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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for April 13, 2012:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Probing hydrogen under extreme conditions- Researchers find possible evidence of Majorana fermions
- WISE mission sees skies ablaze with blazars
- What's in a surname? New study explores what the evolution of names reveals about China
- Biocompatible, waterproof, self-healing, and reversible: A new adhesive for medical applications?
- Researchers demonstrate entanglement of two quantum bits inside of a semiconductor
- Futuristic cars are coming faster than you think
- Water, water everywhere – but is it essential to life?
- Direct transfer of plant genes from chloroplasts into the cell nucleus
- Uranus auroras glimpsed from Earth
- ".Oops": Glitch forces extension for new suffixes
- Japan bank to install palm-reading ATMs
- Electron microscopy inspires flexoelectric theory behind 'material on the brink'
- New kind of memory trick may help drug addicts recover
- Study has shown to reverse obesity, body fat and improve insulin sensitivity in mice
Space & Earth news
NKorea says satellite 'failed to enter into orbit'
(AP) -- North Korea's widely condemned rocket splintered into pieces over the Yellow Sea soon after takeoff Friday, an embarrassing end to a launch that Pyongyang had infused with national pride during a week of high-level political meetings and celebrations.
Commercial platform offers exposure at space station
Researchers will be able to expose experiments to the weightlessness and vacuum of space by using a new commercial platform outside of International Space Station (ISS).
UC Berkeley passes management of Allen Telescope Array to SRI
Hat Creek Radio Observatory in Northern California, from which University of California, Berkeley, telescopes – most recently the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) – scanned the Milky Way and other galaxies for 50 years and made numerous discoveries that changed our understanding of the universe, is now under new management.
With rockets, so many things can and do go wrong
(AP) -- It really is rocket science and it really is hard. North Korea proved that again.
Drastic changes needed to curb N2O, most potent greenhouse gas: study
Meat consumption in the developed world needs to be cut by 50 per cent per person by 2050 if we are to meet the most aggressive strategy, set out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to reduce one of the most important greenhouse gases, nitrous oxide (N2O).
NASA engineers testing Webb telescope's OSIM and BIA instruments
(Phys.org) -- Several critical items related to NASA's next-generation James Webb Space Telescope are being tested in the giant thermal vacuum test chamber at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Why is Great Barrier Reef 'not so great'
(Phys.org) -- Researchers at James Cook University have questioned why coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef has continued to decline when it is recognised as “the best managed coral reef system in the world”.
'Amazing' meteor dazzles stargazers across Midwest
In a few days - barring cloud cover - the night skies will present one of the more arresting displays of meteors streaking through space.
Hubble sees Messier 70: Tight and bright
(Phys.org) -- In this image, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured the brilliance of the compact center of Messier 70, a globular cluster. Quarters are always tight in globular clusters, where the mutual hold of gravity binds together hundreds of thousands of stars in a small region of space. Having this many shining stars piled on top of one another from our perspective makes globular clusters a popular target for amateur skywatchers and scientists alike.
NASA seeks new ideas for Mars missions
The US space agency said Friday it is seeking fresh ideas for robotic missions to explore Mars, after budget cuts nixed a planned partnership with the European space agency.
Resurfacing urban areas to offset 150 billion tons of carbon dioxide
Imagine a world where the rooftops and pavements of every urban area are resurfaced to increase the reflection of the Sun's light rays. Well, this is exactly what a group of Canadian researchers have done in an attempt to measure the potential effects against global warming.
WISE mission sees skies ablaze with blazars
(Phys.org) -- Astronomers are actively hunting a class of supermassive black holes throughout the universe called blazars thanks to data collected by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). The mission has revealed more than 200 blazars and has the potential to find thousands more.
Is this proof of life on Mars?
The Curiosity rover is currently on its way to Mars, scheduled to make a dramatic landing within Gale Crater in mid-August and begin its hunt for the geologic signatures of a watery, life-friendly past. Solid evidence that large volumes of water existed on Mars at some point would be a major step forward in the search for life on the Red Planet.
Uranus auroras glimpsed from Earth
For the first time, scientists have captured images of auroras above the giant ice planet Uranus, finding further evidence of just how peculiar a world that distant planet is. Detected by means of carefully scheduled observations from the Hubble Space Telescope, the newly witnessed Uranian light show consisted of short-lived, faint, glowing dots – a world of difference from the colorful curtains of light that often ring Earth's poles.
Swift satellite monitors departing Comet Garradd
(Phys.org) -- An outbound comet that provided a nice show for skywatchers late last year is the target of an ongoing investigation by NASA's Swift satellite. Formally designated C/2009 P1 (Garradd), the unusually dust-rich comet provides a novel opportunity to characterize how cometary activity changes at ever greater distance from the sun.
Technology news
NDSU develops app to identify cost-effective heating fuel
Heating Fuel Comparison, a new mobile device application developed by the NDSU Extension Service, can help people determine the most cost-effective fuel source when selecting new heating appliances.
Dolby, Philips unveil 3D HD format capable of bringing Full HD 3D to glasses-free 3D devices
Dolby Laboratories, Inc. and Royal Philips Electronics today unveiled Dolby 3D, a 3D HD format and suite of technologies designed to deliver full HD 3D content to 3D-enabled devices, including glasses-free displays. Dolby 3D is being demonstrated at the NAB Show (April 16–19, 2012) at booth SU1212.
Fujitsu develops world's first technology for retrieving 3D CAD models with partially similar shapes
Fujitsu researchers have developed a technology for retrieving partially similar models from stored 3D CAD models.
Tech dividends: What fund investors should know
(AP) -- Investing is about give and take. Consider growth-oriented companies, which are focused on building business and expanding market share. When the economy improves, their stocks are likely to rise more sharply than those of well-established companies, such as General Electric and Johnson & Johnson. In exchange, growth stock investors pass up the potential for regular dividend income.
British firm creates 1,000 wind farm jobs
British engineer Offshore Group Newcastle announced on Friday that it would create up to 1,000 jobs after receiving a government grant to help build offshore wind farms.
What's up with Google's plan to split its stock
(AP) -- Google Inc. has announced plans to issue a new class of stock to existing shareholders, effectively splitting shares 2 to 1. It's an unusual approach that reflects a desire by Google's founders to preserve the company's long-term interests.
US video game sales drop 25 percent in March
(AP) -- U.S. retail sales of video game hardware, software and accessories fell 25 percent in March from a year earlier to $1.1 billion. It marked the fourth month of decline as Sony Corp.'s new PS Vita handheld failed to spark a turnaround.
Australia's Qantas makes first commercial biofuel flight
Australia's Qantas Friday launched the nation's first commercial flight using a mixture of refined cooking oil, saying it would not survive if it relied solely on traditional jet fuel.
Apple denies e-book pricing conspiracy
Apple denied a charge that it schemed with publishers to hike prices for e-books, portraying itself as a hero for prying Amazon's "monopolistic grip" from the market.
India's Infosys profit up 27% but shares tumble
Indian software exporter Infosys on Friday said its quarterly profit rose 27 percent, but disappointed the markets with a lower-than-expected growth forecast that saw its shares plunge.
SAP says profits up in first quarter
German software giant SAP said on Friday it was sticking to its full-year targets for 2012 after profits rose in the first three months.
Design guru Starck reveals 'revolutionary' Apple project
Design guru Philippe Starck is working on a "revolutionary" project with US computer giant Apple that will come out in time for Christmas, the French designer revealed on Friday.
Groupon faces credibility, viability doubts
Five months after going public with much fanfare, daily deals site Groupon Inc. is facing fresh doubts on several fronts concerning its credibility and long-term viability.
How to protect personal data on devices you plan to sell
Thinking of selling or giving away your smartphone or laptop computer? If you have a BlackBerry or an iPhone, go right ahead. But if you have an Android phone or a computer running Windows XP, you may want to hold off.
Fate of data held by Megaupload up in the air
(AP) -- A judge has ordered further negotiations on what should be done with millions of data files that were removed from the Internet when federal investigators shut down one of the world's largest filesharing sites.
German court rules in Motorola's favour in Apple patent row
Motorola scored a victory in a patent war with rival Apple Friday when a German court upheld a decision banning it from offering services for syncrhonising e-mails on its devices in Germany.
Smartphones bridge US digital divide
Smartphones are bridging a US digital divide as minorities tap into the Internet using mobile devices, according to a Pew study released on Friday.
Yahoo CEO to outline his strategy with 1Q results
(AP) -- Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson is expected to elaborate on his turnaround plans when the beleaguered Internet company releases its first-quarter results.
Engineers put five-story building on seismic shake table to test for earthquake, fire readiness
What happens when you put a fully equipped five-story building, which includes an intensive care unit, a surgery suite, piping and air conditioning, fire barriers and even a working elevator, through series of high-intensity earthquakes?
New system makes hardware models of multicore chips more efficient, easier to design, more reliable
Most computer chips today have anywhere from four to 10 separate cores, or processing units, which can work in parallel, increasing the chips’ efficiency. But the chips of the future are likely to have hundreds or even thousands of cores.
Will 3-D printing launch a new industrial revolution?
Peter Schmitt, an MIT doctoral student, printed a clock in 2009. He didn't print an image of a clock on a piece of paper. He printed a three-dimensional clock -- an eight-inch diameter plastic timekeeping device with moving gears, hands and counterweights.
Futuristic cars are coming faster than you think
Cars that drive themselves are not just the stuff of sci-fi movies. The technology is real, the cars can now drive legally and the debate is starting on whether society is better off when software is behind the wheel.
".Oops": Glitch forces extension for new suffixes
You're probably familiar with ".com" and ".org." How about ".oops"? A technical glitch forced the abrupt shutdown of a system for letting companies and organizations propose new Internet domain name suffixes. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, which is in charge of domain names, said some private data may have been exposed.
Japan bank to install palm-reading ATMs
A regional bank in central Japan will become the country's first financial institution to adopt automated teller machines that will identify users by their palms.
Medicine & Health news
Brazil court OKs abortions for brainless fetuses
(AP) -- Brazil's supreme court has voted to authorize abortions in cases of fetuses with no brains.
Consider IUDs for contraception, other conditions
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have found that intrauterine devices (IUDs) containing progesterone are a safe and effective means of birth control and support its use as a treatment option for medical conditions like pelvic pain, abnormal bleeding, and to prevent uterine cancer.
Patients with skin disease deserve better treatment
Better access to specialists, more relevant training for health professionals and the introduction of reliable data to manage services effectively — these are the recommendations of a major review carried out by experts at The University of Nottingham into health care for patients with skin disease.
Babalung gets babies breathing again
(Medical Xpress) -- Rice University students have developed an inexpensive, battery-powered neonatal monitor for infants that could save many lives in the developing world.
'Hybrid' surgery saves UCLA patient from softball-sized aneurysm
Patricia Crawford had literally been tinged blue all her life because her heart couldn’t pump enough oxygenated blood through her body. And that was the least of her worries.
UC creates stronger, longer lasting medical implants
University of Cincinnati researchers have discovered that laser shock peening has an amazing effect when applied to magnesium alloys. When used on a magnesium alloy, LSP makes the alloy stronger and better controls the rate of corrosion.
Radiotherapy doses to be more accurate
Cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy treatments in future will be safer thanks to a collaborative piece of research by NPL, the University of Montreal, and McGill University which will result in improved measurement consistency.
Eye imaging may shed light on heart disease risk
The University of Dundee is a key partner in a pioneering study aiming to determine whether a scan of blood vessels in the eye can identify signs of heart disease.
Obese workers' health care costs top those of smokers
(HealthDay) -- Obese workers have even higher health costs than smokers, a new study finds.
Indocyanine green diode laser clears telangiectatic leg veins
(HealthDay) -- For patients with telangiectatic leg veins, treatment with indocyanine green (ICG)-augmented diode laser therapy results in good to excellent clearance of veins, with no persisting side effects, according to a proof-of-concept study published online April 5 in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine.
Argentine 'miracle baby' in critical condition
A premature baby who survived hours in a morgue refrigerator after being mistakenly declared dead has suffered a cardiac arrest and is in critical condition, Argentine doctors said Friday.
Substance abusers, even recovering ones, may face stigma
(HealthDay) -- People are more likely to disapprove of and avoid substance abusers than those who smoke or are obese, according to a new study.
Drug approved to treat high blood pressure
(HealthDay) -- The high blood pressure drug Toprol XL has been combined with a low-dose diuretic to form Dutoprol (metoprolol succinate extended release/hyrdrochlorothiazide), which has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat high blood pressure.
DNA repair pathway score for predicting chemotherapy response in ovarian cancer patients
A DNA repair pathway-focused score has the potential to help determine if first-line platinum based chemotherapy can benefit advanced-stage ovarian cancer patients, according to a study published April 13 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Fertility treatment bans in Europe draw criticism
(AP) -- More than three decades after Britain produced the world's first test-tube baby, Europe is a patchwork of restrictions for people who need help having a child.
Risk of sudden cardiac death up for black patients with HTN
(HealthDay) -- Black patients with hypertension face a significantly increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) compared with nonblack patients, even after adjusting for multiple confounding variables, according to a study published in the April issue of Heart Rhythm.
Small number of genes involved in X-linked ichthyosis
(HealthDay) -- Patients with X-linked recessive ichthyosis (XLRI) have altered expression in a small number of genes, and although moisturizer treatment improves dryness, it doesn't affect other biophysical properties or gene expression, according to a study published online April 5 in the British Journal of Dermatology.
Many women still report drinking during pregnancy
(HealthDay) -- A considerable proportion of women report continuing to drink during pregnancy, but biomarker tests indicate they are drinking at modest levels, according to a study published online April 6 in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
Childhood intelligence linked to long-term sick leave
(Medical Xpress) -- Individuals with better cognitive function in childhood are less likely to end up on long-term sick leave in adult life, according to new research by the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London.
Brain network reveals disorders
(Medical Xpress) -- Researchers at ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich identify a new method of unerringly detecting the presence of pathophysiological changes in the brain. The new method was developed in order to gain a mechanistic understanding of schizophrenia and other spectrum disorders, which will lead to more accurate diagnoses and more effective treatments.
Depressed dads more negative in talking to their babies
(Medical Xpress) -- Dads with 'postnatal' depression are more likely to fix on negatives and be more critical of themselves when talking to their new babies.
Lung cancer cases keep going up in UK women
(Phys.org) -- Lung cancer cases continue to rise in women with more than 18,000 UK women diagnosed with the disease in 2009 according to the latest Cancer Research UK figures released today (Friday).
Kidney donation does not put donor at extra risk
(Medical Xpress) -- While people with reduced kidney function are more likely to develop cardiovascular conditions, that doesn’t necessarily ring true for those with reduced renal mass from donating a kidney, according to Western Epidemiology & Biostatistics professor Amit Garg.
Symptomatic behaviour in childhood strongly predicts psychiatric treatment as a young adult
A survey on the mental health of eight-year-old children could help identify those individuals who are highly likely to require psychiatric treatment in their teens or early adulthood. There are, however, clear differences in the predictive factors in such surveys between boys and girls, as is shown by a study conducted at the University of Helsinki.
Mental illness tied to higher rates of physical problems: report
(HealthDay) -- Adults with mental illness are more likely to have certain types of chronic physical health problems than those without mental illness, according to a U.S. government report released this week.
Understanding autoimmune disorders
Kathy Krolikowski of Frisco, Texas, suspected something was wrong long before her doctors did.
Is sex addiction real?
People cheat. They juggle multiple lovers. They have serial relationships. They watch porn. You could chalk it up to the spectrum of sexual appetites, destructive as some may be. Or you could check yourself into rehab for sexual addiction.
Recognising flipped famous faces has links to mental health
(Medical Xpress) -- According to researchers from the University of Hertfordshire, individuals with the mental health problem Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) cannot accurately detect negative facial emotions but they have an amazing ability to recognise famous faces - when they are upside-down.
Even young teens show signs of sun damage: study
(HealthDay) -- In a new study that used a special type of photography to unveil hidden signs of sun damage, middle schoolers showed evidence of levels of UV exposure that could raise their risk for melanoma later in life.
Isomaltulose doesn't improve glycemic control in diabetes
(HealthDay) -- For patients with type 2 diabetes, substitution of sucrose with isomaltulose is not associated with improved glycemic control (measured by hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c] levels) at 12 weeks, according to a study published online April 9 in Diabetes Care.
Implantable medical device is designed to warn patients of impending heart attack
More than 30% of the one million heart attack victims in the United States each year die before seeking medical attention. Although widespread education campaigns describe the warning signs of a heart attack, the average time from the onset of symptoms to arrival at the hospital has remained at 3 hours for more than 10 years. In their upcoming Ergonomics in Design article, "'This is your heart speaking. Call 911,'" authors Mary Carol Day and Christopher Young study the benefits of the AngelMed Guardian®, an implantable medical device currently undergoing clinical trials that alerts users about a potential heart attack through a combination of vibrations, audible tones, and visual warnings.
Texas OKs experimental stem cell therapy rules
The Texas Medical Board on Friday approved new rules on experimental stem cell therapies such as the one Gov. Rick Perry underwent during back surgery last year, despite objections they don't do enough to protect patients and could led to an explosion of doctors promoting unproven, expensive treatments.
Wiring the brain
(Medical Xpress) -- Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a simple mathematical model of the brain which provides a remarkably complete statistical account of the complex web of connections between various brain regions. Their findings have been published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Changes in gene expression may help explain high blood pressure in pregnancy
(Medical Xpress) -- Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine researchers have discovered that changes in the gene expression of a key enzyme may contribute to high blood pressure and increase susceptibility to forming blood clots in pregnant women with preeclampsia.
Study has shown to reverse obesity, body fat and improve insulin sensitivity in mice
(Medical Xpress) -- Scientists used the ACE inhibitor captopril (CAP)—commonly used for the treatment of hypertension and cardiac conditions—and found that it can reduce the body weight of mice maintained on a high-fat diet.
New kind of memory trick may help drug addicts recover
(Medical Xpress) -- Traditionally, treatment for drug addicts has centered around so-called extinction procedures designed to disassociate memories tied with taking drugs to help reduce the cravings that so often result in relapse. Unfortunately, while such procedures help addicts while still in treatment, they don’t do much for them afterwards in the real world. Because of this, treatment specialists often turn to drug related therapies to help reduce associative memories. The problem with that approach though is that it’s counterintuitive. Treating drug abuse by administering drugs just goes against common sense. Plus there are sometimes unpleasant side effects.
Biology news
S. Africa issues shark warning around washed-up whale
South African coastal authorities on Friday warned beachgoers around the tourist town of Knysna that sharks were moving into the area, feeding on the remains of a whale that ran ashore two days ago.
Russia declares 'Land of the Leopard' National Park
The Wildlife Conservation Society commends the Russian government for creating a new national park to protect critically endangered Amur (Siberian) tigers and the world's rarest big cat: the Far Eastern leopard.
Scientists discover new species of roundleaf bat in Vietnam
A team of researchers, supported by the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP), the Harrison Institute, the University of Tübingen, and the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, has discovered a new species of bat in Vietnam.
Scientists warn of emerging fungal peril
Fungal diseases are a major threat not just to wild plants and animals, but to us.
Studies reveal how cells distinguish between disease-causing and innocuous invaders
(Phys.org) -- The specific mechanisms by which humans and other animals are able to discriminate between disease-causing microbes and innocuous ones in order to rapidly respond to infections have long been a mystery to scientists. But a study conducted on roundworms by biologists at UC San Diego has uncovered some important clues to finally answering that question.
University of Sydney taxonomist names new family of fish
A University of Sydney taxonomist has built on the research of Emperor Akihito of Japan, perhaps the world's best known ichthyologist, to classify a new family of fish.
European dung-fly females all aflutter for large males
European and North American black scavenger flies – also called dung flies as their larvae develop in the feces of vertebrates and thus break them down – belong to the same species. Nevertheless, they strongly differ in mating behavior and SSD. North American dung fly females are larger than males, the usual dimorphism in insects. European dung flies, however, are more unusual with males being considerably larger than females.
Researchers find a way to detect stealthy, 'hypervirulent' Salmonella strains
A recent discovery of "hypervirulent" Salmonella bacteria has given UC Santa Barbara researchers Michael Mahan and Douglas Heithoff a means to potentially prevent food poisoning outbreaks from these particularly powerful strains. Their findings, in a paper titled "Intraspecies Variation in the Emergence of Hyperinfectious Bacterial Strains in Nature," have been published in the journal PLoS Pathogens.
Biologists discover that many nematode species make the same types of small-molecule pheromones
(Phys.org) -- All animals seem to have ways of exchanging information—monkeys vocalize complex messages, ants create scent trails to food, and fireflies light up their bellies to attract mates. Yet, despite the fact that nematodes, or roundworms, are among the most abundant animals on the planet, little is known about the way they network. Now, research led by California Institute of Technology (Caltech) biologists has shown that a wide range of nematodes communicate using a recently discovered class of chemical cues.
Hawks win, doves pay for being odd
(Phys.org) -- In a crowd, looking different can be dangerous, at least if you’re a pigeon.
Direct transfer of plant genes from chloroplasts into the cell nucleus
Chloroplasts, the plant cell's green solar power generators, were once living beings in their own right. This changed about one billion years ago, when they were swallowed up but not digested by larger cells. Since then, they have lost much of their autonomy. As time went on, most of their genetic information found its way into the cell nucleus; today, chloroplasts would no longer be able to live outside their host cell. Scientists in Ralph Bock's team at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology have discovered that chloroplast genes take a direct route to the cell nucleus, where they can be correctly read in spite of their architectural differences.
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