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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for September 9, 2012:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Early Mars may not have been hospitable after all: study- Enough wind to power global energy demand, new research says
- Giant 'balloon of magma' inflates under Santorini
- Rethink book as computer interface, says designer (w/ Video)
- Nano-velcro clasps heavy metal molecules in its grips
- Protecting genes, one molecule at a time
- Forest mortality and climate change: The big picture
- New research helps explain why AIDS vaccine has been so difficult to develop
- Definition of lung squamous cell carcinoma genome opens doors to better, more targeted therapies
- Mountain forest study shows vulnerability to climate change
- Genetic clues to causes of primary biliary cirrhosis
- First evidence for genetic cause for Barrett's oesophagus found
- World watches for 'iPhone 5' unveiling Wednesday
- Flash in Windows 8 RTM build is missing latest fix
- Hubble watching ancient orbs
Space & Earth news
Moderately strong quake hits eastern Indonesia
(AP)—A moderately strong earthquake has hit eastern Indonesia, causing panic among residents, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. No tsunami warning was issued.
Two tornadoes hit New York City
Two small tornadoes touched down in New York City, stunning residents who associate twisters more with the US Midwest, the National Weather Service said.
Indian PM defends spending on space exploration
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday defended spending millions of dollars on space exploration despite many people in the country living in grinding poverty.
India launches satellites in 100th space mission
(AP)—India's national space organization has marked its 100th mission by launching French and Japanese satellites.
Global Hawk mission begins with flight to Hurricane Leslie
(Phys.org)—NASA has begun its latest hurricane science field campaign by flying an unmanned Global Hawk aircraft over Hurricane Leslie in the Atlantic Ocean during a day-long flight from California to Virginia. With the Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) mission, NASA for the first time will be flying Global Hawks from the U.S. East Coast.
Study shows how sea otters can reduce CO2 in the atmosphere
(Phys.org)—Can an abundance of sea otters help reverse a principal cause of global warming?
Hubble watching ancient orbs
(Phys.org)—This sparkling picture taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the center of globular cluster M 4. The power of Hubble has resolved the cluster into a multitude of glowing orbs, each a colossal nuclear furnace.
Mountain forest study shows vulnerability to climate change
A new University of Colorado Boulder-led study that ties forest "greenness" in the western United States to fluctuating year-to-year snowpack indicates mid-elevation mountain ecosystems are most sensitive to rising temperatures and changes in precipitation and snowmelt.
Forest mortality and climate change: The big picture
Over the past two decades, extensive forest death triggered by hot and dry climatic conditions has been documented on every continent except Antarctica. Forest mortality due to drought and heat stress is expected to increase due to climate change. Although research has focused on isolated incidents of forest mortality, little is known about the potential effects of widespread forest die-offs. A new analysis of the current literature on this topic by Carnegie's William and Leander Anderegg is published September 9 in Nature Climate Change.
Giant 'balloon of magma' inflates under Santorini
A new survey suggests that the chamber of molten rock beneath Santorini's volcano expanded 10-20 million cubic metres – up to 15 times the size of London's Olympic Stadium – between January 2011 and April 2012.
Early Mars may not have been hospitable after all: study
Instead of a warm, wet and possibly life-bearing planet as some scientists contend, early Mars may have been a hostile and volatile place with frequent volcanic outbursts, a study said Sunday.
Technology news
Indian PM warns of dangers of social media
Indian Premier Manmohan Singh warned Saturday over the use of social media to inflame ethnic tensions after online threats and text messages sparked a mass exodus of migrants from southern cities.
Al Jazeera says hackers sent false mobile texts
(AP)—Al-Jazeera says hackers have targeted the Qatar-based TV satellite channel for the second time in a week, sending out false news reports on its mobile phone alert service.
Sweden is tops in making most of Internet, report finds
Leave it to the country that brought us Ikea to make the most of the Internet. According to a new report from the World Wide Web Foundation, the people and government of Sweden are the best in the world at optimizing the Web.
Google Fiber strikes deal to carry NFL Network
The National Football League has struck a deal with Google Fiber for carriage of its two cable channels on the search engine's new broadband distribution service it is offering in Kansas City, Mo., and Kansas City, Kan.
Early laptop designer Moggridge dies at 69
(AP)—Bill Moggridge, a British industrial designer who designed an early portable computer with the flip-open shape that is common today, has died. He was 69.
Flash in Windows 8 RTM build is missing latest fix
(Phys.org)—Microsoft architects must wake up to the smell of burning blogs once again. While not everyone may have or want Windows 8, the situation is neither good for branding nor at all good for the people who do have Windows 8. Windows 8 already has security vulnerabilities, where the Windows 8 built-in Internet Explorer puts users at risk of exploitation via the Flash plugin. Windows 8 for PCs won't be available until next month, so who would this affect? Windows 8 has been released to hardware manufacturers. Some users also may have Windows 8 for evaluation purposes.
Rethink book as computer interface, says designer (w/ Video)
(Phys.org)—A Polish designer has taken the word "interface" to an interesting level. Waldek Wegrzyn has a prototype that teases us into thinking about future interconnection opportunities that lie between the book and the computer. We might be about to turn a corner where there is no either-or choice to be made between a print book and an e-book, a print newspaper or an online site, but rather both print and digital working with each other. The book becomes part of the computer reading experience. His creation, called Elektrobiblioteka (Electrolibary), bridges a chasm separating print and screen. This came about as a diploma project at the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice, and it is catching eyes and imaginations.
Enough wind to power global energy demand, new research says
There is enough energy available in winds to meet all of the world's demand. Atmospheric turbines that convert steadier and faster high-altitude winds into energy could generate even more power than ground- and ocean-based units. New research from Carnegie's Ken Caldeira examines the limits of the amount of power that could be harvested from winds, as well as the effects high-altitude wind power could have on the climate as a whole. Their work is published September 9 by Nature Climate Change.
Medicine & Health news
Three dead in Serbian West Nile virus outbreak
Three people have died in the first ever outbreak of the West Nile virus in Serbia, in which 35 contracted the disease, health authorities said Saturday.
Tight glycemic control has no proven benefits for children in the cardiac ICU
Although some studies have portrayed tight blood sugar control as a potential means of lowering infection rates in critically ill adults, a new study—led by principal investigator Michael Agus, MD, director of the Medicine Critical Care Program at Boston Children's Hospital—found no indication that the approach benefits pediatric patients undergoing heart surgery. The results of the Safe Pediatric Euglycemia in Cardiac Surgery (SPECS) trial, which was conducted at Boston Children's and at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, will appear in the September 7 online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine and in the September 27 print version of the publication.
Skin and immune system influence salt storage and regulate blood pressure
High blood pressure is responsible for many cardiovascular diseases that are the leading cause of death in industrialized countries. High salt intake has long been considered a risk factor, but not every type of high blood pressure is associated with high salt intake. This has puzzled scientists for a long time. However, new findings by Professor Jens Titze (Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA and the University of Erlangen) now point to previously unknown mechanisms. Accordingly, the skin and the immune system play an important role in the regulation of the sodium balance and hypertension, as he reported at the 1st ECRC "Franz-Volhard" Symposium of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin on September 7, 2012 in Berlin-Buch.
Researchers discover surprising new roles for a key regulatory enzyme of blood pressure
At the 1st ECRC "Franz-Volhard" Symposium on September 7, 2012 at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin-Buch, Professor Ken Bernstein reported that in mice an excess of ACE led to a much stronger immune response than usual. In animal experiments, not only could bacterial infections be combated more effectively, but also the growth of aggressive skin cancer (melanoma) in mice could be contained by a stronger response of the immune system. In contrast, if the mice lacked ACE, the immune cells worked less effectively.
Germ-killing copper surfaces in hospitals could save thousands of lives
When Adam Estelle graduated from the University of Arizona's materials science and engineering program four years ago, he had no idea he would be involved in saving thousands of lives.
Study unveils 'hidden' alcohol abuse among older people
A study has uncovered a growing drink problem among older people and researchers are now urging the Government to review its UK health strategy to support society's "invisible addicts".
India generics giant wins cancer drug patent case
Indian generics giant Cipla says it has scored a "landmark" court win in a patent challenge launched by Switzerland's Roche Holding over the Mumbai firm's version of a lung-cancer drug.
Research finds novel airborne germ-killing oral spray effective in fighting colds and flu
University Hospitals Case Medical Center clinical researchers will present findings about a one-two punch to prevent colds and flu in San Francisco at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) on September 9, 2012.
Researchers show cost-effectiveness of HIV testing in drug abuse treatment programs
Less than half of community-based substance abuse treatment programs in the United States currently make HIV testing available on-site or through referral. A new study led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College shows the cost-effectiveness of integrating on-site rapid HIV testing into drug treatment programs.
Tension on gut muscles induces cell invasion in zebrafish intestine, mimicking cancer metastasis
The stiffness of breast tissue is increasingly recognized as an important factor explaining the onset of breast cancer. Stiffening induces molecular changes that promote cancerous behavior in cells. Bioengineering studies have found that breast cancer cells grown on a 3-D gel have enhanced cell replication and decreased organization as rigidity increases. These signals are probably coordinated by surface proteins that communicate with connective tissue, to regulate cell replication, death, and movement. However, very little is known about how stiffness or other physical characteristics of tissues contributes to cancer behavior in living animals.
First evidence for genetic cause for Barrett's oesophagus found
Genetic variations that are linked with the onset of Barrett's oesophagus (BE), a pre-cancerous condition of the lower end of the gullet, have been identified for the first time. The discovery of variations in regions on two chromosomes makes it possible to develop screening tests for people at high risk of developing the disease.
Genetic clues to causes of primary biliary cirrhosis
Researchers have newly identified three genetic regions associated with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), the most common autoimmune liver disease, increasing the number of known regions associated with the disorder to 25.
Protecting genes, one molecule at a time
An international team of scientists have shown at an unprecedented level of detail how cells prioritise the repair of genes containing potentially dangerous damage. The research, published in the journal Nature and involving academics from the University of Bristol, the Institut Jacques-Monod in France and Rockefeller University in the US, studied the action of individual molecules in order to understand how cellular repair pathways are triggered.
New research helps explain why AIDS vaccine has been so difficult to develop
For decades, a successful HIV vaccine has been the Holy Grail for researchers around the globe. Yet despite years of research and millions of dollars of investment, that goal has still yet to be achieved. Recent research by Oregon Health & Science University scientists explains a decades-old mystery as to why slightly weakened versions of the monkey AIDS virus were able to prevent subsequent infection with the fully virulent strain, but were too risky for human use, and why severely compromised or completely inactivated versions of the virus were not effective at all.
Definition of lung squamous cell carcinoma genome opens doors to better, more targeted therapies
A new paper published online in Nature holds out hope that people with the second most common type of lung cancer may one day benefit from targeted therapies that have transformed treatments for other lung cancer patients.
Biology news
Deaf dolphin rescued in La. is going to Miss.
(AP)—A deaf dolphin found stranded in March off the Louisiana coast is being taken to live among other dolphins at a facility in Mississippi.
Overfishing pushes tuna stocks to the brink: experts
Global tuna stocks are fast reaching the limits of fishing sustainability, decimated by an absence of comprehensive, science-based catch limits, conservation experts warned Saturday.
Cyprus offers safe haven for turtles across divide
On a late August evening, thousands of baby endangered sea turtles flip, flop and somersault down the sands of this protected beach in northern Cyprus as excited onlookers cheer them on.
Threat to wildlife haven in 'scariest place on Earth'
An unlikely and unique cradle of biodiversity that runs the length of the world's most heavily-militarised border is being threatened by encroaching development, conservation experts say.
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