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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for May 18, 2012:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Friendly Fungi: Elucidating the fungal biosynthesis of stipitatic acid- NLT announces naked-eye display with better 3-D view
- An unlikely route to ferroelectricity
- Newfound exoplanet may turn to dust
- Bacteria alive (more or less) in 86-million-year-old seabed clay
- Quantum computer leap
- New silicon memory chip developed
- ZTE scrambles to get at root of phone flaw
- A cell's first steps: Building a model to explain how cells grow
- Quantum computing: The light at the end of the tunnel may be a single photon
- Scientists design indoor navigation system for blind
- Hitting snooze on the molecular clock: Rabies evolves slower in hibernating bats
- SpaceX readies ambitious ISS launch
- Synthetic scent hounds: Nanostructured sensor for detection of very low concentrations of explosive
- Pollution teams with thunderclouds to warm atmosphere
Space & Earth news
Is the Earth a cosmic feather-duster?
Scientists at the University of Leeds are looking to discover how dust particles in the solar system interact with the Earth's atmosphere.
UN, Brazil to host Internet debate on green planet
The United Nations and the Brazilian government are launching an Internet debate around 10 themes for a green planet to elicit suggestions from experts and the public for next month's Rio+20 summit.
Image: Composite of a series of images taken from space aboard the space station
(Phys.org) -- This is a composite of a series of images photographed from a mounted camera on the Earth-orbiting International Space Station, from approximately 240 miles above Earth.
NRL RAIDS experiment advances ionospheric remote sensing
Naval Research Laboratory scientists have obtained a first-ever measured altitude profile of a dim extreme-ultraviolet terrestrial airglow emission that provides vital information needed to test and improve the accuracy of advanced techniques for remote sensing of the daytime ionosphere. They have obtained this altitude profile using scans from the Remote Atmospheric and Ionospheric Detection System (RAIDS) experiment. The results of the research are published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, 117, A01316, (2012).
Forest recovering from Mt. St. Helens explosion: research (w/ Video)
(Phys.org) -- Mt. St. Helens exploded 32 years ago on May 18. It began with a small series of earthquakes and culminated with the volcano erupting, a cataclysmic collapse of the flank of the mountain and the largest landslide in recorded history.
How big are sunspots?
The short answer? Really big. The long answer? Really, really big.
The 2012 transit of Venus
On June 5th, 2012, Venus will pass across the face of the sun, producing a silhouette that no one alive today will likely see again.
Study of moon rocks shows barrage 4 billion years ago was mainly asteroids
(Phys.org) -- Researchers have known for some years that the Earth and moon were subjected to a veritable barrage of objects striking their surfaces nearly four million years ago, but less certain was whether those objects were asteroids, comets or even pieces of other protoplanets after they broke apart. Now however, new research by a group of lunar scientists has found, after studying moon rocks brought back by astronauts during the Apollo 16 mission, that it appears they were mostly asteroids. But not, they write in their paper published in the journal Science, the same kind as we see falling on our planet today.
Finding fingerprints in sea level rise
It was used to help Apollo astronauts navigate in space, and has since been applied to problems as diverse as economics and weather forecasting, but Harvard scientists are now using a powerful statistical tool to not only track sea level rise over time, but to determine where the water causing the rise is coming from.
SpaceX readies ambitious ISS launch
Shaking off jitters, SpaceX counted down Friday to liftoff of its Dragon capsule to the International Space Station in what may be a historic mission for private spaceflight.
Pollution teams with thunderclouds to warm atmosphere
Pollution is warming the atmosphere through summer thunderstorm clouds, according to a computational study published May 10 in Geophysical Research Letters. How much the warming effect of these clouds offsets the cooling that other clouds provide is not yet clear. To find out, researchers need to incorporate this new-found warming into global climate models.
Japan readies for 'ring' solar eclipse
Special darkened glasses were selling out in Japan on Friday as anticipation built ahead of a "ring" solar eclipse above one of the most densely populated parts of the planet.
Newfound exoplanet may turn to dust
Researchers at MIT, NASA and elsewhere have detected a possible planet, some 1,500 light years away, that appears to be evaporating under the blistering heat of its parent star. The scientists infer that a long tail of debris — much like the tail of a comet — is following the planet, and that this tail may tell the story of the planet’s disintegration. According to the team’s calculations, the tiny exoplanet, not much larger than Mercury, will completely disintegrate within 100 million years.
Technology news
District Energy Systems can reduce carbon, save money - but only if well-regulated
Is centralized heating an effective way for BC communities to reduce greenhouse gases?
Samsung now producing industry's first highest density mobile LPDDR2 memory, using 20nm-class technology
Samsung Electronics announced today that it has begun producing the industry’s first four gigabit (Gb), low power double-data-rate 2 (LPDDR2) memory using 20 nanometer (nm) class technology. The mobile DRAM (dynamic random access memory) chip, which went into mass production last month, will help the market to deliver advanced devices that are faster, lighter and provide longer battery life than today’s mobile devices.
You shoot and Croppola composes
We envy photographers who are experts at composing beautiful pictures and would like to achieve the same result. Croppola is a user-friendly online tool that helps photo-lovers to make the most of their pictures.
WhatsApp tops UK app charts: Apple
The WhatsApp messenging system, which allows users to send messages for free, has topped Apple's App Store Official UK charts.
Direct digital: Novel casting process could transform how complex metal parts are made
A Georgia Tech research team has developed a novel technology that could change how industry designs and casts complex, costly metal parts. This new casting method makes possible faster prototype development times, as well as more efficient and cost-effective manufacturing procedures after a part moves to mass production.
Facebook windfall to help California fill budget hole
Facebook's initial public offering will make lots of its staff in California rich -- and should therefore help the perennially cash-strapped state fill a whopping $16 billion budget hole.
Facebook is 2nd largest US IPO ever
Facebook's launch on to the Nasdaq on Friday will raise $16.4 billion dollars, making it the second largest initial public offering on US markets ever.
A debate: Should you jump in on Facebook debut?
(AP) -- Facebook begins selling stock to the public Friday in the most talked-about market debut in years. Two Associated Press business writers are debating whether the stock is a smart buy.
Gov. mistakenly says Facebook invented in Calif.
(AP) -- Apparently, California Gov. Jerry Brown forgot to rent "The Social Network."
Questions and answers on blockbuster Facebook IPO
(AP) -- A company started in a Harvard dorm room in 2004 has just raised $16 billion and is valued at $104 billion. All that from an initial public offering of stock.
Yahoo's new boss revamps recently created division
(AP) -- Yahoo's new boss is reorganizing a consumer-commerce division created by recently dispatched CEO Scott Thompson.
Europe-vs-Facebook group gathers comments in privacy battle
The campaign Europe-vs-Facebook, run by an Austrian law student, said Thursday it had gathered the 7,000 comments required for the social networking website to review its privacy policy.
China rejects US ruling in solar dumping case
(AP) -- China's government on Friday rejected a U.S. antidumping ruling against its makers of solar power equipment and Chinese manufacturers warned proposed punitive tariffs might hurt efforts to promote clean energy.
UK surveillance could yield window into lives
(AP) -- British officials have given their word: "We won't read your emails."
LIVE: Facebook goes public
(AP) -- It's Facebook's big day. The site, which was born in a dorm room eight years ago and has grown into a worldwide network of almost a billion people, is making the most talked-about stock market debut in years.
Verizon says it's ending unlimited data plans
A Verizon official announced the company will begin forcing users with grandfathered-in unlimited data plans to choose data share plans when they migrate to the company's 4G network.
Twitter offers personalized advice on whom to follow
Twitter wants to guide new hatchlings as they venture out of the virtual nest with its experimental tailored suggestions of whom to follow. This personalization comes on the heels of the company's confirming that users also have the option to beg off having their online movements followed for such personalization.
What will Facebook do with all its cash?
What's Facebook going to do with all that money? Depending on the price it sets for its shares, the company is on track to raise $6.1 billion to $6.8 billion in its initial public offering. Facebook's new wealth will be added to the $3.9 billion that's already in its coffers and will give the company one of the largest cash hoards of any nonbank public company.
Drift to mobile a new challenge for Facebook
With Internet users increasingly going mobile, a major challenge for Facebook will be trying to make money from its massive global presence in a more complex mobile space.
Engineers use droplet microfluidics to create glucose-sensing microbeads
Tiny beads may act as minimally invasive glucose sensors for a variety of applications in cell culture systems and tissue engineering
Facebook falls flat in public debut (Update 2)
(AP) -- After all the hype, Facebook's first day as a public company ended where it began.
Zynga price falls 13.3% as Facebook IPO trades flat
Shares of online social game maker Zynga plunged 13.3 percent and triggered a trading halt Friday as Facebook's IPO fell flat with investors.
Yahoo! stock climbs on report of Alibaba sale
Yahoo! stock price climbed Friday on renewed rumors that it was close to a multibillion-dollar deal to sell half of its stake in Alibaba.com back to the Chinese online shopping portal.
New silicon memory chip developed
(Phys.org) -- The first purely silicon oxide-based 'Resistive RAM' memory chip that can operate in ambient conditions – opening up the possibility of new super-fast memory - has been developed by researchers at UCL.
ZTE scrambles to get at root of phone flaw
(Phys.org) -- Rattling phone security news surfaced this week for those owning ZTE Score M phones after an anonymous post to Pastebin.com reported a backdoor hole where others can gain control over a user’s device. The hole allows anyone with hardwired password to access the affected phone. ZTE has reacted in the affirmative, acknowledging the vulnerability in the Score phone and saying they’re working on a security patch, which it will issue soon. “We strongly urge affected users to download and install the patch as soon as it is rolled out to their devices."
Scientists design indoor navigation system for blind
University of Nevada, Reno computer science engineering team Kostas Bekris and Eelke Folmer presented their indoor navigation system for people with visual impairments at two national conferences in the past two weeks. The researchers explained how a combination of human-computer interaction and motion-planning research was used to build a low-cost accessible navigation system, called Navatar, which can run on a standard smartphone.
Medicine & Health news
Various metabolic risk factors could be linked to diabetes-related pain with major implications for treatment
Around 1 in 50 people in the general population and 1 in 6 of those aged over 40 years experience neuropathy (damage to the nerves of the peripheral nervous system), which can cause numbness, tingling, pain, or weakness. The most common cause of neuropathy is diabetes, and up to half of diabetes patients can be affected. Currently, among the only treatments for neuropathy are glucose control (which often only delays it) and pain management. Yet less than half of patients are treated for pain, despite the availability of many effective therapies . Growing evidence suggests that various metabolic risk factors, including prediabetes, could be linked with neuropathy and thus be targets for new disease-modifying drugs. The issues are discussed in a Review in the June issue of The Lancet Neurology, by Dr Brian C Callaghan and colleagues, all of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Experts call for clinical trials to test non-skeletal benefits of vitamin D
The Endocrine Society's new scientific statement published online today represents the first comprehensive evaluation of both the basic and clinical evidence related to the non-skeletal effects of vitamin D. The statement addresses current research regarding the associations of vitamin D with immune function, hypertension, stroke, skin conditions and maternal/fetal health.
Gene expression profile testing increasing in breast cancer
(HealthDay) -- From 2006 to 2008, the use of gene expression profile (GEP) testing increased, correlating with a decrease in the percentage of women with hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer receiving adjuvant chemotherapy, according to a study published online May 14 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Facebook and smartphones: New tools for psychological science research
Whether you’re an iPerson who can’t live without a Mac, a Facebook addict, or a gamer, you know that social media and technology say things about your personality and thought processes. And psychological scientists know it too – they’ve started researching how new media and devices both reveal and change our mental states.
Mobility key to quality of life for MS sufferers
(Medical Xpress) -- Reduced mobility among patients with secondary‐progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) is associated with a decline in quality of life, according to new data presented today at the 7th World Congress of NeuroRehabilitation in Melbourne.
Surgery may be best for certain back conditions
Orthopedic spine surgery may be more effective than non-surgical treatment for low back disorders.
French autistic kids mostly get psychotherapy
(AP) -- In most developed countries, children with autism are usually sent to school where they get special education classes. But in France, they are more often sent to a psychiatrist where they get talk therapy meant for people with psychological or emotional problems.
UH Case Medical Center, CardioKinetix reveal promising data for treatment for heart failure
University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center and CardioKinetix Inc., a medical device company pioneering a catheter-based treatment for heart failure, today announced promising results for the first-of-its-kind catheter-based Parachute™ Ventricular Partitioning Device, a Percutaneous Ventricular Restoration Therapy (PVRT) technology for patients with ischemic heart failure.
Mad cow quarantines lifted at 2 California dairies
(AP) -- Quarantines were lifted on two Central California dairies associated with a case of mad cow disease after investigators found no link between the illness and food the diseased bovine might have consumed, federal officials said Friday.
One-third of U.S. homeless population is obese: study
(HealthDay) -- One-third of homeless people in the United States are obese, about the same rate as the general population, a new study finds.
Dabrafenib shrinks melanoma brain metastases in phase I clinical trial
An experimental drug targeting a common mutation in melanoma successfully shrank tumors that spread to the brain in nine out of 10 patients in part of an international phase I clinical trial report in the May 18 issue of The Lancet.
Weight management in pregnancy with diet is beneficial and safe, can reduce complications
For pregnant women, including those who are overweight and obese, following a healthy calorie controlled diet during pregnancy is safe and can reduce the risk of serious complications such as pre-eclampsia, diabetes and premature birth, finds a study published in the British Medical Journal today.
With fat: What's good or bad for the heart, may be the same for the brain
It has been known for years that eating too many foods containing "bad" fats, such as saturated fats or trans fats, isn't healthy for your heart. However, according to new research from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), one "bad" fat—saturated fat—was found to be associated with worse overall cognitive function and memory in women over time. By contrast, a "good" fat—mono-unsaturated fat was associated with better overall cognitive function and memory.
Generic versions of plavix approved
(HealthDay) -- The first generic versions of Plavix (clopidogrel bisulfate) have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Diabetes can take a toll on your emotions
(HealthDay) -- Many people know diabetes -- both type 1 and type 2 -- can take a serious toll on physical health. But these blood-sugar disorders also can affect your emotions and, in turn, your emotions can wreak havoc on your diabetes control.
Boost your immune system with a healthy lifestyle
Your immune system is your defense against disease. Its many different parts need to work in balance and harmony to protect our bodies from harmful germs and viruses; in essence to attack and destroy any they find.
'Next Generation' cancer treatment ready for clinical trials
(Medical Xpress) -- A new class of anti-cancer drugs which control the growth and spread of cancers and do so with minimal side effects is being developed by researchers at the University of Sydney.
Doctors need training to help smokers quit
Health care professionals do a better job helping people quit smoking when they are trained in smoking cessation techniques, a new Cochrane Library review finds.
People with asthma get the green light for exercise
Not only is it safe for people with asthma to exercise, but doing so could reduce their risk of asthma symptoms or attacks, according to a new evidence review in The Cochrane Library.
Gene mapping reveals architecture that controls expression of genes responsible for our sense of smell
Within the nasal cavity, millions of sensory neurons in a postage-stamp-sized patch of tissue called the olfactory epithelium control our sense of smell. Thanks to the exquisitely controlled expression of some 300 different olfactory receptor genes, each neuron can detect a small number of distinct volatile odorants. How these genes are regulated, however, has long been a mystery.
Nighttime fast may top calorie counting, study finds
In an age of long commutes, late sports practices, endless workdays and 24/7 television programming, the image of Mom hanging up her dish towel at 7 p.m. and declaring "the kitchen is closed" seems a quaint relic of an earlier era.
Dartmouth researchers are learning how exercise affects the brain
Exercise clears the mind. It gets the blood pumping and more oxygen is delivered to the brain. This is familiar territory, but Dartmouth's David Bucci thinks there is much more going on.
Comprehensive report documents impact of urologic diseases on American public
Urologic conditions like urinary tract infections, kidney stones, and prostate cancer are a major economic burden on Americans, resulting in health care costs of close to $40 billion annually, according to a newly released national report that charts the demographic and economic impact of urologic diseases in the U.S.
Gender, high DAS28-P index predictive of pain in early RA
(HealthDay) -- For patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), female gender and having a high proportion of disease activity score (DAS28) attributable to patient-reported components (joint tenderness and visual analog score) (DAS28-P) at baseline are predictive of less improvement in pain at one year, according to a study published online May 3 in Arthritis Care & Research.
Adjuvant radiochemotherapy has lasting benefit in gastric cancer
(HealthDay) -- Ten-year data from the Southwestern Oncology Group-directed Intergroup Study 0116 confirm the benefits of adjuvant radiochemotherapy after gastric cancer resection in terms of overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS), according to research published online May 14 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Recurrent HTN seen for half of women with HTN in pregnancy
(HealthDay) -- About half of women who experience a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy and late-preterm delivery develop a hypertensive disorder in a subsequent pregnancy, although few have delivery before 37 weeks in the subsequent pregnancy, according to a study published in the June issue of BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology.
From one generation to the next, dental care changes
(HealthDay) -- Stephanie Crowe, a mother of three from Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y., still remembers dreading a visit to the dentist as a young girl. It was often a painful experience, and her family's dentist showed little empathy to his smallest patients.
Tiny tots in the dentist's chair among changes in pediatric dentistry
(HealthDay) -- If you've been to the dentist with your children recently, you may have noticed that things have changed since you were a kid.
A nurse practitioner-driven palliative care intervention improves cancer patients' quality of life
Recent studies have shown that palliative care interventions aimed at addressing patients' emotional, spiritual and social needs have a significant impact on cancer patients' quality of life and may even improve cancer patients' overall survival. Despite this, most cancer patients being cared for in their communities do not have access to these services.
CDC to baby boomers: Get tested for hepatitis C
(AP) -- For the first time, health officials are proposing that all baby boomers get tested for hepatitis C.
'Rare' genetic variants are surprisingly common, life scientists report
(Medical Xpress) -- A large survey of human genetic variation, published today in the online version of the journal Science, shows that rare genetic variants are not so rare after all and offers insights into human diseases.
Acid in the brain: Team develops new way to look at brain function
University of Iowa neuroscientist John Wemmie, M.D., Ph.D., is interested in the effect of acid in the brain. His studies suggest that increased acidity or low pH, in the brain is linked to panic disorders, anxiety, and depression. But his work also suggests that changes in acidity are important for normal brain activity too.
Biology news
Three keys to sockeye decline
(Phys.org) -- Competition with pink salmon in the open ocean could be an important factor in the long-term decline in abundance of sockeye salmon populations in the Fraser River, according to new research from Simon Fraser University scientists and international colleagues.
New technique used to discover new viruses in poultry
In a search to find better ways to control viral enteric diseases in birds, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists have unearthed a treasure trove of previously known and unknown viruses in poultry by using a powerful new molecular tool called metagenomics.
Surgical castration of cats, dogs leads to increased tendency to postoperative coagulation, inflammatory changes
Dogs and cats that are sterilised or castrated develop a stress response: inflammatory changes and an increased tendency to coagulation after the operation.
New key mechanism in cell division discovered
Researchers from the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) have identified the mechanism by which protein Zds1 regulates a key function in mitosis, the process that occurs immediately before cell division. The result has been achieved in the online edition of the Journal of Cell Science and opens the door to developing targeted and direct therapies against cancer.
Scientists document fragile land-sea ecological chain
(Phys.org) -- Douglas McCauley and Paul DeSalles did not set out to discover one of the longest ecological interaction chains ever documented. But that's exactly what they and a team of researchers – all current or former Stanford students and faculty – did in a new study published in Scientific Reports.
Bird vocalization research could improve poultry production, lower costs
Chickens can’t speak, but they can definitely make themselves heard. Most people who have visited a poultry farm will recall chicken vocalization – the technical term for clucking and squawking – as a memorable part of the experience.
Researchers establish how super strong insect legs are
(Phys.org) -- Researchers from Trinity College Dublin have shown that insects are made from one of the toughest natural materials in the world. The study’s findings have been recently published in the leading international biomechanics publication, Journal of Experimental Biology.
Genetic safety in numbers, platypus study finds
(Phys.org) -- Platypuses on the Australian mainland and in Tasmania are fighting fit but those on small islands are at high risk of being wiped out from disease, according to a University of Sydney study.
Central nervous system stem cells shed light on mechanism that controls asymmetrical division
Animals consist of many distinct cell types, all of which originate during development from a single cell: the fertilized egg. To generate this vast cellular diversity, the egg and its descendants must divide unevenly to produce new cells with different fates. Nowhere is this process more important than in the central nervous system, where the asymmetric division of neural stem cells called neuroblasts contributes to the profusion of neurons and glial cells.
DNA barcoding verified the discovery of a highly disconnected crane fly species
Northwestern Europe harbors one of the best known biotas, thanks to the long faunistic and floristic traditions practiced there. However, some animal groups are far better known than others. The diversity of true flies there is fascinating, and undescribed species of flies, midges and gnats are not uncommon. Because Northwestern Europe was almost totally glaciated as recently as 10 000 years ago, endemic animal species of that region are generally lacking, or are exceptions. Hence, most NW European insects and other species have colonized the area following the withdrawal of ice.
Scientists learn much about humans from birds' singing lessons
Why wasn't this intruder getting the message? The lord of the manor had warned him repeatedly to back off, with threatening gestures and loud admonitions. But the trespasser just sat there - singing.
A cell's first steps: Building a model to explain how cells grow
A collaboration between Lehigh University physicists and University of Miami biologists addresses an important fundamental question in basic cell biology: How do living cells figure out when and where to grow?
Hitting snooze on the molecular clock: Rabies evolves slower in hibernating bats
The rate at which the rabies virus evolves in bats may depend heavily upon the ecological traits of its hosts, according to researchers at the University of Georgia, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium. Their study, published May 17 in the journal PLoS Pathogens, found that the host's geographical location was the most accurate predictor of the viral rate of evolution. Rabies viruses in tropical and sub-tropical bat species evolved nearly four times faster than viral variants in bats in temperate regions.
Bacteria alive (more or less) in 86-million-year-old seabed clay
(Phys.org) -- A new study by scientists from Denmark and Germany has found live bacteria trapped in red clay deposited on the ocean floor some 86 million years ago. The bacteria use miniscule amounts of oxygen and move only extremely slowly.
Friendly Fungi: Elucidating the fungal biosynthesis of stipitatic acid
(Phys.org) -- In a tale worthy of Sherlock Holmes, scientists in the School of Chemistry at the University of Bristol, UK have solved a biochemical mystery that had previously proven elusive for 70 years: How the fungus Talaromyces stipitatus produces stipitatic acid (6), which is a tropolone, one of an atypical group of fungal natural products – that is, small molecules produced by genetically encoded pathways – with a seven-carbon ring. (Most natural products, such as cholesterol or phenylalanine, have five or six carbons in rings.) The researchers used a two-part biosynthetic approach – gene deletion and alternate genetic expression – to investigate the molecular pathway in question.
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