Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for February 28, 2012:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- 'Power Felt' uses body heat to generate electricity- Removing 'black sheep' could make Internet run more efficiently
- Samples returned from asteroid Itokawa reveal history of violent impacts
- Gene found to have jumped from gut bacteria to beetle
- IBM research advances device performance for quantum computing
- Mouse glove is designed for new comfort zones
- Two molecules communicate via single photons
- Apple expected to unveil iPad 3 at event next week
- Microsoft sees future in Windows 8 amid iPad rise
- New mosquito repellant could be frightening ... for the mosquitoes!
- Evolutionary question, answered
- Another mechanism discovered by which sulforaphane prevents cancer
- Interpol swoop nets 25 suspected 'Anonymous' hackers
- Chemists study mutated plants that may be better for biofuels
- Genetic analysis reveals Otzi Iceman predisposed to cardiovascular disease
Space & Earth news
Seeking cheaper, nimbler satellites and safer disposal of space debris
A new research program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute seeks to define the next-generation of low-orbit satellites that are more maneuverable, cheaper to launch, easier to hide, and longer lived. Additionally, this research holds the promise of guiding dead satellites and other space debris more safely to the Earth’s surface.
MSU satellite surpasses goal; NASA taps MSU to queue up for another launch
The Montana State University satellite that rode into space on a NASA rocket has now gathered information longer than the historic U.S. satellite it was built to honor, says the director of MSU's Space Science and Engineering Laboratory (SSEL).
Space Image: Eastern seaboard at night
(PhysOrg.com) -- An Expedition 30 crew member aboard the International Space Station took this nighttime photograph of much of the Atlantic coast of the United States.
Poll: US belief in warming rises with thermometer
(AP) -- Americans' belief in global warming is on the rise, along with temperatures and surprising weather changes, according to a new university poll.
UMD and Chinese partner to track and predict world climate change
Scientists from the University of Maryland and Beijing Normal University are partnering to track and predict the impact of climate change internationally.
1-5 pct. of tsunami debris could reach N. America
(AP) -- Tsunamis generated by the magnitude-9 earthquake in Japan last March dragged 3 million to 4 million tons of debris into the ocean after tearing up Japanese harbors and homes.
Conservationists call for huge Antarctic marine reserve
A coalition of environment groups called Tuesday for the world's largest marine reserve to be declared in Antarctica's Ross Sea to prevent "industrial scale" fishing ruining the pristine ecosystem.
Report examines what US can learn from EU chemicals law
U.S. industry and environmental groups agree that the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976 needs to be modernized to better protect public health and the environment. However, there is no consensus on what the reform should look like.
Powerful new astronomy tool arrives on Mauna Kea
(PhysOrg.com) -- A 10,000-pound package was delivered on Feb. 16 to the W. M. Keck Observatory near the summit of Mauna Kea. Inside is a powerful new scientific instrument that will dramatically increase the cosmic data gathering power of what is already the world’s most productive ground-based observatory.
Sea level rise to alter economics of California beaches
Rising sea levels are likely to change Southern California beaches in the coming century, but not in ways you might expect.
Galileo on the ground reaches some of Earth's loneliest places
A worldwide chain of Galileo ground stations on some of the remotest sites on Earth is nearing completion ahead of this year’s launch of two more satellites.
Cables spanning Pacific ocean seafloor to give ocean science a new edge
Scripps researchers, NOAA and TE SubCom agree to pursue science ports on transcontinental fiber optic cable lines to help monitor earthquakes, tsunamis and other forces.
Proposed Mars mission has new name
A proposed Discovery mission concept led by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., to investigate the formation and evolution of terrestrial planets by studying the deep interior of Mars now has a new name, InSight.
Just in from SpaceX: Dragon and Falcon 9 assembly now complete
SpaceX today released an image of the fully assembled Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket inside their facility at Cape Canaveral. This means the first test launch of a commercially built spacecraft to the International Space Station is just a bit closer. The exact date of the launch has not yet been announced after NASA and SpaceX agreed in early this year that the Feb. 7 date they were aiming for was not feasible. The demonstration flight – called COTS 2/3 – will be the premiere test flight in NASA’s new strategy to resupply the ISS with privately developed rockets and cargo carriers under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) initiative.
Face-to-face with some shattered lunar boulders
Breaking up may be hard to do, but these two lunar boulders seem to have succeeded extremely well! Imaged by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) in October of 2009, this crumbled couple was recently identified by Moon Zoo team member Dr. Anthony Cook and brought to the attention of the project’s forum moderator.
NASA's TRMM satellite measures heavy rainfall in Madagascar from System 92S
A weak tropical low pressure area known as System 92S, and locally called Irina caused flooding over northern Madagascar less than two weeks after deadly flooding by Tropical Cyclone Giovanna in the south and central part of the island nation. NASA's TRMM satellite measured System 92S's rainfall over Madagascar, and measured some high rain totals.
NASA develops space weather app for Android smartphones
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. is pleased to announce that its Space Weather App, previously only available for iPhone users, is now available for users of Android smartphone and tablet users. The Space Weather App, which was developed jointly by Goddard's engineering and science directorates, with support from NASA's Heliophysics Division and the National Science Foundation, is capable of giving users real-time access to solar-event images, model simulations, data, and forecasts as they evolve and affect the near-Earth space environment.
Lunar scientists shed light on Moon's impact history
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of researchers from the NASA Lunar Science Institute (NLSI) at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., have discovered that debris that caused a "lunar cataclysm" on the moon 4 billion years ago struck it at much higher speeds than those that made the most ancient craters. The scientists found evidence supporting this scenario by examining the history of crater formation on the moon.
A climate window in the Southern Ocean
The world’s oceans act as a massive conveyor, circulating heat, water and carbon around the planet. This global system plays a key role in climate change, storing and releasing heat throughout the world. To study how this system affects climate, scientists have largely focused on the North Atlantic, a major basin where water sinks, burying carbon and heat deep in the ocean’s interior.
New model provides different take on planetary accretion
(PhysOrg.com) -- The prevailing model for planetary accretion, also called fractal assembly, and dating back as far as the 18th century, assumes that the Solar System’s planets grew as small grains colliding chaotically, coalescing into bigger ones, colliding yet more until they formed planetesimals. The planetesimals then collided until they formed planets as varied as the Earth and Jupiter.
Astronomical fireworks: On the origins of Type Ia supernova
(PhysOrg.com) -- A little luck and a lot of hard work can really light up the sky.
Dinosaur forests mapped
The first detailed maps of the Earth's forests at the time of the dinosaurs have been drawn up. The patterns of vegetation, together with information about the rate of tree growth, support the idea that the Earth was stifling hot 100 million years ago.
Samples returned from asteroid Itokawa reveal history of violent impacts
(PhysOrg.com) -- In June of 2010, Japanese researchers launched a probe called Hayabusa into space on a mission to study the asteroid Itokawa (25143). It managed to collect dust specimens from the asteroid’s surface which were subsequently (for the first time ever) brought back to Earth when the probe parachuted into the Australian outback. Since that time, the specimens have been studied in every imaginable way resulting in several papers being published in several journals. Now, in a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the research team is reporting on its findings after placing several specimens under an electron microscope.
Technology news
Australia's Twitter warning to athletes
Australian athletes have been warned against using Twitter during competition after officials found competitors tweeting during last week's Olympic diving test event in London.
Panasonic to present 'Photosynthesis' concept at the Milano Salone del Mobile 2012
Panasonic Corporation will showcase its total solutions for creating, storing, saving and managing energy at the Milano Salone del Mobile 2012 exhibition, which will be held in Milan this April.
NXP propels NFC technology into 4G age
Today at Mobile World Congress NXP Semiconductors announced its newest flagship NFC solution, the PN547. Following on from the overwhelming success of the PN544, by far the industry’s most widely adopted Mobile Transactions solution, the next generation PN547 incorporates NXP’s proven leadership and expertise through over 130 projects across a variety of handsets, operating systems and with both SWP-SIM secure elements and Embedded secure elements. Its cutting-edge performance provides smart phone and tablet OEMs with a springboard to create breakthrough Mobile Transactions user experiences.
NEC breaks the speed barriers of microwave transmission with ultra high modulations
NEC Corporation introduced today the latest breakthrough in capacity performance of microwave radio systems used in mobile backhaul and other types of networking applications. NEC will implement 2048 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (2048QAM) within its iPASOLINK product family in the second half of 2012.
China's Sina says microblog controls damaging
Chinese web giant Sina warned Tuesday that government requirements for microbloggers to register their real names before posting messages will hurt activity on its popular social networking site.
S. Korea urges Google to improve privacy
South Korean regulators Tuesday voiced concerns over Google's controversial plan to merge user data from YouTube, Gmail, Google+ and other services in individual comprehensive profiles.
Developing small-size laser projectors for mobile phones
Mobile phones currently on the market are capable of showing high quality images and video, but the phones' small size sets insurmountable limits on screen size, and thus the viewing experience. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, EpiCrystals Oy and the Aalto University are developing a better laser light source for projectors that will be integrated into mobile phones, which will enable accurate and efficient projection of, for example, photographs and movies on any surface. Mobile phones equipped with the laser light source can be within the ordinary consumer's reach already in a few years time.
Spain arrests 4 suspected Anonymous hackers
Police say they have arrested four suspected hackers allied to the loose-knit Anonymous movement in connection with attacks on Spanish political party websites.
4G speed record smashed with 1.4 Gigabits-per-second mobile call
Nokia Siemens Networks boosts data rate for LTE-Advanced on 100 MHz spectrum, using commercial Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Station.
Lab makes digital design more PC
Anyone who uses a computer knows it can be the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of technology. Log on one day and you’ve got the helpful information resource. Power it up the next and you meet the bully who broadcasts your location and censors your access to data.
Proview seeks to regain global rights to iPad name
(AP) -- Proview Electronics says it is now seeking to regain worldwide rights to the iPad name and is suing Apple Inc. for alleged fraud and unfair competition, hoping to have a 2009 sale of the trademark ruled void.
Yahoo! pokes Facebook over patents: report
Yahoo! has accused Facebook of infringing on 10 to 20 patents and warned the social network to pay licensing fees or prepare for a possible lawsuit, the New York Times reported.
Megaupload boss sweats on bail decision: reports
Megaupload boss Kim Dotcom is set to learn Wednesday if he will remain free on bail in New Zealand while US authorities seek his extradition on online piracy charges, reports said Tuesday.
French regulator warns of Google privacy policy
Google's new privacy policy appears to violate the European Union's data protection rules, France's regulator said Tuesday, just two days before the new guidelines are set to come into force.
Climate scientists compute in concert
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are sharing computational resources and expertise to improve the detail and performance of a scientific application code that is the product of one of the world's largest collaborations of climate researchers. The Community Earth System Model (CESM) is a mega-model that couples components of atmosphere, land, ocean, and ice to reflect their complex interactions. By continuing to improve science representations and numerical methods in simulations, and exploiting modern computer architectures, researchers expect to further improve the CESM's accuracy in predicting climate changes. Achieving that goal requires teamwork and coordination rarely seen outside a symphony orchestra.
LG demonstrated world's first voice-to-video conversion over LTE network at MWC 2012
LG Electronics successfully demonstrated the world’s first voice-to-video conversion over a LTE network at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2012. The demonstration, which was based on LG’s proprietary technology, enabled users to switch back and forth between high quality voice and high resolution video call modes during an ongoing telephone conversation. Also demonstrated was a video sharing service, which enables real-time sharing of videos over a LTE network, as they are being recorded.
Playful learning inside a sqaure
Thanks to the work of Fraunhofer researchers, keeping mentally and physically fit at any age is now child’s play – literally. Dubbed “HOPSCOTCH,” the interactive learning system is designed to be more efficient at combining learning, movement and most of all fun – whether for learning vocabulary words, history or math. The scientists will present their solution, which is named after the popular children’s game, at the CeBIT trade fair on March 6–10.
Drone in action for the rainforest
Vast areas of Indonesia’s rainforests are being destroyed by logging and conversion to oil palm plantations. In this Southeast Asian country, deforestation has reached alarming levels.
New laser can point the way to new energy harvesting
New ultrafast laser equipment, capable of generating intense pulses of light as short as a few femtoseconds from the UV to the Infra Red, will help scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA) measure how energy is transferred from molecule to molecule and point the way to molecular structures for exploiting solar radiation.
Repairs on Kenya web cable to take three weeks
An undersea fibre optic Internet cable that was sliced by a ship's anchor in the Kenyan port of Mombasa will be fully repaired in about three weeks, an official said Tuesday.
Four Canadians indicted on US gambling charges
US authorities seized the gambling website Bodog on Tuesday and announced the indictment of four Canadians on charges of illegal sports betting and money laundering, including founder Calvin Ayre.
Developing sustainable power
The invention of a long-lasting incandescent light bulb in the 19th century spurred on the second wave of the industrial revolution, illuminating homes, extending leisure time and bringing us to the point today where many millions of people use a whole range of devices from mood lighting to audiovisual media centers, microwave ovens to fast-freeze ice makers, and allergy-reducing vacuum cleaners to high-speed broadband connected computers in their homes without a second thought.
Google: Technology is making science fiction real
(AP) -- Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt predicted Tuesday that rapid advances in technology will soon transform science fiction into reality - meaning people will have driverless cars, small robots at their command and the ability to experience being in another place without leaving home.
Sony says it has sold 1.2M of the PlayStation Vita
Sony says it has sold 1.2 million PlayStation Vitas worldwide, exceeding the company's expectations amid stiff competition from mobile devices and Nintendo.
US nuclear oversight too lax: science group
A study of safety lapses at nuclear power facilities in the United States found that owners of atomic plants too often either close an eye to problems or fail to adequately address them, a watchdog group said Tuesday.
Anonymous, WikiLeaks team up
Anonymous defended WikiLeaks when it was facing a funding cutoff, but the release of the Stratfor emails appears to be the first direct collaboration between the hackers and the anti-secrecy site.
Mozilla to go after Android, Apple with cheap phone OS
Mozilla, which brought the free web browser Firefox to the masses, now wants to do the same for mobile users, with a new open source operating system that could drastically slash smartphone prices.
Researchers develop a new approach to producing 3-D microchips
Microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS, are small devices with huge potential. Typically made of components less than 100 microns in size — the diameter of a human hair — they have been used as tiny biological sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes and actuators.
With a bang, Navy begins tests on electromagnetic railgun prototype launcher
Engineers have fired the Navy's first industry-built electromagnetic railgun (EM Railgun) prototype launcher at a test facility, commencing an evaluation that is an important intermediate step toward a future tactical weapon for ships, officials announced Feb. 28.
Microsoft sees future in Windows 8 amid iPad rise
(AP) -- Microsoft is scrambling to preserve what's left of its kingdom. Since the company released its Windows operating system in 1985, most of the sequels have been variations on the same theme. Not that it mattered much. Regardless of the software's quality, Microsoft managed to remain at the center of the personal computing universe.
Interpol swoop nets 25 suspected 'Anonymous' hackers
Interpol has arrested 25 suspected members of the 'Anonymous' hackers group in a swoop covering more than a dozen cities in Europe and Latin America, the global police body said Tuesday.
New law could free up TV airwaves for mobile use
A new law could result in fewer TV stations on the air, in exchange for faster wireless data services for smartphones and tablet computers.
Removing 'black sheep' could make Internet run more efficiently
(PhysOrg.com) -- Whether dealing with Internet traffic or vehicle traffic, congestion can slow everything down. One team of researchers working on improving network transmission efficiency has developed a strategy that identifies certain links or edges that can be removed to decrease the overall congestion. Somewhat counterintuitively, these links - which the researchers call "black sheep" - are those that connect the busiest hubs. In a sense, the strategy is similar to closing some of the busiest roads during rush hour, and finding that vehicles reach their destinations faster than before.
Medicine & Health news
One in four adults with mental illness have been victim of violence in the past year
Adults with disabilities are at much greater risk of violence than adults without disabilities, according to a new meta-analysis published Online First in The Lancet. Adults with mental illness appear to be particularly vulnerable and are nearly four times as likely to be a victim of violence than adults without a disability, with an estimated one in four having experienced violence in the past year.
Vegetarians and those on restricted diets unwittingly eating animal gelatin in meds
A significant proportion of vegetarians and other patients with dietary preferences borne out of cultural/religious practices are unwittingly consuming animal gelatin in prescribed medicines, reveals research published online in Postgraduate Medical Journal.
More Americans seeking dental treatment at the ER
(AP) -- More Americans are turning to the emergency room for routine dental problems - a choice that often costs 10 times more than preventive care and offers far fewer treatment options than a dentist's office, according to an analysis of government data and dental research.
Recovery housing and treatment programs reduce relapse among recovering opioid addicts
Opioid-dependent individuals who want to kick the habit typically begin the road to recovery with detoxification. But detox is ineffective as a stand-alone treatment, with relapse rates ranging from 65% to 80% just one month after discharge. New research published online today in the journal Addiction reveals that individuals with substance use disorders may be as much as ten times more likely to stay abstinent when they have access to drug-free recovery housing and day-treatment programs following detox.
Low back pain counseling strategy ups return to work
(HealthDay) -- Combining a disability evaluation with proactive counseling for workers with low back pain (LBP) results in a higher return-to-work rate, which is statistically significant at one year, according to a study published online Feb. 16 in Spine.
Preventable nerve injuries from treatments need attention: research
New University of Otago research suggests that a stronger focus is needed on preventing accidental nerve injury during medical treatments in New Zealand.
3Qs: Analyzing why sudden drug shortages occur
Drug manufacturers and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scrambled earlier this month to address a sudden shortage of methotrexate, a 60-year-old drug that treats children with severe cases of leukemia and sarcoma. Graham Jones, the chair of the chemistry and chemical biology department in the College of Science, said the problem is likely to continue as fewer pharmaceutical companies produce drugs with slim profit margins and a small patient base.
High heels are leading cause of ingrown toenails
High heels can cause a number of foot problems, yet most women aren’t willing to give their shoes the boot, according to podiatrists at Loyola University Health System (LUHS). Ingrown toenails are among the most common problems that result from high heels. This condition, also known as onychocryptosis, occurs when the toes compress together making the big toenails grow into the skin.
Nurses key in helping new cancer patients overcome fears
Often faced with overwhelming anxiety, patients newly diagnosed with lung cancer can find themselves in distress, and new research recommends nurses play a key role in alleviating concerns, leading to a better quality of life for patients.
Stroke-preventing technology demonstrated in JoVE
In the United States alone, approximately 6 million people suffer from an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation (AF), and since the incidence increases with age, it is predicted that 15.9 million Americans will be affected by 2050. The most devastating side effect of AF is stroke, but a new device from Boston Scientific may prevent them from occurring.
Combination therapy may enhance gemcitabine activity
Oncologists who treat patients with pancreatic cancer may be one step closer to understanding why gemcitabine, the only currently available treatment, works in some cases but not in others, according to a paper in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
First international guidelines for echocardiographic diagnosis of rheumatic heart disease
The inaugural international guidelines for the diagnosis of rheumatic heart disease (RHD), a disease that affects tens of millions of people worldwide, have today been published by the World Heart Federation in Nature Reviews Cardiology.
Researchers develop world's first biodegradable joint implant
Tampere University of Technology (TUT), Finland, has been the first in the world to develop biodegradable joint implant, RegJoint. The implant is used in the treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
More people surviving cancer in Northern Ireland
Despite the rising incidence of cancer in Northern Ireland, the number of people surviving the disease in the country is increasing significantly year on year.
Training grant targets behavioral and social factors linked to health
It is estimated that half of all deaths in the United States are linked to behavioral and social factors such as smoking, diet and physical inactivity. Despite these causal links, of the $2 trillion spent annually on health care in the U.S., only 5 percent of that is devoted to addressing behavioral and social risk factors.
New report warns of setbacks in global health progress due to current budget climate
The prospect of deep cuts in the federal budget threatens to reverse the dramatic progress of a bipartisan US commitment to defeat neglected diseases in developing countries, according to a new report released today by the Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC). Federal investments in global health research and development (R&D) programs that span multiple agencies have helped nurture an array of new vaccines, medicines, diagnostics, and other health products needed to combat diseases like HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis (TB), and childhood killers like pneumonia and diarrheal diseases. Despite these advances, President Obama's budget request for 2013 calls for several decreases for global health when compared with last year's levels. Several global health R&D programs at US agencies also saw drastic funding cuts.
Fake Avastin contained several chemicals, no drug
(AP) -- Counterfeit versions of the popular cancer drug Avastin obtained by European regulators contain a variety of chemicals, but not the active ingredient found in the genuine drug, according to drugmaker Roche.
Social media used to sell illegal drugs to youth, INCB warns
Illegal online pharmacies are using social media to attract young customers and sell them illicit drugs and medicines, a UN agency warned Tuesday.
Study finds higher death risk with sleeping pills
People are relying on sleeping pills more than ever to get a good night's rest, but a new study by Scripps Clinic researchers links the medications to a 4.6 times higher risk of death and a significant increase in cancer cases among regular pill users.
Self-inflicted blinding not linked to Oedipus complex, but untreated psychosis
The self-inflicted removal of one or both eyes, which has traditionally been attributed to sexual guilt, is, in fact, caused by untreated psychotic illness, such as schizophrenia, reveal researchers in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.
Febrile children self-referred to ER usually less severely ill
(HealthDay) -- In 45 percent of self-referred cases, parents properly judge their child's febrile illness as urgent when they bring their child to the emergency department, according to a study published online Feb. 27 in Pediatrics.
Poor asthma control prevalent in the united states
(HealthDay) -- Many patients with asthma who do not use controller medications have persistent disease, and among those patients who do use controller medications, few have well-controlled disease, according to a study published in the March issue of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
New study highlights condom use in the U.S. among gay and bisexual men ages 18 to 87
(Medical Xpress) -- A new study by researchers at Indiana University and George Mason University provides a large-scale assessment of condom use during the most recent anal intercourse among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States. Findings from this study highlight diversity in condom use behaviors and demonstrate varying degrees of potential risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, regardless of sexual orientation.
New discoveries on depression
(Medical Xpress) -- During depression, the brain becomes less plastic and adaptable, and thus less able to perform certain tasks, like storing memories. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now traced the brain's lower plasticity to reduced functionality in its support cells, and believe that learning more about these cells can pave the way for radical new therapies for depression.
What causes cancer?
(Medical Xpress) -- Fears that involuntary exposure to chemicals in food and consumer products causes cancer are not supported by evidence, and anxiety about their dangers is diverting attention from proven methods of cancer prevention, a leading Australian cancer researcher says.
Race determines proper dose of common antibiotic for pregnant women
(Medical Xpress) -- Race is a key factor in properly dosing the antibiotic azithromycin in pregnant women, according to new research at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Think you are too busy to exercise?
(Medical Xpress) -- The typical response to the word “exercise” is negative, especially for non-exercisers. They think of the phrase “no pain, no gain” and assume this is the effort needed to get any benefit out of exercising.
Are buyers born or made?
(Medical Xpress) -- Are people drawn to a career in purchasing because of their skills or their aptitude? Which is the most important trait for a buyer: emotional intelligence or IQ?
How training gets your fat fit
(Medical Xpress) -- Researchers at the Universities of Bath, Oxford and Toulouse have been looking at how adipose tissue (fat) plays a dynamic and active role during exercise and physical activity.
'Hundreds of thousands' fitted with suspect hip implants
Hundreds of thousands of people have been fitted with replacement hips whose flawed design may be exposing them to toxic metal, according to a probe by the BBC and the British Medical Journal (BMJ) unveiled Tuesday.
Study shows how the brain responds to deceptive advertising
Several specific regions of our brains are activated in a two-part process when we are exposed to deceptive advertising, according to new research conducted by a North Carolina State University professor. The work opens the door to further research that could help us understand how brain injury and aging may affect our susceptibility to fraud or misleading marketing.
Fewer women need repeat breast cancer surgeries with new service at University of Michigan
Nearly one in three women who have breast cancer surgery will need to return to the operating room for additional surgery after the tumor is evaluated by a pathologist.
The end of the 'Lily of the Valley phenomenon' in sperm research?
According to a 2003 study by German and American scientists, a component of the Lily of the Valley scent known as Bourgeonal alters the calcium balance of human sperm and attracts the sperm. The "Lily of the Valley phenomenon" – also the title of a book about smelling – was born as a result of this discovery that sperm act as swimming olfactory cells which follow a "scent trail" laid by the egg. However, a detailed explanation for the Lily of the Valley phenomenon remained illusive as neither Bourgeonal nor other scents could be identified in the female sex organ. Scientists from the caesar research centre in Bonn, an Institute of the Max Planck Society, have now discovered that sperm do not function like olfactory cells - a finding that casts doubt on the assumption that scents play a role in fertilisation.
First and only study on harmful effects of infants prenatally exposed to ecstasy
A study led by Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, in collaboration with the University of East London UK, and Swansea University UK, is the first to show the effects of the drug ecstasy on fetal and infant development.
Teenagers are more vulnerable to sport concussions
Research results published in Brain Injury by Université de Montréal neuropsychologist Dave Ellemberg reveal that adolescents are more sensitive to the effects of a sport-related concussion than adults or children. These kinds of injuries mostly affect their working memory – the brain function that enables us to process and store short-term information and that is essential for activities such as reading and mental calculation. "The frontal regions of the brain are more vulnerable to concussions. These areas oversee executive functions responsible for planning, organizing and managing information. During adolescence, these functions are developing rapidly which makes them more fragile to stress and trauma," explained Dr. Ellemberg, who is a professor at the university's Department of Kinesiology.
Women decrease condom use during freshman year of college, study finds
Women gradually use condoms less frequently during their first year of college, according to a new study by researchers from The Miriam Hospital's Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine. This was particularly true for women who binge drink, have lower grade point averages or come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
Excess fat may be 'protective' in seniors over 85
Obesity is considered the leading preventable cause of death worldwide — until you reach old age, that is. Though obesity increases the risk of an early death, shaving an average of six to seven years off a person's lifespan, Tel Aviv University researchers have found that this trend may reverse itself after the age of 85. In these people, excess fat seems to have a "protective" effect, decreasing the risk of death when compared to those who are considered at a normal body weight.
When uncontrolled anger becomes a soldier's enemy
Economic setbacks, work pressures and the annoyances of daily life – such as long lines and rush-hour traffic – can cause otherwise calm people to snap and lose their cool. But when anger begins to affect personal relationships, on-the-job performance and physical health, it’s time for an intervention.
Avoid high-risk foods, food-safety expert recommends
It seems that hardly a week goes by without another reported case of some food being blamed for causing people to get sick. Most recently, a national restaurant chain's clover sprouts were linked to a Midwestern outbreak of pathogenic E. coli, and dozens of cases of Campylobacter in four states have been linked to the consumption of raw milk from a Pennsylvania dairy.
Girls who rely on a boyfriend for money are less likely to use condoms
Young women whose boyfriends are their primary source of spending money are more likely to report that their boyfriends never use condoms, according to a study in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Scientists discover new 'off switch' in immune response
Scientists from Trinity College Dublin have discovered a new 'off switch' in our immune response which could be boosted in diseases caused by over-activation of our immune system, or blocked to improve vaccines. The findings are published this week in the journal Nature Communications. The research was funded by Health Research Board, Ireland and Science Foundation Ireland.
Cold air chills heart's oxygen supply
People with heart disease may not be able to compensate for their bodies' higher demand for oxygen when inhaling cold air, according to Penn State researchers, making snow shoveling and other activities dangerous for some.
Predicting children's language development
We depend on a barrage of standardized tests to assess everything from aptitude to intelligence. But do they provide an accurate forecast when it comes to something as complex as language? A study by Diane Pesco, an assistant professor in Concordia's Department of Education, and co-author Daniela O'Neill, published earlier this year in the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, shows that the Language Use Inventory (LUI) does.
Gestational weight gain generally does not influence child cognitive development
A child's cognitive development is not generally impacted by how much weight his or her mother gained during pregnancy, according to a study from Nationwide Children's Hospital. This is the first study to use methods controlling for the widest range of confounding factors when directly examining the association between gestational weight gain and childhood cognition.
Researcher invents 'lab on a chip' device to study malaria
University of British Columbia researcher Hongshen Ma has developed a simple and accurate device to study malaria, a disease that currently affects 500 million people per year worldwide and claims a million lives.
Less than half of new diabetes patients achieve A1C goals
(HealthDay) -- Less than half of newly diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes achieve A1C
Cognitive development stable for low birth weight infants
(HealthDay) -- For very low birth weight (VLBW) babies, there is good stability of cognitive development over time, with a strong correlation between assessments at 2 years of corrected age and at age 5, according to a study published online Feb. 27 in Pediatrics.
Vitamin D3 might ease menstrual cramps
(HealthDay) -- Menstrual cramps are the bane of many women, but new research suggests that a form of vitamin D may one day be added to the meager list of pain relievers for the sometimes disabling condition.
Pulsed dye laser effective on port-wine stains in infants
(HealthDay) -- Pulsed dye laser (PDL) treatment at two-, three-, and four-week intervals is effective for infants with facial port-wine stains (PWS), with minimal short-term side effects, according to a study published online Feb. 20 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Dose-Response link between tanning bed use, skin cancer
(HealthDay) -- Use of tanning beds, especially in high school and college, is associated with an increased risk of skin cancer, according to a study published online Feb. 27 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
FDA adds new safety information to statin drugs
(AP) -- Federal health officials are adding new safety warnings about risks of memory loss and elevated blood sugar to statins, a widely prescribed group of cholesterol-lowering medications.
Stopping hormones might help breast cancer to regress
As soon as women quit hormone therapy, their rates of new breast cancer decline, supporting the hypothesis that stopping hormones can lead to tumor regression, according to a report e-published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, & Prevention.
Researchers find potential solution to melanoma's resistance to vemurafenib
Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., and colleagues in California have found that the XL888 inhibitor can prevent resistance to the chemotherapy drug vemurafenib, commonly used for treating patients with melanoma.
Family tree may clarify death risk for inherited heart rhythm disorders
Reconstructing family trees dating back to 1811, Dutch researchers have estimated the death risk for people with inherited heart rhythm disorders, according to a study in Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics, a journal of the American Heart Association.
Cell study may aid bid for motor neurone therapies
The quest for treatments for motor neurone disease, spinal cord injury and strokes could be helped by new research that shows how key cells are produced.
Clean delivery kits linked to substantial reduction in neonatal deaths in South Asia, study shows
Providing clean delivery kits and improving birthing practices could halve the number of neonatal deaths following home births in South Asia, according to research funded by the Wellcome Trust.
Mortality of older people in Latin America, India and China: Causes and prevention
Stroke is the leading cause of death in people over 65 in low- and middle-income countries, according to new research published this week. Deaths of people over 65 represent more than a third of all deaths in developing countries yet, until now, little research has focused on this group. The study was led by researchers King's College London and is published in PLoS Medicine. The study also finds that education and social protection are as important in prolonging people's lives as economic development.
A new mental health framework is needed to prioritize action on global mental health
For mental health to gain significant attention, and funding from policymakers globally, it is not enough to convince people that it has a high disease burden but also that there are deliverable and cost-effective interventions – according to South African researchers writing in this week's PLoS Medicine.
Stress changes how people make decisions: study
(Medical Xpress) -- Trying to make a big decision while you’re also preparing for a scary presentation? You might want to hold off on that. Feeling stressed changes how people weigh risk and reward. A new article published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, reviews how, under stress, people pay more attention to the upside of a possible outcome.
Eye movement not engaged in arms race, researchers find
We make our eye movements earlier or later in order to coordinate with movements of our arms, New York University neuroscientists have found. Their study, which appears in the journal Neuron, points to a mechanism in the brain that allows for this coordination and may have implications for rehabilitation and prosthetics.
Another mechanism discovered by which sulforaphane prevents cancer
Researchers in the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University have discovered yet another reason why the "sulforaphane" compound in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables is so good for you – it provides not just one, but two ways to prevent cancer through the complex mechanism of epigenetics.
Open your eyes and smell the roses: Activating the visual cortex improves our sense of smell
A new study reveals for the first time that activating the brain's visual cortex with a small amount of electrical stimulation actually improves our sense of smell. The finding published in the Journal of Neuroscience by researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro, McGill University and the Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, revises our understanding of the complex biology of the senses in the brain.
Molecular duo dictate weight and energy levels
Yale University researchers have discovered a key cellular mechanism that may help the brain control how much we eat, what we weigh, and how much energy we have.
Biology news
Most Michiganders like having wolves in their home state
The overwhelming majority of Michigan residents place value on having wolves in their home state while a small minority would buy a license to hunt them, according to a Michigan State University study.
Free-runners explore orang-utans' ease in the trees
University of Birmingham scientists are using parkour athletes - also known as free runners - to discover how orang-utans and other tree-dwelling primates maximise energy efficiency as they move through the forest canopy.
New research links crop disease and climate change
Researchers from the University of Hertfordshire have investigated links between crop disease and climate change which impact our food growth and production - affecting our food security today and for future generations. The team of researchers led by Professor Bruce Fitt, at the University of Hertfordshire, in collaboration with Professor Jon West at Rothamsted Research and Dr. Rob Carlton of Carlton Consultancy, describe their investigations in two papers to be published in a special edition of European Journal of Plant Pathology.
Indonesia releases orangutans into the wild
Four orangutans were released into the wild on Indonesia's Borneo island on Tuesday, an official said, as the country ramps up efforts to protect the animals from extinction.
Making the most of what you have: Bacterium fine-tunes proteins for enhanced functionality
The bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae, which causes atypical pneumonia, is helping scientists uncover how cells make the most of limited resources. By measuring all the proteins this bacterium produces, scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, and collaborators, have found that the secret is fine-tuning.
Researchers provide fascinating insights into elephant behavior, conservation issues
Last year, Kenya lost 278 elephants to poachers, as compared to 177 in 2010. On the continent of Africa as whole, elephants have declined from an estimated 700,000 in 1990 to 360,000 today due to the demands of the ivory trade.
Plan for spotted owl targets rival
(AP) -- To save the imperiled spotted owl, the Obama administration is moving forward with a controversial plan to shoot barred owls, a rival bird that has shoved its smaller cousin aside.
New mosquito repellant could be frightening ... for the mosquitoes!
In a small, narrow, temperature-controlled lab room at Vanderbilt University live some of the most deadly and dangerous animals in the world.
Evolutionary question, answered
A new paper published in the Royal Society’s Biology Letters journal, shows that early experimental studies of the peppered moth, as taught to many American high school students, are “completely correct,” co-author James Mallet, Distinguished Lecturer on Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, said.
New 'magnetic yeast' marks step toward harnessing Nature's magnetic capabilities
Researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and Harvard Medical School have developed a method for inducing magnetic sensitivity in an organism that is not naturally magnetic—yeast. Their technology could potentially be used to magnetize a variety of different cell types in medical, industrial and research applications. The research findings appear in today's issue of PLoS Biology.
Do parasites evolve to exploit gender differences in hosts?
Some disease-causing parasites are known to favor one sex over the other in their host species, and such differences between the sexes have generally been attributed to differences in immune responses or behavior. But in a new article, published February 28 in the magazine section of the online, open-access journal PLoS Biology, David Duneau from Cornell University and Dieter Ebert from the University of Basel now propose that all sorts of characteristics that differ between the sexes of the host species can influence a parasite's adaptation.
Gene found to have jumped from gut bacteria to beetle
(PhysOrg.com) -- Genes jumping between bacteria are rather common which in part explains their ability to rapidly develop immunity to antibacterial agents. What’s not so common are examples of genes jumping between animals or between bacteria and insects. This is why the findings of a team of researchers studying the coffee berry borer beetle are so surprising. It’s an insect that has, as the team describes in their paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, developed a means for excreting a protein that allows it to break down sugars in coffee beans, by somehow stealing a gene from a type of bacteria that lives in its gut.
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