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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for December 16, 2012:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Great Nepalese quake of 1255 points to Himalayan risk- Resistance to cocaine addiction may be passed down from father to son, study shows
- Ordinary heart cells become 'biological pacemakers' with injection of a single gene
- Toward a new model of the cell: Everything you always wanted to know about genes
- Extending Einstein: Researchers demonstrate a new kind of quantum entanglement
- Action by 2020 key for limiting climate change, researchers say
- Team studies role of white blood cells in kidney failure
- Adoptive cell transfer: New technique could make cell-based immune therapies for cancer safer, more effective
- Climate model is first to study climate effects of Arctic hurricanes
- Genomic study discovers evidence of giant panda's population history and local adaptation
- Study: Even the smallest stroke can damage brain tissue, impair cognitive function
- Researchers Find First Evidence of Ice Age Wolves in Nevada
- Confusion on Internet future after UN treaty split
- Australia plans drill of ancient Antarctic ice core
- Ford talking to gov't about hybrids' fuel economy
Space & Earth news
Chevron to pay $155 million for Brazil oil spill
US oil giant Chevron has agreed to pay 310 million reales ($155 million) to Brazil for an oil spill last year that fouled beaches in Rio de Janeiro, officials said Saturday.
Australia plans drill of ancient Antarctic ice core
Australia announced plans to drill a 2,000 year-old ice core in the heart of Antarctica in a bid to retrieve a frozen record of how the planet has evolved and what might be in store.
Climate model is first to study climate effects of Arctic hurricanes
Though it seems like an oxymoron, Arctic hurricanes happen, complete with a central "eye," extreme low barometric pressure and towering 30-foot waves that can sink small ships and coat metal platforms with thick ice, threatening oil and gas exploration. Now climate scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and in England report the first conclusive evidence that Arctic hurricanes, also known as polar lows, play a significant role in driving ocean water circulation and climate.
Action by 2020 key for limiting climate change, researchers say
Limiting climate change to target levels will become much more difficult to achieve, and more expensive, if action is not taken soon, according to a new analysis from IIASA, ETH Zurich, and NCAR.
Great Nepalese quake of 1255 points to Himalayan risk
A mega-quake in 1255 that wrecked the Nepalese capital, wiped out a third of the population of Kathmandu Valley and killed the country's monarch, King Abhaya Malla, was of a kind that may return to the Himalayas, seismologists reported on Sunday.
Technology news
Apple shares extend downward slide
Concerns that the latest iPhone may not be a hit in China caused Apple shares on Friday to extend their slide from a record high price hit in September.
Famed futurist to direct engineering at Google
Futurist and inventor Raymond Kurzweil said on Friday that he is going to work as director of engineering at Google to help "turn the next decade's 'unrealistic' visions into reality."
Police warn of social media hoaxes in US shooting
Authorities investigating the deadly US school shooting warned Sunday of misinformation circulating on social media about the massacre.
Ford talking to gov't about hybrids' fuel economy
Ford said Friday that it is talking to the government about the fuel economy of its hybrid cars after a report suggested they are falling short of targets.
Confusion on Internet future after UN treaty split
The freewheeling, unregulated Internet seemed to survive a push for new rules at a UN treaty meeting, but the collapse of talks leaves unanswered questions about the Web's future.
Quantum Stealth material designed to make target invisible
(Phys.org)—Scientists are exploring better methods of camouflage, a so-called scientific invisibility cloak, and news has spread fast about a Canadian company with substantial claims on how far they have come with camouflage technology. The company, HyperStealth Biotechnology, has developed Quantum Stealth camouflage material, which renders its wearers invisible by bending light waves around them. Their work has obvious implications for the defense industry. How can the enemy hit targets they cannot see or defend themselves from attackers who are invisible? Theoretically, any soldier could put on the material and get it working with no power source required.
Medicine & Health news
Ocean Beauty recalls two types of smoked salmon
(AP)—Ocean Beauty Seafoods has announced a precautionary recall of two cold-smoked salmon products because of possible Listeria contamination. The products were distributed in 12 states.
Study confirms prognostic value of new IASLC/ATS/ERS adenocarcinoma sub-classification
The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), the American Thoracic Society (ATS), and the European Respiratory Society (ERS), have proposed a new sub-classification of lung adenocarcinomas. A growing number of publications from Australia, Germany and South America have validated the new sub-classification. However, there are only few reports of this type of validation for the Asian population. A new study published in the January 2013 issue of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer's (IASLC) Journal of Thoracic Oncology, concludes the new IASLC/ATS/ERS classification identifies histologic subtypes of lung adenocarcinomas with prognostic value among Japanese patients.
Study shows immunohistochemistry is reliable screening tool for ALK rearrangement
Favorable results have led to crizotinib gaining approval for the treatment of advanced stage ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in Japan, the United States, Canada, and several other countries in Europe and Asia. Now, the identification of an effective therapy for ALK-positive NSCLC places great emphasis on rapid, accurate, and cost-effective way to find patients with this subtype of lung cancer. A recent study published in the January 2013 issue of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer's (IASLC) Journal of Thoracic Oncology, concludes immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a reliable screening tool for identification of ALK rearrangement.
Cartenoids found to reduce hip fracture risk in lean men
Speaking at the IOF Regionals Asia-Pacific Osteoporosis Meeting, researchers from the National University of Singapore and the Singapore Ministry of Health, announced a study which links carotenoids to decreased hip fracture risk in elderly, lean Chinese men. Elderly who are lean (BMI
Winter weather, snow shoveling pose heart risks
(HealthDay)—As temperatures fall during the winter months, the risk for heart attacks rises for people with heart conditions and those engaging in rigorous physical activity.
Aerobic exercise trumps resistance training for weight and fat loss
Aerobic training is the best mode of exercise for burning fat, according to Duke researchers who compared aerobic training, resistance training, and a combination of the two.
FDA approves new drug for inhaled anthrax
Federal health officials say they approved a new injectable drug from Human Genome Sciences to treat inhalable anthrax.
Alcohol causes a quarter of Europe road deaths
Alcohol abuse is responsible for around a quarter of the 30,000 people who die in road accidents across the European Union every year, the bloc's drugs agency said in a report published on Friday.
Community-based nutrition education shown to be successful in increasing calcium intake
Today at the International Osteoporosis Foundation's Asia-Pacific Osteoporosis Meeting, researchers from the National Institute of Nutrition in Hanoi presented a new research study that showed the benefits of educational intervention in increasing calcium intake and retarding bone loss in postmenopausal women.
Study shows COPD is not independent risk factor for lung cancer
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer are two of the most important smoking-related diseases worldwide, with a huge combined mortality bur¬den. Many consider the presence of COPD itself to be an independent risk factor for lung cancer. Others argue that smoking contributes to both COPD and lung cancer. A recent study published in the January 2013 issue of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer's (IASLC) Journal of Thoracic Oncology, concludes that COPD is not an independent risk factor for lung cancer.
Experts: No link between Asperger's, violence
(AP)—While an official has said that the 20-year-old gunman in the Connecticut school shooting had Asperger's syndrome, experts say there is no connection between the disorder and violence.
Iclusig approved for rare leukemias
(HealthDay)—Iclusig (ponatinib) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat two rare forms of leukemia..
UV nail lamps do not significantly up skin cancer risk
(HealthDay)—Ultraviolet (UV) nail lamps, used for professional and personal nail techniques, do not pose a clinically significant skin cancer risk, according to a letter to the editor published online Dec. 6 in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
Omega-3 supplements don't increase surgical blood loss
(HealthDay)—Omega-3 fatty acid (n-3FA) supplements do not correlate with higher perioperative blood loss during spinal fusion procedures, according to a study published in the December issue of the European Spine Journal.
Predictors of organ damage identified in patients with SLE
(HealthDay)—Patient age, hypertension, and corticosteroid use are the most important predictors of the cumulative organ damage that occurs in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), according to research published in the December issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
Changes in penile length after radical prostatectomy studied
(HealthDay)—Although penile shortening of about 1 cm can occur at three months after a radical prostatectomy (RP) for the treatment of localized prostate cancer, recovery of penile length begins after 24 months and is complete after 48 months, according to a study published in the December issue of Urology.
Fungus responsible for five deaths in the wake of massive tornado
A fast growing, flesh-eating fungus killed 5 people following a massive tornado that devastated Joplin, Mo., according to two new studies based on genomic sequencing by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Team studies role of white blood cells in kidney failure
Better targeted treatments for 20 per cent of renal failure patients are on the horizon following a key discovery about the role of white blood cells in kidney inflammation.
Study: Even the smallest stroke can damage brain tissue, impair cognitive function
Blocking a single tiny blood vessel in the brain can harm neural tissue and even alter behavior, a new study from the University of California, San Diego has shown. But these consequences can be mitigated by a drug already in use, suggesting treatment that could slow the progress of dementia associated with cumulative damage to miniscule blood vessels that feed brain cells. The team reports their results in the December 16 advance online edition of Nature Neuroscience.
Adoptive cell transfer: New technique could make cell-based immune therapies for cancer safer, more effective
A team led by Michel Sadelain, MD, PhD, Director of the Center for Cell Engineering at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, has shown for the first time the effectiveness of a new technique that could allow the development of more-specific, cell-based immune therapies for cancer. Their findings were reported online today in Nature Biotechnology.
Resistance to cocaine addiction may be passed down from father to son, study shows
Research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) reveals that sons of male rats exposed to cocaine are resistant to the rewarding effects of the drug, suggesting that cocaine-induced changes in physiology are passed down from father to son. The findings are published in the latest edition of Nature Neuroscience.
Ordinary heart cells become 'biological pacemakers' with injection of a single gene
Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute researchers have reprogrammed ordinary heart cells to become exact replicas of highly specialized pacemaker cells by injecting a single gene (Tbx18)–a major step forward in the decade-long search for a biological therapy to correct erratic and failing heartbeats.
Biology news
Keep your dog safe during hectic holiday season: expert
(HealthDay)—Christmas can be a stressful and dangerous time for dogs, according to the American Kennel Club.
Genomic study discovers evidence of giant panda's population history and local adaptation
A research team, led by Institute of Zoology of Chinese Academy of Sciences and BGI, has successfully reconstructed a continuous population history of the giant panda from its origin to the present. The findings suggested whereas global changes in climate were the primary drivers in panda population fluctuation for millions of years, human activities were likely to underlie recent population divergence and serious decline. This work reveals a good example for assessing and establishing the best conservation method for other endangered species. The latest study was published online in Nature Genetics.
Toward a new model of the cell: Everything you always wanted to know about genes
Turning vast amounts of genomic data into meaningful information about the cell is the great challenge of bioinformatics, with major implications for human biology and medicine. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and colleagues have proposed a new method that creates a computational model of the cell from large networks of gene and protein interactions, discovering how genes and proteins connect to form higher-level cellular machinery.
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