstrates Mid-Atlantic offshore wind capacity
(PhysOrg.com) -- Offshore wind farms could generate more than enough energy to meet Maryland’s annual electricity consumption, according to a just-published study by researchers at the University of Delaware. The potential power output is nearly double current energy demands for the state, even when taking into account various limitations on where to place equipment in the Atlantic.
Smart paint could revolutionize structural safety
An innovative low-cost smart paint that can detect microscopic faults in wind turbines, mines and bridges before structural damage occurs is being developed by researchers at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland.
New California rules require cleaner cars
California, long a national leader in cutting auto pollution, pushed the envelope further Friday as state regulators approved rules to cut greenhouse gas emissions from cars and put significantly more pollution-free vehicles on the road in coming years.
US lawmakers seek Google answers on privacy
Two US lawmakers have asked Google chief Larry Page to brief congress on changes to the Internet search giant's privacy policies, citing concerns about collection and sharing of personal data.
Web startups analyze investment choices
Silicon Valley, birthplace of personal finance and investment heavyweights like Intuit, Financial Engines and Mint, is percolating with new startups that help people manage their money and portfolios online.
Leaked documents indicate EU looking to reclassify carbon emissions from biofuels
(PhysOrg.com) -- In order to wean themselves from their dependence on oil derived from fossil fuels, many countries, consortiums, and other groups have put incentives in place for the growing of plants that could be used to create biofuels. Brazil is one example, they have converted much of their infrastructure to using fuel made from sugar cane. The United States is another example; the government offered subsidies and tax advantages for farmers who grow corn, to promote the production of ethanol. In Europe, the EU back in 2009 enacted laws that stipulated that renewable energy sources such as those derived from plants should make up a minimum of 10% of all fuels used for transportation purposes in the Eurozone by 2020. Unfortunately, it appears, according to a leaked report obtained by EurActiv, that the EU believes initial environmental impact reports were flawed and as a result the governing body is about to revise its estimates regarding the true environmental impact;! a move that could have a major implications regarding the future of biofuel use in Europe.
Big tech companies team up to combat email scams
Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!, AOL, Facebook and other big tech companies are jointly designing a system for combating email scams known as phishing.
Feds: Megaupload user data could be gone Thursday
Federal prosecutors say data from users of Megaupload could be deleted as soon as Thursday.
Self-guided bullet prototype can hit target a mile away
Take two Sandia National Laboratories engineers who are hunters, get them talking about the sport and it shouldn’t be surprising when the conversation leads to a patented design for a self-guided bullet that could help war fighters. (Click here for a video showing the prototype’s flight.)
Medicine & Health news
Two-arm blood pressure check indicator for risk from heart disease or death
A systematic review and meta-analysis carried out by researchers at the University of Exeter Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD) has found that differences in systolic blood pressure between arms could be a useful indicator of the likelihood of vascular risk and death.
Lumbar disc degeneration more likely in overweight and obese adults
One of the largest studies to investigate lumbar spine disc degeneration found that adults who are overweight or obese were significantly more likely to have disc degeneration than those with a normal body mass index (BMI). Assessments using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) show elevated BMI is associated with an increased number of levels of degenerated disks and greater severity of disc degeneration, including narrowing of the disc space. Details of this study now appear in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).
Carter Center gets $40M to eradicate Guinea worm
(AP) -- The Carter Center on Monday announced it received $40 million in donations to help fuel its mission to eradicate Guinea worm disease, a debilitating parasite that once plagued millions of people across the developing world.
Collaborative research sheds light on new cancer stem cell therapies
A collaborative anti-cancer research jointly conducted by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School and Nevada Cancer Institute has led to the development of a novel class of chemical inhibitors that specifically target cancer cells with pluripotency.
Making the most of your CT scan
X-ray photography has been used for decades for medical purposes. Now, scientists have found new ways of obtaining precise and comprehensive data from x-ray computer tomography. In the project BIO-CT-EXPLOIT, an international team of mathematicians, physicists, and engineers figured out new ways to extract valuable information from the data obtained in CT scans. The research project has led to new computer codes for medical applications. In future, they will be used for bone implants, surgery, and tissue engineering.
Project to improve radiotherapy planning
A collaborative project between physicists, oncologists and computer scientists at Oxford and Cambridge Universities, launched last month, will develop improved tools for the planning of high precision radiotherapy. Accel-RT will also help overcome time constraints that currently limit the use of complex radiotherapy treatment.
Drug firms sign up to new tropical disease fight
Key players in the pharmaceutical industry pledged on Monday to donate 14 billion drug treatments as part of a new, global push to eradicate tropical diseases.
A glass of milk a day could benefit your brain
Pouring at least one glass of milk each day could not only boost your intake of much-needed key nutrients, but it could also positively impact your brain and mental performance, according to a recent study in the International Dairy Journal. Researchers found that adults with higher intakes of milk and milk products scored significantly higher on memory and other brain function tests than those who drank little to no milk. Milk drinkers were five times less likely to "fail" the test, compared to non milk drinkers.
New guidelines to prevent infection in minor surgery
New guidelines from the Healthcare Infection Society (HIS) aimed at minimising surgical infection in day centres and primary care are now published in the Journal of Hospital Infection.
Majority of self-harming adolescents don't receive a mental health assessment in ERs
A national study of Medicaid data shows most young people who present to emergency departments with deliberate self-harm are discharged to the community, without receiving an emergency mental health assessment. Even more, a roughly comparable proportion of these patients receive no outpatient mental health care in the following month. These are the findings from a study conducted by researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital that appears in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
Mayo Clinic releases book with action plan to help beat heart disease
Heart disease is the nation's No. 1 killer for both men and women. But what's most astonishing is that almost 80 percent of heart disease is preventable, and even small lifestyle changes can have a big impact.
Cancer patients' pain can be helped by psychosocial interventions, say researchers
Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center, who teamed with colleagues at five universities around the United States, analyzed past studies of cancer-related pain reduction and found that psychosocial interventions can have a beneficial effect on cancer patients' pain severity. They also found that certain psychosocial interventions provide better pain management and are effective in reducing the degree to which pain related to cancer and its treatment interferes with patients' lives.
New appropriate use criteria reflect latest scientific data on restoring blood flow to heart
Updated appropriate use criteria released today offer detailed guidance on when to use an invasive procedure to improve blood flow to the heart and how to choose the best procedure for each patient. The clinical scenarios, written by a group of cardiologists and cardiac surgeons, affirm the role of revascularization for patients with acute coronary syndromes and significant symptoms.
ESC cardiologists 'intrigued' by novel approach to heart failure
The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) welcomes an "intriguing" study, published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, featuring a completely novel approach for improving endothelial function in heart failure1. In the "hypothesis generating" study, ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) delivered significant improvements in peak post ischemic blood flow in the arm, a trend for improvement in peak post ischemic blood flow in the leg, but failed to show benefits in exercise capacity and several inflammatory markers. Despite such conflicting data, ESC spokespersons believe that further exploration of UCDA is now justified in larger populations of heart failure patients.
Senator's stroke shows they can hit the young, too
(AP) -- When a stroke hits at 52, like what happened to Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois, the reaction is an astonished, "But he's so young."
Study urges parents to enforce booster seat use when carpooling
Most parents report that they typically require their child to use a life-saving booster seat, but more than 30 percent said they do not enforce this rule when their child is riding with another driver.
Lifelong payoff for attentive kindergarten kids
Attentiveness in kindergarten accurately predicts the development of "work-oriented" skills in school children, according to a new study published by Dr. Linda Pagani, a professor and researcher at the University of Montreal and CHU Sainte-Justine.
Ultrasound male contraceptive, overlooked for decades, confirmed to work
Imagine a contraceptive that could, with one or two painless 15-minute non-surgical treatments, provide months of protection from pregnancy. And imagine that the equipment needed were already in physical therapists' offices around the world.
Hope for those with a depressive disposition
Good news for the 13 per cent of the population with depressive personality traits: their negative outlook does not have to be permanent. This has been shown by psychologist Rachel Maddux in new research from Lund University in Sweden.
3Qs: It's all in the mind
The American Psychological Association recently released a study reporting that one in five Americans is extremely stressed. We asked Erin Sharaf, a clinical instructor in the Bouvé College of Health Sciences and a former primary-care provider, to expound on the concept of stress from a physiological perspective and what we can do to reduce stress in our own lives.
Researcher studies hockey and football concussions: Is it time for major changes?
(Medical Xpress) -- Imagine ice hockey without body checking and football with less hitting. What might sound blasphemous to hockey and football fans and players has more support than you may imagine. And a Michigan Tech researcher is a large part of that conversation.
New technology gives implants a protective covering
A technology developed by labseed, an EPFL spin-off, could prevent most breast implant rejections. The final product should be commercially available as early as 2013.
The many unexpected sides of romantic love
Love can bring out both the best and the worst in people. Which way it turns depends on the best way to protect the relationship, say researchers studying the evolution of romantic love.
Jak of all trades? Not of leukaemia therapy
About one in five or six cases of adult leukaemia in Western populations relates to so-called chronic myeloid leukaemia, or CML. Treatment of CML usually relies on inhibitors of the abnormal protein that causes the condition but some patients do not respond to treatment and efforts are underway to develop a supplementary approach, targeting the so-called JAK2 kinase. Recent results from the groups of Veronika Sexl at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna) and Giulio Superti-Furga at the Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (CeMM) have called this strategy into question. The work is published in the current issue of the prestigious journal Nature Chemical Biology and is of immediate relevance to leukaemia treatment.
Genetic breakthrough for brain cancer in children
An international research team led by the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC) has made a major genetic breakthrough that could change the way pediatric cancers are treated in the future. The researchers identified two genetic mutations responsible for up to 40 per cent of glioblastomas in children - a fatal cancer of the brain that is unresponsive to chemo and radiotherapy treatment. The mutations were found to be involved in DNA regulation, which could explain the resistance to traditional treatments, and may have significant implications on the treatment of other cancers. The study was published this week in the journal Nature.
MS drug prevented fatal heart condition in lab study
A drug used to treat multiple sclerosis may also be effective at preventing and reversing the leading cause of heart attack, a new study has found.
Divorce hurts health more at earlier ages
Divorce at a younger age hurts people's health more than divorce later in life, according to a new study by a Michigan State University sociologist.
Barrett's patients who smoke twice as likely to develop oesophageal cancer
Smoking doubles the risk of developing oesophageal cancer in people with Barrett's Oesophagus, according to scientists at Queen's University Belfast and the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry.
Detailed picture of how myoV 'walks' along actin tracks
A new study in the Journal of General Physiology uses state-of-the-art fluorescence microscopy to provide a striking 3-D picture of how class V myosins (myoV) "walk" along their actin track.
Inquests more likely for younger people and deaths from medical care complications
Coroners are more likely to hold inquests for deaths involving younger people or people who died of fatal complications from medical care, according to a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Alcohol and your heart: Friend or foe?
A meta-analysis done by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) into the relationship between alcohol consumption and heart disease provides new insight into the long-held belief that drinking a glass of red wine a day can help protect against heart disease.
Alcohol consumption and risk of colon cancer in people with a family history of such cancer
A study based on more than 87,000 women and 47,000 men in the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, looks at whether there is a link between colon cancer and alcohol, and if so at what level of consumption, and the importance of a family history of the disease. A total of 1,801 cases of colon cancer were diagnosed during follow-up from 1980 onwards.
FDA approves Roche skin cancer drug Erivedge
(AP) -- Federal regulators on Monday approved a pill that treats the most common type of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma.
New method to manage stress responses for more successful tumor removal
The week before and two weeks after surgery are a critical period for the long-term survival rate of cancer patients. Physiological and psychological stresses caused by the surgery itself can inhibit the body's immune responses, heightening vulnerability to tumor progression and spreading.
Early intervention may curb dangerous college drinking
The first few weeks of college are a critical time in shaping students' drinking habits. Now Penn State researchers have a tailored approach that may help prevent students from becoming heavy drinkers.
Defects in the packaging of DNA in malignant brain tumors
Glioblastomas grow extremely aggressively into healthy brain tissue and, moreover, are highly resistant to radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Therefore, they are regarded as the most malignant type of brain tumor. Currently available treatment methods are frequently not very effective against this type of cancer. Glioblastoma can affect people of all ages, but is less common in children than in adults.
Addicts' cravings have different roots in men and women
When it comes to addiction, sex matters.
Four-week vaccination regimen knocks out early breast cancer tumors, researchers find
Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania report that a short course of vaccination with an anti-HER2 dendritic cell vaccine made partly from the patient's own cells triggers a complete tumor eradication in nearly 20 percent of women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), an early breast cancer. More than 85 percent of patients appear to have a sustained immune response after vaccination, which may reduce their risk of developing a more invasive cancer in the future. The results of the study were published online this month of Cancer and in the January issue of the Journal of Immunotherapy.
Inherited risk factors for childhood leukemia are more common in Hispanic patients
Hispanic children are more likely than those from other racial and ethnic backgrounds to be diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and are more likely to die of their disease. Work led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists has pinpointed genetic factors behind the grim statistics.
Nevada officials: Luxor guests had Legionnaires'
(AP) -- Health officials in Las Vegas said Monday that the bacteria that causes Legionnaires' disease was found in water samples at the Luxor hotel-casino this month after a guest died of the form of pneumonia.
Study of fruit fly sleep reveals a genetic basis of insomnia
(Medical Xpress) -- On the surface, it’s simple: when night falls, our bodies get sleepy. But behind the scenes, a series of complex molecular events, controlled by our genes, is hard at work to make us groggy. Now, research suggests that a newly identified gene known as insomniac is an important reason why we don’t stay up all night. By cloning and testing this gene in fruit flies, Rockefeller University researchers say they have discovered an entirely new mechanism by which sleep is regulated.
Study finds lure of entertainment, work hard for people to resist
(Medical Xpress) -- Trying to resist that late-night tweet or checking your work email again? The bad news is that desires for work and entertainment often win out in the daily struggle for self-control, according to a new study that measures various desires and their regulation in daily life.
Initial research into 'Proust Phenomenon' reveals link between memories and smells
(Medical Xpress) -- Most everyone has had the occasion of breathing in an odor and suddenly finding themselves lost in the reverie of a memory from long ago; the smell of fresh baked bread perhaps bringing back mornings at Grandma’s house or a certain perfume that always brings back a certain time in high school. Such odor/memory links are known as the "Proust Phenomenon" in honor of Marcel Proust, the French writer who romanticized the memories evoked by the smell of a madeleine biscuit after soaking in tea, in his novel, À la recherche du temps perdu. Oddly enough, no one has until now, done much of any research into this phenomenon. Now researchers from Utrecht University in The Netherlands have found that, as they describe in their paper published in Cognition & Emotion, when some people are exposed to a memorable event, memories of it are more vivid when there is an associated odor.
Study: Lungs infected with plague bacteria also become playgrounds for other microbes
Among medical mysteries baffling many infectious disease experts is exactly how the deadly pneumonic plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, goes undetected in the first few day of lung infection, often until it's too late for medical treatment.
Music training has biological impact on aging process
Age-related delays in neural timing are not inevitable and can be avoided or offset with musical training, according to a new study from Northwestern University. The study is the first to provide biological evidence that lifelong musical experience has an impact on the aging process.
Researchers rewrite textbook on location of brain's speech processing center
Scientists have long believed that human speech is processed towards the back of the brain's cerebral cortex, behind auditory cortex where all sounds are received -- a place famously known as Wernicke's area after the German neurologist who proposed this site in the late 1800s based on his study of brain injuries and strokes.
New study confirms that mom's love good for child's brain
School-age children whose mothers nurtured them early in life have brains with a larger hippocampus, a key structure important to learning, memory and response to stress.
Biology news
Vets take action to save Poland's lynx
Growling furiously, Benek the lynx cub looks up with baleful eyes as a veterinarian squats by his cage and takes aim with a tranquiliser gun.
MSU geneticist helps find butterfly gene, clue to age-old question
(PhysOrg.com) -- Years after sleeping in hammocks in the wilds of Peru and Panama, collecting hundreds of thousands of samples of colorful insects, Mississippi State assistant professor Brian Counterman now is helping unlock a very difficult puzzle.
What do killer whales eat in the Arctic?
Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are the top marine predator, wherever they are found, and seem to eat everything from schools of small fish to large baleen whales, over twice their own size. The increase in hunting territories available to killer whales in the Arctic due to climate change and melting sea ice could seriously affect the marine ecosystem balance. New research published in BioMed Central's re-launched open access journal Aquatic Biosystems has combined scientific observations with Canadian Inuit traditional knowledge to determine killer whale behaviour and diet in the Arctic.
Genetics of Arctic plants under serious threat from climate change, study says
A new EU study by a team of Austrian, French and Norwegian researchers has found that rising temperatures as a result of climate change will have differing genetic consequences within single Arctic plant species. It is hoped that these new results will help focus future conservation efforts in the region and help scientists prioritise which species are important to conserve.
Researchers identify novel regulatory network within legumes
(PhysOrg.com) -- Three collaborating laboratories in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at the University of Delaware -- those of professors Blake Meyers, Janine Sherrier and Pamela J. Green -- recently identified a novel regulatory network within legumes, including in alfalfa and soybean plants.
Preserved habitat near national parks helps species conservation
National parks often are established to help preserve species native to a particular region, but it appears that some species preservation is more successful if a significant portion of land adjacent to a park also is left as natural habitat.
New probiotic bacteria shows promise for use in shellfish aquaculture
The use of probiotic bacteria, isolated from naturally-occurring bacterial communities, is gaining in popularity in the aquaculture industry as the preferred, environmentally-friendly management alternative to the use of antibiotics and other antimicrobials for disease prevention. Known to the public for their use in yogurt and other foods to improve human digestion and health, probiotic bacteria isolated from other sources can also be used to improve survival, nutrition and disease prevention in larvae grown in shellfish hatcheries.
Livestock, not Mongolian gazelles, drive foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks
Wildlife health experts from the Wildlife Conservation Society have published evidence which supports the conclusion that Mongolian gazelles—one of the most populous large land mammals on the planet—are not a reservoir of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), a highly contagious viral disease that threatens both wildlife and livestock in Asia.
Food crops damaged by pollution crossing continents
(PhysOrg.com) -- Man-made air pollution from North America causes Europe to lose 1.2 million tonnes of wheat a year, a new study has found.
Sexual healing? Not likely
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study shows the production of sperm is more biologically taxing than previously thought, and expending energy on it has significant health implications.
Genetic mutations that boost individual's adaptability have greater chances of getting through to X chromosomes
One of the most important questions for evolution researchers is how a species develops and adapts during the course of time. An analysis of the genes of twelve chimpanzees has now demonstrated that the chimpanzee X chromosome plays a very special role in the animal's development. The analysis was carried out by researchers at the Bioinformatics Research Centre, Aarhus University, the Section of Bioinformatics, University of Copenhagen, the Copenhagen Zoo and the sequencing centre at the Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI), China. The results have been published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Cutting off the oxygen supply to serious diseases
A new family of proteins which regulate the human body's 'hypoxic response' to low levels of oxygen has been discovered by scientists at Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary, University of London and The University of Nottingham.
Meet the beetles: Social networks provide clues to natural selection
Think of them as a group of guys, hanging out together, but not spending much time with the ladies, nor getting much "action." Except these "guys" are forked fungus beetles.
Dealing with stress: New research highlights the survival skills of disease-causing E. coli
Escherichia coli bacteria thrive in the lower intestine of humans and other animals, including birds. Most are vital constituents of the healthy gut flora, but certain forms of E. coli cause a range of diseases in both humans and poultry.
Pythons apparently wiping out Everglades mammals
A burgeoning population of huge pythons - many of them pets that were turned loose by their owners when they got too big - appears to be wiping out large numbers of raccoons, opossums, bobcats and other mammals in the Everglades, a study says.
Researchers turn skin cells into neural precusors, bypassing stem-cell stage
Mouse skin cells can be converted directly into cells that become the three main parts of the nervous system, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The finding is an extension of a previous study by the same group showing that mouse and human skin cells can be directly converted into functional neurons.
Mouse to elephant? Just wait 24 million generations
Scientists have for the first time measured how fast large-scale evolution can occur in mammals, showing it takes 24 million generations for a mouse-sized animal to evolve to the size of an elephant.
This email is a free service of PhysOrg.com
You received this email because you subscribed to our list.
If you no longer want to receive this email use the link below to unsubscribe.
http://www.physorg.com/profile/nwletter/
You are subscribed as jmabs1@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment