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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for December 2, 2012:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Genes linked to low birth weight, adult shortness and later diabetes risk- Scientists discover master regulator of skin development
- Bismuth provides perfect dance partners for quantum computing qubits
- Origin of intelligence, mental illness linked to ancient genetic accident
- Taiwan engineers defeat limits of flash memory
- Technique for observing 'mechanochemical' synthesis could boost green chemistry
- New technique for visualizing blood flow involves carbon nanotubes and lasers
- Glowing zebrafish shed light on metabolism
- Insights into the genetic causes of coronary artery disease and heart attacks
- Cell surface transporters exploited for cancer drug delivery
- Childhood trauma leaves mark on DNA of some victims
- International study points to inflammation as a cause of plaque buildup in heart vessels
- Neuroblastoma patients with ARID1A and ARID1B mutations have more aggressive disease
- Scientists discover how two proteins help keep cells healthy
- New research shows record high for global carbon emissions
Space & Earth news
Long-term research reveals how climate change is playing out in real ecosystems
Around the world, the effects of global climate change are increasingly evident and difficult to ignore. However, evaluations of the local effects of climate change are often confounded by natural and human induced factors that overshadow the effects of changes in climate on ecosystems. In the December issue of the journal BioScience, a group of scientists writing on long-term studies of watershed and natural elevation gradients at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire and in the surrounding region report a number of surprising results that may shed more light on the complex nature of climate change.
Australia unveils telescope to warn of solar flares
Australia has unveiled a new radio telescope in the remote outback that will give the world a vastly improved view of the sun and much faster warnings on massive solar storms.
Adventurer to recreate Shackleton's Antarctic exploits
A polar explorer who famously retraced Douglas Mawson's Antarctic trek has launched an ambitious new challenge—recreating Ernest Shackleton's perilous crossing of the Southern Ocean.
Arianespace launches satellite from French Guinea
(AP)—A Russian-made rocket has put an observation satellite into orbit after blasting off from a European space consortium's launchpad in French Guiana.
Astronomers clash over the distance to the famed North Star
(Phys.org)—The North Star (Polaris) has played an important role in human history, yet knowledge of its fundamental parameters is unsatisfactory. That problem is attributable in large part to uncertainties tied to the star's distance, which have now been resolved in a paper by David Turner and colleagues.
New research shows record high for global carbon emissions
Global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are set to rise again in 2012, reaching a record high of 35.6 billion tonnes - according to new figures from the Global Carbon Project, co-led by researchers from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia (UEA).
Technology news
All communications lines back up in Damascus
Internet and telephone services resumed in Damascus on Saturday after a three-day blackout, an AFP reporter and state news agency SANA said, as a watchdog said they were up in most parts of Syria.
1,300 Taiwanese form giant human QR barcode
More than 1,000 Taiwan people formed a human QR code Sunday in an event designed to promote the island to the world by cashing in on the rising use of smartphones which can read the barcodes.
Yahoo! ordered to pay $2.7 bn by Mexican court
Yahoo! said Friday it was ordered to pay $2.7 billion by a Mexican court in a lawsuit stemming from allegations of breach of contract and lost profits related to a yellow pages listing service.
Google locks up deal for parcel firm
Google has agreed to acquire Canadian start-up BufferBox, which manages self-service parcel lockers to help consumers avoid missed deliveries, the companies said Friday.
Japan's space agency probes possible data leak
Japan's space agency says it is investigating a possible leak of data about its Epsilon rocket due to a computer virus.
China overtaking US as global trader
(AP)—Shin Cheol-soo no longer sees his future in the United States.
Rome to host 2014 'green' grand prix
The streets of Rome will be the backdrop for a race in the new Formula E world championship in 2014, it was announced on Saturday.
Microsoft, Google in catfight over online shopping
Just in time for the holidays, Microsoft and Google have become embroiled in a bitter dispute over who is the fairest of them all for online shopping, stepping up the battle between the tech giants.
Deal or no deal? Online discounters face woes
It looks like a tough sell for the online daily deals sector.
Prototype of European combat drone makes maiden flight
A prototype of a European combat drone, the Neuron, made its maiden flight Saturday from a base in the south of France, project leader Dassault Aviation announced.
A father attempts DIY drone buddy to watch his kid
(Phys.org)—"Last winter, I fantasized about sitting at my computer while a camera-equipped drone followed him overhead." That is the revelation of a
father who provides a detailed account of building an Arduino-based gyrocopter that could follow his son, in grade school, who he normally walks 400 meters down a hill to the bus stop each morning. He chose a quadcopter design for its maneuverability and ability to hover. He did not buy a kit but instead got his parts separate. His project involved a central frame to hold the electronics, aluminum to support motors and propellers, and legs to cushion landings, a main control board and sensors, batteries, power distribution board, power controllers for the motors, radio receiver for standard remote-control flying, and an RF modem for computerized control.
Taiwan engineers defeat limits of flash memory
(Phys.org)—Taiwan-based Macronix has found a solution for a weakness in flash memory fadeout. A limitation of flash memory is simply that eventually it cannot be used; the more cells in the memory chips are erased, the less useful to store data. The write-erase cycles degrade insulation; eventually the cell fails. "Flash wears out after being programmed and erased about 10,000 times," said the IEEE Spectrum. Engineers at Macronix have a solution that moves flash memory over to a new life. They propose a "self-healing" NAND flash memory solution that can survive over 100 million cycles.
Medicine & Health news
Feds propose fee on health insurers in new market
(AP)—Health insurance companies will have to pay to play in new health insurance markets coming under President Barack Obama's health care law.
Lung cancer patients with pockets of resistance prolong disease control by 'weeding the garden'
The central skill of cancer is its ability to mutate – that's how it became cancerous in the first place. Once it's started down that path, it's not so difficult for a cancer cell to mutate again and again. This means that different tumors within a single patient or even different areas within the same cancerous deposit may develop different genetic characteristics. This heterogeneity helps cancer escape control by new, targeted cancer therapy drugs.
South Africa makes progress in HIV/AIDS fight
(AP)—In the early 90s when South Africa's Themba Lethu clinic could only treat HIV/AIDS patients for opportunistic diseases, many would come in on wheelchairs and keep coming to the health center until they died.
S.Africa marks AIDS day with record ribbon
South Africa, home to the world's largest HIV caseload, on Saturday unveiled a 1.5 kilometre AIDS ribbon in Johannesburg, with activists and officials pledging to curb the epidemic.
Stigma for Central America's HIV-positive kids
Four-year-old Carlos, who makes a lengthy trip every two weeks with his teenage aunt to a special clinic in El Salvador's capital, has no notion of the cruel stigma that comes with his HIV diagnosis.
AIDS: Chinese study raises flag over drugs-as-prevention hope
A Chinese study published on World AIDS Day on Saturday says drugs used to curb HIV in infected people also help protect their uninfected partner, but far less effectively than other research has found.
Extended sleep reduces pain sensitivity
A new study suggests that extending nightly sleep in mildly sleepy, healthy adults increases daytime alertness and reduces pain sensitivity.
X-ray analysis deciphers master regulator important for skin cancer
With the X-ray vision of DESY's light source DORIS, a research team from Hamburg and Iceland has uncovered the molecular structure of a master regulator central to the most deadly form of skin cancer, melanoma. The results, published in the scientific journal Genes & Development, throw new light on the workings of the so-called Microphthalmia-associated Transcription Factor MITF, that is not only connected to skin cancer, but also to a variety of hereditary diseases where the production of the skin pigment melanin is disturbed, and to certain aspects of ageing.
Steroid injection linked with significant bone loss in postmenopausal women treated for back pain
Postmenopausal women suffered significant bone density loss in their hip after they were treated with an epidural steroid injection for back pain relief, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study
Australia introduces plain packaging for cigarettes
A law forcing tobacco firms to sell cigarettes in plain packets came into effect in Australia on Saturday in an effort to strip any glamour from smoking and prevent young people from taking up the habit.
Researchers identify a mechanism for the transformation of colon polyps
The causes underlying the development of certain types of common cancers have not yet been elucidated. In order to better determine the origin and the sequence of events responsible for the onset of colon cancer, the teams led by Thanos Halazonetis and Stylianos Antonarakis, professors at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, have sequenced the DNA of biopsied tissue from colon polyps. The results show that these precancerous lesions have a specific profile called 'mutator', which is associated with an increased frequency of acquisition of certain mutations.
Surprising results from study of non-epileptic seizures
A Loyola University Medical Center neurologist is reporting surprising results of a study of patients who experience both epileptic and non-epileptic seizures.
Jordan says SARS-like virus deaths isolated cases
Jordan's health minister has said that two deaths in the kingdom from a SARS-like virus earlier this year which were confirmed by the World Health Organisation last week were isolated cases.
Brain and nervous system damaged by low-level exposure to organophosphate pesticides
Scientists have found that low-level exposure to organophosphates (OPs) produces lasting decrements in neurological and cognitive function. Memory and information processing speed are affected to a greater degree than other cognitive functions such as language.
Men and women explore the visual world differently
Everyone knows that men and women tend to hold different views on certain things. However, new research by scientists from the University of Bristol and published in PLoS ONE indicates that this may literally be the case.
Asperger's dropped from revised diagnosis manual
The now familiar term "Asperger's disorder" is being dropped. And abnormally bad and frequent temper tantrums will be given a scientific-sounding diagnosis called DMDD. But "dyslexia" and other learning disorders remain.
Novel studies of gene regulation in brain development may mean new treatment of mental disorders
(Phys.org)—A team of researchers at the University of California, San Diego and the Institut Pasteur, Paris has come up with a novel way to describe a time-dependent brain development based on coherent–gene-groups (CGGs) and transcription-factors (TFs) hierarchy. The findings could lead to new drug designs for mental disorders such as autism-spectrum disorders (ASD) and schizophrenia.
Neuroblastoma patients with ARID1A and ARID1B mutations have more aggressive disease
In a genome sequencing study of 74 neuroblastoma tumors in children, scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) found that patients with changes in two genes, ARID1A and ARID1B, survive only a quarter as long as patients without the changes. The discovery could eventually lead to early identification of patients with aggressive neuroblastomas who may need additional treatments.
International study points to inflammation as a cause of plaque buildup in heart vessels
Fifteen new genetic regions associated with coronary artery disease have been identified by a large, international consortium of scientists—including researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine—taking a significant step forward in understanding the root causes of this deadly disease. The new research brings the total number of validated genetic links with heart disease discovered through genome-wide association studies to 46.
Cell surface transporters exploited for cancer drug delivery
Whitehead Institute scientists report that certain molecules present in high concentrations on the surfaces of many cancer cells could be exploited to funnel lethal toxic molecules into the malignant cells. In such an approach, the overexpression of specific transporters could be exploited to deliver toxic substances into cancer cells.
Childhood trauma leaves mark on DNA of some victims
Abused children are at high risk of anxiety and mood disorders, as traumatic experience induces lasting changes to their gene regulation. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich have now documented for the first time that genetic variants of the FKBP5 gene can influence epigenetic alterations in this gene induced by early trauma. In individuals with a genetic predisposition, trauma causes long-term changes in DNA methylation leading to a lasting dysregulation of the stress hormone system. As a result, those affected find themselves less able to cope with stressful situations throughout their lives, frequently leading to depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or anxiety disorders in adulthood. Doctors and scientists hope these discoveries will yield new treatment strategies tailored to individual patients, as well as increased public awareness of the importance of protecting children from trauma and its consequences.
Insights into the genetic causes of coronary artery disease and heart attacks
In the largest genetic study of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) to date, researchers from the CARDIoGRAMplusC4D Consortium report the identification of 15 genetic regions newly associated with the disease, bringing to 46 the number of regions associated with CAD risk.
Genes linked to low birth weight, adult shortness and later diabetes risk
An international team of genetics researchers has discovered four new gene regions that contribute to low birth weight. Three of those regions influence adult metabolism, and appear to affect longer-term outcomes such as adult height, risk of type 2 diabetes and adult blood pressure.
Scientists discover master regulator of skin development
The surface of your skin, called the epidermis, is a complex mixture of many different cell types—each with a very specific job. The production, or differentiation, of such a sophisticated tissue requires an immense amount of coordination at the cellular level, and glitches in the process can have disastrous consequences. Now, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified a master regulator of this differentiation process.
Origin of intelligence, mental illness linked to ancient genetic accident
Scientists have discovered for the first time how humans – and other mammals – have evolved to have intelligence.
Biology news
Overfishing threatens Pacific tuna
Asia-Pacific fishing experts on Sunday warned against depleting tuna stocks, saying the region needs to reduce its catch of the vulnerable bigeye species by 30 percent.
US court to decide if human genes can be patented
The Supreme Court announced Friday it will decide whether companies can patent human genes, a decision that could reshape medical research in the United States and the fight against diseases like breast and ovarian cancer.
Scientists discover how two proteins help keep cells healthy
Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have determined how two proteins help create organelles, or specialized subunits within a cell, that play a vital role in maintaining cell health. This discovery opens the door for research on substances that could interfere with the formation of these organelles and lead to new therapies for cancer.
The role of the cellular entry point of anthrax identified
Anthrax uses a receptor on the surface of cells to inject its lethal toxins. However, the physiological function of this receptor, named Anthrax Toxin Receptor 2a (Antxr2a), remained unknown until now.
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