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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for April 22, 2012:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Physicists turn to Maxwell's equations for self-bending light- Inventor preps robot to cut through ice on Europa
- UN calls for doubling renewable energy by 2030
- 'Super-nano' plastic fibres touted for next-generation IT
- Light bulb with 20-year life unveiled in US on Earth Day
- Controlling heat flow with atomic-level precision
- Climate change may create price volatility in the corn market
- Neuroscientists discover key protein responsible for controlling nerve cell protection
- Cocaine decreases activity of a protein necessary for normal functioning of the brain's reward system
- Chemists explain the molecular workings of promising fuel cell electrolyte
- Rare Egyptian scrolls found in Australian collection
- New purple crab species found in Philippines
- Hundreds of thousands may lose Internet in July
- DARPA releases cause of hypersonic glider anomaly
- Arctic Ocean could be source of greenhouse gas: study
Space & Earth news
Weather forecast delays shuttle's arrival to NYC
(AP) -- The space shuttle Enterprise's scheduled arrival in New York City has been pushed back because of possible bad weather.
In '72, EPA battled pollution; now it's politics
(AP) -- A polluted drainage ditch that once flowed with industrial waste from Lake Charles, La., petrochemical plants teems with overgrown, wild plants today.
Fracking brings boom, fears to rural US
Underneath the ground in southwestern Pennsylvania, bedrock is put under explosive pressure to fracture and spill out its lucrative cache of natural gas.
Space mining startup set for launch in US
A startup evidently devoted to mining asteroids for metals is to make its public debut on Tuesday in the US northwest city of Seattle, seeking to redefine the term "natural resources."
Russian cargo ship docks at International Space Station
The Russian cargo ship Progress M-15M successfully docked at the International Space Station on Sunday, the mission control centre said.
DARPA releases cause of hypersonic glider anomaly
(AP) -- An unmanned hypersonic glider likely aborted its 13,000 mph flight over the Pacific Ocean last summer because unexpectedly large sections of its skin peeled off, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency said Friday.
Climate change may create price volatility in the corn market
By the time today's elementary schoolers graduate from college, the U.S. corn belt could be forced to move to the Canadian border to escape devastating heat waves brought on by rising global temperatures. If farmers don't move their corn north, the more frequent heat waves could lead to bigger swings in corn prices – "price volatility" – which cause spikes in food prices, farmers' incomes and the price livestock farmers and ethanol producers pay for corn.
Arctic Ocean could be source of greenhouse gas: study
The Arctic Ocean could be a significant contributor of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, scientists reported on Sunday.
Inventor preps robot to cut through ice on Europa
(Phys.org) -- Robots are being developed all the time to do what we wish and to go where we can’t. This week, inventor Bill Stone told attendees at NASA’s Astrobiology Science Conference in Atlanta that he intends to get an autonomous robot ready to visit the icebound sea of Jupiter’s moon Europa, cut through the icy crust, and explore the waters below. He told the participants that his goal is to send his robot Valkyrie to Europa, where it will use lasers to cut through the ice to explore the waters below, collecting samples, in search of life. His company, Stone Aerospace, has been working on the six-foot by ten inch robotic cylinder called Valkyrie.
Technology news
Google dumps publisher payment platform
The One Pass payment platform for Internet news websites was shut down as Google continued house cleaning launched when co-founder Larry Page took charge last year.
Motorola Mobility CEO's pay more than triples
(AP) -- Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. CEO and Chairman Sanjay Jha's compensation more than tripled in 2011 to $47.2 million, including awards tied to the company's split from Motorola Solutions.
A divided Congress confronts a rising cyberthreat
(AP) -- The mysterious caller claimed to be from Microsoft and offered step-by-step instructions to repair damage from a software virus. The electric power companies weren't falling for it.
Italy launches private high-speed train
Italy launched Europe's first private high-speed train service this week, as the country looks towards the more liberal economy that Prime Minister Mario Monti wants to put on the rails.
Google Street View comes to Israel
(AP) -- After months of discussions with Israeli security officials, Google has launched its popular Street View service in the country's three largest cities.
UN calls for doubling renewable energy by 2030
UN chief Ban Ki-moon made a call to double global consumption of renewable energy over the next two decades in order to ensure sustainable economic development.
Hundreds of thousands may lose Internet in July
(AP) -- For computer users, a few mouse clicks could mean the difference between staying online and losing Internet connections this summer.
Light bulb with 20-year life unveiled in US on Earth Day
A prize-winning, super energy saving LED bulb from Dutch electronics giant Philips, said to last over 20 years, went on sale online and in stores Sunday to coincide with Earth Day.
Medicine & Health news
Screening programs detect cases of undiagnosed rheumatic heart disease in low-resource countries
Widespread screening of children in poorer countries is now being studied and is resulting in the diagnosis of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in patients that would likely have gone undetected under normal circumstances, according to two new studies carried out in Fiji and Uganda presented today at the World Congress of Cardiology.
Additional blood pressure screening may reduce incidence of CVD events and death by up to 3 percent
A 25 per cent increase in high blood pressure screening in 19 developing countries would reduce the number of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and deaths that occur each year by up to 3 per cent in these countries. The preliminary data presented today at the World Congress of Cardiology are the first findings from a new report from Harvard that will be published later this year.
Second-generation drug used for hypertension aids heart function independent of blood pressure
Heart failure is the most common cause of death throughout the world, typically the result of chronic high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. As a result, research efforts have focused on an array of approaches aimed at preventing and treating high blood pressure. Recently, Japanese researchers examined the utility of an anti-hypertensive drug, moxonidine, which acts on the imidazoline receptors in the cardiovascular center of the brainstem. They found, using an animal model, that the drug can improve heart function and survival independent of its effect on blood pressure. They also found the drug had a favorable effect on oxidative stress, which is related to insulin resistance, the underlying abnormality in diabetes, which is common in people with heart failure.
Potato consumption lower than expected
Calorie intake from white potatoes is surprisingly modest for adults and school-aged children, according to a new study released today at the Experimental Biology 2012 Annual Meeting.
Doctors find cochlear implants restore hearing in rare disorder
Clinical-researchers from University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center report that cochlear implantation provides an effective and safe way of restoring hearing in patients with far advanced otosclerosis (FAO), a hereditary condition that can lead to severe hearing loss.
FDA proposes rules for nanotechnology in food
(AP) -- Regulators are proposing that food companies that want to use tiny engineered particles in their packaging may have to provide extra testing data to show the products are safe.
Tax on salt could reduce cardiovascular disease deaths by 3 percent
Voluntary industry reductions in salt content and taxation on products containing salt in 19 developing countries could reduce the number of deaths each year from cardiovascular disease (CVD) by 2-3 per cent in these countries. The preliminary data presented today at the World Congress of Cardiology are the first findings from a new report from Harvard that will be published later this year.
'Housekeeping' mechanism for brain stem cells discovered
Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) have identified a molecular pathway that controls the retention and release of the brain's stem cells. The discovery offers new insights into normal and abnormal neurologic development and could eventually lead to regenerative therapies for neurologic disease and injury. The findings, from a collaborative effort of the laboratories of Drs. Anna Lasorella and Antonio Iavarone, were published in the online edition of Nature Cell Biology.
Scientists link quickly spreading gene to Asian MRSA epidemic
National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists and their colleagues in China have described a rapidly emerging Staphylococcus aureus gene, called sasX, which plays a pivotal role in establishing methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) epidemics in most of Asia. Senior author Michael Otto, Ph.D., of NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says these findings illustrate at the molecular level how MRSA epidemics may emerge and spread. Moreover, their study identifies a potential target for novel therapeutics.
Cocaine decreases activity of a protein necessary for normal functioning of the brain's reward system
New research from Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York reveals that repeated exposure to cocaine decreases the activity of a protein necessary for normal functioning of the brain's reward system, thus enhancing the reward for cocaine use, which leads to addiction. Investigators were also able to block the ability of repeated cocaine exposure, to induce addiction. The findings, published online April 22 in the journal Nature Neuroscience, provide the first evidence of how cocaine changes the shape and size of neuron rewards in a mouse model.
Neuroscientists discover key protein responsible for controlling nerve cell protection
A key protein, which may be activated to protect nerve cells from damage during heart failure or epileptic seizure, has been found to regulate the transfer of information between nerve cells in the brain. The discovery, made by neuroscientists at the University of Bristol and published in Nature Neuroscience and PNAS, could lead to novel new therapies for stroke and epilepsy.
Biology news
Kenya rangers gun down suspected elephant poachers
Kenyan rangers shot dead five suspected elephant poachers in a night-time firefight in the north of the country, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said on Saturday.
Official: Dolphin deaths in Peru still a mystery
(AP) -- Peruvian authorities are still trying to unravel the mystery of why hundreds of dolphins ended up dead on beaches in the country over the past 2 1/2 months.
New purple crab species found in Philippines
Four new species of freshwater crab, bright purple in colour, have been discovered in the biologically diverse but ecologically-threatened Philippines, the man who found them said Saturday.
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