Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for June 10, 2013:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- How do you feed 9 billion people?- Polymers could help enzymes treat diseases
- Man-made material shows surprisingly magnetic personality
- Scientists discover new family of quasicrystals
- Researchers suggest magicians' mirror tricks could be used as large scale cloaking devices (w/ video)
- Unfrozen mystery: Water reveals a new secret
- Simple theory may explain dark matter
- Research team proposes lumpy crust of X-ray pulsars responsible for arrest of spin slowing
- Securing the cloud: New algorithm solves major problem with homomorphic encryption
- 3-D map of blood vessels in cerebral cortex holds suprises
- The body electric: Researchers move closer to low-cost, implantable electronics
- Scientists map process by which brain cells form long-term memories
- 2-D electronics take a step forward: Team makes semiconducting films for atom-thick circuits
- New study proposes solution to long-running debate as to how stable the Earth system is
- Testing artificial photosynthesis
Space & Earth news
US, China agree to end 'super greenhouse gases'
China agreed Saturday with the United States to scale back production of "super greenhouse gases" used in refrigerators and air conditioners in a joint bid to fight climate change.
NASA selects new suborbital payloads, total tops 100 experiments
NASA has selected 21 space technology payloads for flights on commercial reusable launch vehicles, balloons, and a commercial parabolic aircraft.
NASA animation sees Post-Tropical Storm Andrea speed away
Post-Tropical cyclone Andrea's remnants sped into the North Atlantic Ocean over the weekend of June 8 and 9. NOAA's GOES-14 satellite data was used to create an animation of imagery that showed Andrea's movement from off the Maine coast through Atlantic Canada and into the Northern Atlantic Ocean. The animation was created by the NASA GOES Project at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. NOAA operates and manages the GOES series of satellites.
Star Canadian spaceman Chris Hadfield retiring
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield announced Monday his retirement after a five-month mission to space that captivated the world with his Twitter microblog.
Report: Fourth of NYC could be flood zone by 2050s
Officials say new projections show 800,000 New York City residents could be living in flood zone that would cover a quarter of the city's land by the 2050s as rising seas and other effects of global warming take hold.
'One giant leap' toward a NASA Armstrong center?
Neil Armstrong's name is attached to a lunar crater, an asteroid, more than a dozen schools and a museum.
Potentially 'catastrophic' changes underway in Canada's northern Mackenzie River Basin: report
Canada's Mackenzie River basin—among the world's most important major ecosystems—is poorly studied, inadequately monitored, and at serious risk due to climate change and resource exploitation, a panel of international scientists warn today.
China marks decade of human spaceflight (Update)
China's astronauts have braved the tension of docking with a space station and performed delicate tasks outside their orbiting capsule, but now face a more down-to-earth job that is perhaps equally challenging: Talking to young people about science.
China to send second woman into space (Update)
China is to send its second woman astronaut into orbit on its longest mission yet, space officials said Monday, as the country works towards building a space station.
Amazon forest fire risk to increase in 2013
(Phys.org) —University and NASA researchers predict that the severity of the 2013 fire season will be considerably higher than in 2011 and 2012 for many Amazon forests in the Southern Hemisphere. The outlook is based on a fire severity model that produced a successful first forecast in 2012.
IEA: Energy emissions rose to record high in 2012
The world's energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rose 1.4 percent in 2012 to a record high of 31.6 billion tons, even though the U.S. posted its lowest emissions since the mid-1990s, the International Energy Agency said Monday.
How a Hubble image goes from photons to finished beauty
How does raw data from the Hubble Space Telescope end up to become a finished gorgeous color image, like the one of Arp 274, above? It's an interesting process, because the cameras on Hubble do not take color pictures.
Unused energy sources could contribute to farm sustainability
Parts of the British agriculture industry could be generating their own energy from a source right under their noses and make a valuable contribution to wider society while they're at it.
NASA sees Tropical Storm Yagi spinning in Western Pacific Ocean
Tropical Storm Yagi developed over the weekend of June 8 and 9 in the Western North Pacific from Tropical Depression 03W and NASA satellites captured the storm coming together. NASA's TRMM satellite measured rainfall rates within the storm and found the heaviest rain falling mostly south of the center.
Shale fields 'add 47% to global gas reserves'
Shale-based resources increase the world's total potential oil reserves by 11 percent and natural gas by 47 percent, according to a US report released Monday.
Researchers publish key findings on regional, global impact of trade on the environment
In two different studies, three researchers from the University of Maryland's Department of Geographical Sciences publish groundbreaking findings on the environmental impact of globalization, production and trade at both regional and international scales, and anticipate that their research will inform key environmental policies and consumer and corporate attitudes in the United States and around the world.
Amount of dust blown across the West is increasing, study finds
The amount of dust being blown across the landscape has increased over the last 17 years in large swaths of the West, according to a new study led by the University of Colorado Boulder.
Climate conditions determine Amazon fire risk
(Phys.org) —Using an innovative satellite technique, NASA scientists have determined that a previously unmapped type of wildfire in the Amazon rainforest is responsible for destroying several times more forest than has been lost through deforestation in recent years.
Warming places SE Asia, India at higher risk of flood
Rising carbon emissions will place parts of India, China, Southeast Asia, East Africa and the northern Andes at a higher risk of extreme floods, a study published on Sunday says.
Noctilucent clouds get an early start
Every summer, something strange and wonderful happens high above the north pole. Ice crystals begin to cling to the smoky remains of meteors, forming electric-blue clouds with tendrils that ripple hypnotically against the sunset sky. Noctilucent clouds—a.k.a. "NLCs"—are a delight for high-latitude sky watchers, and around the Arctic Circle their season of visibility is always eagerly anticipated.
The diversity of distant galaxies
(Phys.org) —With the advent of powerful space infrared telescopes like the Spitzer Space Telescope and the (recently deceased) Herschel Space Telescope, astronomers have been able to study the properties of dust in galaxies so remote that their light has been traveling towards us for over ninety percent of the age of the universe. That these distant objects are detected at all is because they are very bright in the infrared, and they are bright because they are making huge numbers of stars whose light warms the dust that in turn radiates at infrared wavelengths.
Scientists size up universe's most lightweight dwarf galaxy
(Phys.org) —The least massive galaxy in the known universe has been measured by UC Irvine scientists, clocking in at just 1,000 or so stars with a bit of dark matter holding them together.
Study reveals leakage of carbon from land to rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal regions
When carbon is emitted by human activities into the atmosphere it is generally thought that about half remains in the atmosphere and the remainder is stored in the oceans and on land. New research suggests that human activity could be increasing the movement of carbon from land to rivers, estuaries and the coastal zone indicating that large quantities of anthropogenic carbon may be hidden in regions not previously considered.
China is outsourcing carbon within its own borders, study finds
Just as wealthy nations like the United States are outsourcing their dangerous carbon dioxide emissions to China, rich coastal provinces in that country are outsourcing emissions to poorer provinces in the interior, according to UC Irvine climate change researcher Steve Davis and colleagues.
Bridge species drive tropical engine of biodiversity
Although scientists have known since the middle of the 19th century that the tropics are teeming with species while the poles harbor relatively few, the origin of the most dramatic and pervasive biodiversity on Earth has never been clear.
How do you feed 9 billion people?
An international team of scientists has developed crop models to better forecast food production to feed a growing population – projected to reach 9 billion by mid-century – in the face of climate change.
Technology news
Nuclear plant closures shows industry's struggles
The decision to close California's San Onofre nuclear plant is the latest setback for an industry that had seemed poised to grow.
Protesters rally in Singapore against new online rules
Around 2,000 Singaporeans led by local bloggers attended a rally Saturday to protest against new government licensing rules for news websites that they say curtail freedom of expression.
PCs out as Senegal opens world's first tablet cafe
Among the washer women, carpenters, busy waiters and squabbling children sweltering under the midday sun on this dusty Dakar street an Internet revolution is taking place in the world's first tablet cafe.
British PM urges Google to boost fight against child porn
British Prime Minister David Cameron on Saturday demanded that Google and other search engines do more to rid the Internet of child pornography, warning that lives were being put at risk through the "disgusting" material available online.
Kim Dotcom's extradition case delayed again
A US bid to extradite Megaupload boss Kim Dotcom from New Zealand for alleged online piracy has been delayed until at least November, court officials said.
Exide files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
(AP)—Battery maker Exide Technologies is seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as it attempts to restructure its U.S. business.
Low energy consumption circuit for neural network systems with world's first ferroelectric memristor on a circuit
Panasonic Corporation today announced that it has developed a low energy consumption circuit for neural network systems, by forming the world's first ferroelectric memristor, which can record continuous analog data as resistance, on a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) circuit. CMOS circuits are widely used as digital circuits. Devices equipped with this technology are able to handle digital signals as analog data in one circuit for the first time. Due to the direct processing of analog data, it is expected that the power consumption of neural network circuits, which have the ability to carry out processing that replicates parts of human thought, such as the ability to make judgments based on broad trends, will decrease drastically to one tenth of the energy consumption of conventional circuits.
Aaron Paul, Drake promote EA video games at E3
Drake and Aaron Paul are bringing some star power to the Electronic Entertainment Expo.
Global netizens see worrying trend in US spying
Revelations that the U.S. government has been snooping on Internet users worldwide failed to shock global netizens, who say they've already given up on expectations of online privacy in the face of growing surveillance from governments and private companies.
Google, Facebook condemn online spying
Google chief Larry Page and Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg condemned online spying Friday and called for governments to be more revealing about snooping on the Internet.
Obama says US, China must develop cyber rules
President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping, treading carefully, avoided a direct public confrontation on cybersecurity as they opened a two-day summit aimed at forging closer personal ties between the leaders of the world's largest economies.
Dutch duo peddle old bikes as fashion, furniture
Two Dutch entrepreneurs have found a novel way to make money out of the thousands of bicycles abandoned in the Netherlands each year, by turning them into designer fashion items and furniture.
NSA claims ability to ensure no illegal spying (Update)
The supersecret agency with the power and legal authority to gather electronic communications worldwide to hunt U.S. adversaries says it has the technical know-how to ensure it's not illegally spying on Americans.
US intelligence chief backs Internet spy program
The top U.S. intelligence official stressed Saturday that a previously undisclosed program for tapping into Internet usage is authorized by Congress, falls under strict supervision of a secret court and cannot intentionally target an American citizen. He decried the revelation of that and another intelligence-gathering program as reckless.
Since 9/11, life—and surveillance—made easier
Americans' expectations of privacy have diminished remarkably since Sept. 10, 2001—and only partly because of the terror attacks that happened the next day.
Next-gen consoles battle for new gamers
Sony and Microsoft will be battling for the spotlight at the E3 videogame show with new consoles designed to put them at the heart of home entertainment.
Music service, mobile software expected from Apple (Update)
Apple is expected to reveal a digital radio service and changes to the software behind iPhones and iPads on Monday as the company opens its annual conference for software developers.
Syria's online troops wage counter-revolutionary cyber war
Sometimes, attacks in Syria's bloody civil war start not with a bullet or a bomb blast, but with an innocuous-looking email. A message pings into an inbox, apparently from a friend or colleague. The recipient clicks a link, and suddenly hackers are one step closer to snatching sensitive information - including passwords to a company's social media sites.
E3 a chance to address gamers' questions
What is the next generation of gaming? It's a question the video game industry hasn't quite figured out yet, but it's one it must confront at this week's Electronic Entertainment Expo, the much-hyped Los Angeles trade show where about 46,000 attendees are expected to play, poke and prod new video games and products from more than 200 exhibitors.
NSA: The finder and keeper of countless US secrets
An email, a telephone call or even the murmur of a conversation captured by the vibration of a window—they're all part of the data that can be swept up by the sophisticated machinery of the National Security Agency.
Source of US intel leak outs self despite probe threat
A 29-year-old government contractor revealed himself on Sunday as the source of bombshell leaks of US monitoring of Internet users and phone records, as US intelligence pressed for a criminal probe.
New app helping Venezuelans find scarce items
Harried Venezuelans who devote hours scouring supermarkets for increasingly scarce food basics and toilet paper have just received some digital help thanks to a young software developer.
Smartphone life shakes up website world
Internet giants from Google and Facebook to Yahoo and Zynga are scrambling to adapt to an online world where people reach for smartphones or tablets instead of traditional computers.
A 3-D printout for your health
The field of 3-D printing technology is revolutionizing industries across the spectrum, from the arts to electronics. We asked Constantinos Mavroidis, Distinguished Professor of Engineering, to explain how the approach, which is capable of rapidly producing low-cost three-dimensional structures the same way an ink-jet printer creates a two-dimensional image, is beginning to do the same for the biomedical field.
Democratising design
A new simulator could help the elderly or disabled users engage more effectively with electronic devices, including websites, smartphones and digital television.
Programming model for supercomputers of the future
The demand for even faster, more effective, and also energy-saving computer clusters is growing in every sector. The new asynchronous programming model GPI from Fraunhofer ITWM might become a key building block towards realizing the next generation of supercomputers.
EU, Merkel to raise NSA program with US officials
Senior European Union officials will question their American counterparts about previously undisclosed U.S. surveillance programs during a trans-Atlantic ministerial meeting in Dublin starting Thursday.
Listening to music while driving has very little effect on driving performance, study shows
Most motorists enjoy listening to the radio or their favourite CD while driving. Many of them switch on the radio without thinking. But is this safe? Experiments carried out by environment and traffic psychologist Ayça Berfu Ünal suggest that it makes very little difference. In fact the effects that were measured turned out to be positive. Music helps drivers to focus, particularly on long, monotonous roads. Ünal will be awarded a PhD by the University of Groningen on 10 June 2013.
One-third of Americans own tablets: survey
More than one-third of Americans use a tablet computer, with the highest percentage of users in the 35-44 age group, a survey showed Monday.
AT&T launches push-to-talk service for iPhone
AT&T Inc. on Monday said it's adding a walkie-talkie-like application to the iPhone for its corporate customers, replicating a hallmark feature of the Nextel network, which is being shut down this summer.
AT&T extends wait for new phone to 2 years
AT&T is extending from 20 months to 24 months the time it takes for customers on contract-based plans to earn a fully subsidized upgrade to a new phone.
BuzzFeed in global push, hires foreign editor
The social news website BuzzFeed announced Monday it was adding a foreign editor as part of a push to expand its international coverage.
Biofuels will play integral role in California's energy future, says new study
Biofuels developed from plant biomass and purpose-grown crops can substantially move California toward its ambitious energy goals, a new report says, but only through the wise allocation of feedstocks and the success of energy efficiency measures throughout the state.
Apple announces OS X Mavericks at WWDC
Apple is switching from its decade-long practice of naming its Mac operating system updates after big cats. Instead, it's paying homage to the geography of its home state.
Apple jumps into streaming with iTunes Radio (Update)
Apple on Monday unveiled its hotly anticipated iTunes Radio Service as it announced a dramatic overhaul of the touch-screen interface for its popular smartphones and tablets.
Silicon Valley idealists crash into reality in spy row
The idealists who founded some of the most successful technology companies now find themselves entangled in controversy over the vast US government surveillance program denounced as Orwellian.
French electric car share program sets sights on Indy
A French electric car share program has set its sights on the home of one of the top US race car events: Indianapolis.
TED conference sets stage for a week of bright ideas
A former Greek prime minster, a specialist in the sex lives of animals and a "gentleman thief" are among the eclectic set of speakers spreading cutting-edge ideas at the TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh this week.
US data mining system technical details murky
The US government's vast online data collection system revealed this week could tap into companies like Google and Facebook without the knowledge of top executives, experts said.
Google has ideas for funny-face device authentication
(Phys.org) —Google this year has made it clear that it wants to see a different computer using landscape with techniques that are easier, more reliable than hand-typed passwords for user authentication. Speaking at a security conference in San Francisco earlier this year, principal engineer, Mayank Upadhyay affirmed Google's interest for a time when password obligations are replaced with more secure authentication tokens. While solutions proposed by Google have been in the physical area of hardware such as finger rings or USB sticks or keys, a patent application revealed this week shows how Google is thinking about Android-type authentication through making funny faces. According to the filing, authentication via funny face can be used to unlock the phone. The patent suggests facial expressions as the next frontier of password456%.
Google to buy Israeli GPS app Waze for $1 bln
Google is in talks on a deal worth at least $1 billion to buy the Israel-based GPS mobile navigation app Waze, Israeli media reported on Sunday.
RoboBees get smart in pollen pursuit
(Phys.org) —When a scout honeybee returns to the hive, she performs a "waggle dance," looping and shaking her rear end in particular patterns to direct her comrades toward the jackpot of nectar and pollen she's found. Her movements communicate the direction and distance of the nectar source, providing a vector along which the other bees can now travel. As they fly through the air, the flow of optical stimuli across their peripheral vision tells the bees how far they've traveled and when to turn.
ZSW engineers build lithium-ion battery able to last for 27 years
(Phys.org) —Officials at Germany's Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg, (ZSW) have issued a press release describing improvements they've made to lithium-ion batteries. They claim their improvements allow a single battery to be recharged up to 10,000 times while still retaining 85 percent of its charging capacity. Such a battery, if used in an electric car, they note, would allow its owner to recharge the battery every day for 27.4 years.
EPFL presents a modular aircraft at Paris Air Show (w/ Video)
Go to the train station to take the plane. Board on a capsule to reach the airport by rail, and then - without leaving your seat - fly to another city. The Clip-Air project, being developed at EPFL since 2009, envisions a modular aircraft consisting of a flying wing onto which it is possible to attach one, two or three capsules as required. Its concept allows us to take a glimpse at the air transportation of tomorrow, which is meant to be more flexible, closer to our needs, more efficient and less energy-consuming. For the first time, a model of the Clip-Air plane will be presented at the Paris Air Show from 17 to 19 June 2013.
Linguists, computer scientists use supercomputers to improve natural language processing
It's not hard to tell the difference between the "charge" of a battery and criminal "charges." But for computers, distinguishing between the various meanings of a word is difficult.
iOS 7: Apple revamps look of iPhone, iPad software (Update)
Apple is throwing out most of the real-world graphical cues from its iPhone and iPad software, like the casino-green "felt" of its Game Center app, in what it calls the biggest update since the iPhone's launch in 2007.
Securing the cloud: New algorithm solves major problem with homomorphic encryption
Homomorphic encryption is one of the most exciting new research topics in cryptography, which promises to make cloud computing perfectly secure. With it, a Web user would send encrypted data to a server in the cloud, which would process it without decrypting it and send back a still-encrypted result.
The body electric: Researchers move closer to low-cost, implantable electronics
(Phys.org) —New technology under development at The Ohio State University is paving the way for low-cost electronic devices that work in direct contact with living tissue inside the body.
Medicine & Health news
Dominican official denies report of bird flu
A Dominican official says Haiti erroneously reported that his country has an outbreak of avian flu when it cited the disease as a reason for imposing a ban this week on the import of Dominican meats, chicken, eggs and other goods.
More pain for Japan's Daiichi hit by Ranbaxy fraud
Daiichi Sankyo believed it had scored a coup in 2008 when it outbid rivals to buy Indian generics giant Ranbaxy for $4.6 billion but its foray into the high-growth copycat drugs arena has brought the Japanese drugmaker only pain.
Recurrent pneumonia not common, lung expert says
Pneumonia is one of the most common of lung infections among the elderly but concerns of underlying conditions arise when it recurs, a leading South African pulmonologist said Sunday.
Irish biotech firm Elan rejects new Royalty bid
Irish biotechnology company Elan rejected on Monday the latest takeover bid from US group Royalty Pharma worth about $7.9 billion (6.0 billion euros).
Only 14 China H7N9 patients left in hospital
Only 14 patients from China's H7N9 bird flu outbreak are still in hospital, national health authorities said in their latest update on the disease.
Suicide risk factors mapped in Swedish national study
The study, a collaboration between Lund University in Sweden and Stanford University, showed that the rate of suicide among men is almost three times that of women. Being young, single and having a low level of education were stronger risk factors for suicide among men, while mental illness was a stronger risk factor among women. Unemployment was the strongest social risk factor among women, whereas being single was the strongest among men.
Brandeis scientist wins 2013 Gruber Foundation Neuroscience Prize
The Gruber Foundation today awarded its 2013 neuroscience prize to Brandeis professor Eve Marder, a pioneering researcher who has dedicated her career to understanding the nervous system's basic functions. Marder studies a relatively simple network of some 30 large neurons found in the gut of lobsters and crabs—a small yet elegant window into humans' unfathomably rich nervous system, home to billions of neurons and trillions of interconnections.
AstraZeneca in $560 m deal for respiratory firm
British drugmaker AstraZeneca PLC says it is to acquire Pearl Therapeutics Inc., a Redwood-City, California-based company involved in therapies for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for at least $560 million.
DNA-altering enzyme is essential for blood cell development
The expression of specific genes is partially dictated by the way the DNA is packed into chromatin, a tightly packed combination of DNA and proteins known as histones. HDAC3 is a chromatin-modifying enzyme that regulates gene expression, chromatin structure, and genome instability and it has previously been shown to associate with the oncoproteins that drive leukemia and lymphoma.
Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying Alzheimer's disease
The accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) in the brains of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients is known to be associated with memory loss and neuronal degeneration, but the mechanism of Aβ pathogenesis is not fully understood.
Screening at-risk adolescents for celiac disease proves cost-effective
The current standard practice of screening adolescents who are either symptomatic or at high-risk for celiac disease proves to be more cost-effective than universal screening. Additionally, the strategy is successful in preventing bone loss and fractures in celiac patients, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.
High rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia found in small community hospitals
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most frequent healthcare-associated infections found in intensive-care units (ICUs). New research on the prevalence of VAP in community hospitals shows small hospitals (less than 30,000 patient-days/year) have a higher rate of VAP than their larger counterparts, despite less use of ventilators. The study, published in the July issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, compares outcomes of patients on ventilators in 31 community hospitals in the southeastern United States from 2007 to 2011.
Apricus impotence drug approved in 10 countries
Apricus Biosciences Inc. said Monday that its impotence drug Vitaros has been approved in 10 European countries.
France recalls diuretic drug after pill 'mixup'
France's health regulator on Monday recalled a diuretic used to control high blood pressure after some packets of the drug were found to contain sleeping pills—a mistake feared linked to two deaths.
Effect of policies by school districts, states on items sold outside the school meal program
The association between district and state policies or legal requirements regarding competitive food and beverages (food and beverages sold outside the school meal program) and public elementary school availability of foods and beverages high in fats, sugars, or sodium was examined in a study Jamie F. Chriqui, Ph.D., M.H.S., and colleagues at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Survivors of intimate partner violence not getting adequate mental health services
Although many abused women suffer from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and/or depression, they are not receiving needed mental health services, a University of Missouri researcher found.
Heart: Cardiac PET/MR measures up to PET/CT
Just a few years ago, integrated positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance (PET/MR) imaging was found only in research institutes, but little by little the technology has expanded into clinical practice. This is especially true for cardiac indications, for which the highly sensitive soft tissue contrast of MR and the functional and metabolic imaging of PET are particularly valuable. New research proves the value of PET/MR compared to PET/computed tomography (CT) in cardiac applications, say researchers at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging's 2013 Annual Meeting.
EU health commissioner favours more tests for horsemeat
The EU's health commissioner is in favour of a new round of Europe-wide DNA tests to check for the presence of horsemeat in beef products, following a scandal earlier this year that rocked confidence in food safety standards.
Rare mitochondrial mutations—maybe not so rare?
French scientists have discovered that supposedly rare mutations in the mitochondria, the 'power plants' of human cells responsible for creating energy, account for more than 7% of patients with a mitochondrial disease manifesting itself as a respiratory deficiency. Their data emphasise the need for comprehensive analysis of all the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in patients suspected as having a mitochondrial disease, and this should include children, a researcher will tell the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics today (Sunday).
Danish researchers expose new cause of life-threatening disease
Danish researchers have just published findings that explain a previously unknown mechanism used by cells to communicate with one another. The research significantly contributes to understanding why some children are born with malformations and why children and adults may develop life-threatening diseases.
Africa hopes to speed up medicine approval systems
Bringing a new medicine to market in Africa requires 54 separate applications to each country on the continent, a time-intensive process that could be costing lives. African leaders are now trying to move toward a regional and eventually continentwide approach to speed the process.
Interferon-beta aids balance and movement in mice with spinocerebellar ataxia 7
The group of genetic conditions known as spinocerebellar ataxias currently have no treatment or cure and are always fatal, in the case of affected children at an early age. Symptoms include a progressive lack of co-ordination of gait, and poor co-ordination of hands, speech and eye movements, due to a failure of co-ordination of muscle movements. Now researchers from France and the US have found a new way of controlling the symptoms and significantly improving the physical condition of animal models of the disease, the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics will hear on Monday, June 10.
Investigation into safety of new diabetes drugs—will manufacturers release their data?
New forms of diabetes drugs, known as GLP-1-based drugs, and promoted as "the new darlings of diabetes treatment" make the pharmaceutical industry billions. But are they associated with an increased risk of cancer and do we know everything we should about these new treatments?
MRI detects early effects of chemotherapy on children's hearts
MRI scans of children who have had chemotherapy can detect early changes in their hearts finds research in biomed Central's open access journal Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance.
Women can be screened years later than men with 'virtual colonoscopy'
A new study has found that women can be screened for colorectal cancer at least five to 10 years later than men when undergoing an initial "virtual colonoscopy." Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings may help establish guidelines for the use of this screening technique, which is less invasive than a traditional colonoscopy.
Designated drivers don't always abstain, study finds
Maybe better call that cab, after all: A new University of Florida study found that 35 percent of designated drivers had quaffed alcohol and most had blood-alcohol levels high enough to impair their driving.
Discovery may lead to new treatments for jaundice
Helping to protect newborns and older patients against more severe effects of jaundice is the hope of University of Guelph researchers, who have shown how a liver enzyme protects cells from damage caused by the condition.
Researchers optimistic radioactive lead can beat cancer
Atomic medicine has "fantastic potential" for fighting deadly, difficult to treat cancers, the head of French nuclear giant Areva's medical arm told AFP in an interview.
Inhalation therapy for lung cancer shows promise in study
(Medical Xpress)—Lung cancer kills about 1.5 million men and women around the world – more than the number of people who die from breast, colon, pancreatic and prostate cancers combined.
Teen health risk rises with more than a can of soft drink a day
(Medical Xpress)—Teenagers who drink more than one standard can (375g) of sugary drinks a day are putting themselves at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease such as heart disease or stroke in later life.
You've had an out-of-body experience, but what kind?
Have you ever felt as though your sense of awareness was outside of your physical body? That you were looking back at yourself from another place in the same room? If so, you've probably had an out-of-body experience (OBE). But not all OBEs are the same.
In clinical trial, scientists hope to train immune system to attack cancer
(Medical Xpress)—Training our immune systems to fight cancer is an appealing prospect. Why wouldn't we want to launch our own internal army against one of our most-hated foes? But the process is a bit like learning to spot a single traitor in a stadium full of innocent bystanders. After all, at the most basic level, cancer cells are simply our own tissue making bad choices about how to grow and spread.
Clearing the BAR to oral vaccines
A new technology under development by an academic–industry partnership protects oral vaccines from destruction by the digestive system.
Do antidepressants impair the ability to extinguish fear?
An interesting new report of animal research published in Biological Psychiatry suggests that common antidepressant medications may impair a form of learning that is important clinically.
Why do women go through menopause?
Menstruation is a reproductive quirk that humans share with only a few other mammals. But even stranger is the fact that women stop menstruating when they have a whole third of their lives left to live.
Cost-effective: Universal HIV testing in India
In India most people who are HIV positive don't know it, yet testing and treatment are relatively cheap and available. It would therefore meet international standards of cost-effectiveness—and save millions of lives for decades—to test every person in the billion-plus population every five years according to a new study published in the journal PLoS One.
Researchers discover master regulator in cancer metastasis
In the process of metastasis, the movement of cancer cells to different parts of the body, a specific master regulator gene plays a central role: a transcription factor named Sox4 activates a sequence of genes and triggers the formidable process. This finding is reported by researchers from the University of Basel and from the Friedrich Miescher Institute in Cancer Cell. Inhibition of Sox4 and subsequent processes may prevent metastasis in cancer patients.
Split liver transplants for young children proven to be as safe as whole organ transplantation
A new study shows that when a liver from a deceased adult or adolescent donor is split into two separate portions for transplantation—with the smaller portion going to a young child and the larger to an adult—the smaller portion used for the child will last just as long as if the child had received a whole organ from a donor close to his size.
Only 5 percent of us wash hands correctly, research says
Remember Mom's advice about washing your hands thoroughly after using the restroom? Apparently not.
Treatment of mental illness lowers arrest rates, saves money
Research from North Carolina State University, the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) and the University of South Florida shows that outpatient treatment of mental illness significantly reduces arrest rates for people with mental health problems and saves taxpayers money.
A rather complex complex: Brain scans reveal internal conflict during Jung's word association test
Over 100 years ago psychologist Carl Gustav Jung penned his theory of 'complexes' where he explained how unconscious psychological issues can be triggered by people, events, or Jung believed, through word association tests.
Frequent binge drinking is associated with insomnia symptoms in older adults
A new study suggests that frequent binge drinking is associated with insomnia symptoms in older adults.
Transplant patient outcomes after trauma better than expected
In the largest study of its kind, physicians from the Department of Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) have determined that outcomes for traumatic injury in patients with organ transplants are not worse than for non-transplanted patients, despite common presumptions among physicians. The findings, published in the June 2013 issue of The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, also show that transplanted organs are rarely injured in traumatic events.
Quality-of-life issues need to be addressed for CML patients, researchers say
Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center have determined that chronic myeloid leukemia patients who are treated with a class of oral chemotherapy drugs known as a tyrosine kinase inhibitors have significant side effects and quality-of-life issues that need to be addressed. Some of these issues include depression, fatigue, nausea and change of appearance. The researchers say it is important to improve the patients' quality of life because most will take tyrosine kinase inhibitors for the rest of their lives.
Early exposure to bisphenol A might damage the enamel of teeth
Are teeth the latest victims of bisphenol A? Yes, according to the conclusions of work carried out by the research team led by Ariane Berdal of the Université Paris-Diderot and Sylvie Babajko, Research Director at Inserm Unit 872 "Centre des Cordeliers". The researchers have shown that the teeth of rats treated with low daily doses of BPA could be damaged by this.
Experts find epigenetic changes moderate reality distortion in schizophrenia patients
A study in Schizophrenia Bulletin is among the first to indicate epigenetic changes related to immune function in schizophrenia. DNA methylation, a process involving the addition of a methyl group to the DNA without changing its sequence, can alter gene expression.
Study shows cardiac MRI use reduces adverse events for patients with acute chest pain
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center doctors have found that using stress cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in an Emergency Department observation unit to care for patients with acute chest pain is a win-win – for the patient and the institution.
Reduced brain volume in kids with low birth-weight tied to academic struggles
An analysis of recent data from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of 97 adolescents who were part of study begun with very low birth weight babies born in 1982-1986 in a Cleveland neonatal intensive care unit has tied smaller brain volumes to poor academic achievement.
Diabetes-related deaths hit record levels in New York
Diabetes-related deaths hit record levels in New York City in 2011, with Type 2 diabetes surging along with an epidemic of obesity, the city's health department reported Monday.
Biodegradable implant may lessen side effects of radiation to treat prostate cancer
Several years ago, Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center became the first center in the United States to test an Israeli-invented device designed to increase the space between the prostate and the rectum in prostate cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy. Now, results from the international Phase I clinical trial show that the device has the potential to significantly reduce rectal injury, a side effect caused by unwanted radiation exposure that can leave men with compromised bowel function following treatment.
WHO simplifies pandemic alert system after criticism
The World Health Organization on Monday published a new plan on how to alert the world to possible flu pandemics, following harsh criticism of its handling of the H1N1 swine flu pandemic in 2009.
Men with prostate cancer should eat healthy vegetable fats
Men with prostate cancer may significantly improve their survival chances with a simple change in their diet, a new study led by UC San Francisco has found.
Low diastolic blood pressure may be associated with brain atrophy
Low baseline diastolic blood pressure (DBP) appears to be associated with brain atrophy in patients with arterial disease, whenever declining levels of blood pressure (BP) over time among patients who had a higher baseline BP were associated with less progression of atrophy, according to a report published Online First by JAMA Neurology.
Alzheimer's and low blood sugar in diabetes may trigger a vicious cycle
Diabetes-associated episodes of low blood sugar may increase the risk of developing dementia, while having dementia or even milder forms of cognitive impairment may increase the risk of experiencing low blood sugar, according to a UC San Francisco scientist who led a new study published online today (June 10) in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Unclogging heart arteries through wrist becoming more common
Opening clogged heart arteries via the radial artery in the wrist is becoming more common. The wrist route may have fewer complications than the traditional route through the femoral artery in the groin. Use of the procedure increased 13-fold in a six-year period.
Reducing unnecessary and high-dose pediatric CT scans could cut associated cancers by 62 percent
A study examining trends in X-ray computed tomography (CT) use in children in the United States has found that reducing unnecessary scans and lowering the doses for the highest-dose scans could lower the overall lifetime risk of future imaging-related cancers by 62 percent. The research by a UC Davis Health System scientist is published online today in JAMA Pediatrics.
Intervention needed to reduce lifelong effects associated with childhood neglect and emotional abuse
Preschool children who have been neglected or emotionally abused exhibit a range of emotional and behavioral difficulties and adverse mother-child interactions that indicate these children require prompt evaluation and interventions, according to a systematic review by Aideen Mary Naughton, M.B., B.Ch., B.A.O., D.C.H., F.R.C.P.C.H., of Public Health Wales, Pontypool, England, and colleagues.
New study on hepatitis C virus entry factor: Researchers identify disruption of iron uptake receptor
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects more than 170 million people worldwide. Approximately 80 percent of infections lead to chronic illness including fibrosis, cirrhosis, cancer and also hepatic iron overload. A new study completed by researchers at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine reveals that HCV not only alters expression of the iron-uptake receptor known as transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) but that TfR1 also mediates HCV entry.
Women with severe morning sickness who take antihistamines more likely to experience bad outcomes
Women with a severe form of morning sickness who take antihistamines to help them sleep through their debilitating nausea are significantly more likely to experience adverse pregnancy outcomes, including low birth weight babies and premature births, a UCLA study has found.
Medicare beneficiaries substantially more likely to use brand-name drugs than VA patients
Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes are two to three times more likely to use expensive brand-name drugs than a comparable group of patients treated within the VA Healthcare System, according to a nationwide study by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and Dartmouth College.
Fidaxomicin ups outcome of C. difficile-tied diarrhea in cancer
(HealthDay)—For patients with cancer with Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD), fidaxomicin treatment is associated with improved outcomes compared with vancomycin treatment, according to research published online May 28 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Annual dental cleaning may be enough for some: study
(HealthDay)—For many people, once-a-year dental cleaning may be enough to prevent gum disease that leads to tooth loss, according to a new study.
Many families in underserved areas access, use technology
(HealthDay)—Caregivers of children receiving care in an urban pediatric primary care setting frequently use digital technologies, according to a study published online June 10 in Pediatrics.
Too little known on how primary care docs can prevent child abuse
(HealthDay)—A lack of research makes it impossible to recommend how primary care doctors can prevent abuse and neglect of children who show no signs or symptoms of maltreatment, according to a new U.S. Preventive Services Task Force statement.
Genetic research clarifies link between hypertension and vitamin D deficiency
Low levels of vitamin D can trigger hypertension, according to the world's largest study to examine the causal association between the two. Although observational studies have already shown this link, a large-scale genetic study was necessary before the cause and effect could be proven, the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG) will hear today (Tuesday).
Scientists identify potential drug target for treatment-resistant anemias
Researchers at Whitehead Institute have identified a protein that is the target of glucocorticoids, the drugs that are used to increase red blood cell production in patients with certain types of anemia, including those resulting from trauma, sepsis, malaria, kidney dialysis, and chemotherapy. The discovery could spur development of drugs capable of increasing this protein's production without causing the severe side effects associated with glucocorticoids.
Shape-shifting cells help skin cancer spread
(Medical Xpress)—Scientists have discovered genes that control shape changes in melanoma skin cancer cells, allowing them to wriggle free and spread around the body, according to new research published in Nature Cell Biology.
People are overly confident in their own knowledge, despite errors
Overprecision—excessive confidence in the accuracy of our beliefs—can have profound consequences, inflating investors' valuation of their investments, leading physicians to gravitate too quickly to a diagnosis, even making people intolerant of dissenting views. Now, new research confirms that overprecision is a common and robust form of overconfidence driven, at least in part, by excessive certainty in the accuracy of our judgments.
Viruses in gut confer antibiotic resistance to bacteria
Bacteria in the gut that are under attack by antibiotics have allies no one had anticipated, a team of Wyss Institute scientists has found. Gut viruses that usually commandeer the bacteria, it turns out, enable them to survive the antibiotic onslaught, most likely by handing them genes that help them withstand the drug.
Lifespan-extending drug given late in life reverses age-related heart disease in mice
Elderly mice suffering from age-related heart disease saw a significant improvement in cardiac function after being treated with the FDA-approved drug rapamycin for just three months. The research, led by a team of scientists at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, shows how rapamycin impacts mammalian tissues, providing functional insights and possible benefits for a drug that has been shown to extend the lifespan of mice as much as 14 percent. There are implications for human health in the research appearing online in Aging Cell: heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., claiming nearly 600,000 lives per year.
Epigenetic factor likely plays a key role in fueling most common childhood cancer
(Medical Xpress)—Changes in an epigenetic mechanism that turns expression of genes on and off may be as important as genetic alterations in causing pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), according to a study led by scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and published in the June 10 online edition of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Brain circuits link obsessive-compulsive behavior and obesity
What started as an experiment to probe brain circuits involved in compulsive behavior has revealed a surprising connection with obesity. The University of Iowa-led researchers bred mice missing a gene known to cause obesity, and suspected to also be involved in compulsive behavior, with a genetic mouse model of compulsive grooming. The unexpected result was offspring that were neither compulsive groomers nor obese.
A path to lower-risk painkillers
For patients managing cancer and other chronic health issues, painkillers such as morphine and Vicodin are often essential for pain relief. The body's natural tendency to develop tolerance to these medications, however, often requires patients to take higher doses – increasing risks of harmful side effects and dependency.
Scientists map process by which brain cells form long-term memories
Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have deciphered how a protein called Arc regulates the activity of neurons—providing much-needed clues into the brain's ability to form long-lasting memories. These findings, reported today in Nature Neuroscience, also offer newfound understanding as to what goes on at the molecular level when this process becomes disrupted.
3-D map of blood vessels in cerebral cortex holds suprises
Blood vessels within a sensory area of the mammalian brain loop and connect in unexpected ways, a new map has revealed.
Biology news
Pressure on N. Zealand to save world's rarest dolphin
New Zealand is facing pressure to save the world's rarest dolphin at an international scientific meeting underway this week in what conservationists say is a test of the nation's "clean, green" credentials.
How to control maple tree pests using integrated pest management
Many maple trees share a suite of important arthropod pests that have the potential to reduce the trees' economic and aesthetic value. Now a new open-access article in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management offers maple tree owners information about the biology, damage, and management for the most important pests of maples with an emphasis on integrated pest management (IPM) tactics for each pest.
When calculating cell-growth thermodynamics, reconsider using the Gibbs free energy equation
A forthcoming article in The Quarterly Review of Biology provides the basis for an argument against using the Gibbs free energy equation to accurately determine the thermodynamics of microbial growth.
Cause for celebration as Iberian lynx caught on camera in western Portugal
An Iberian lynx has been photographed in western Portugal following an incredible 250 kilometre journey from Spain, reports Portugal's Institute for Nature Conservation and Forestry (ICNF).
Cells like us stick together
Once upon a time all cells were solitary, going about the everyday business of life on their own.
Plasma in a bag
Plastic bags coated by plasma at atmospheric pressure serve as a GMP laboratory for the cultivation of adherent cells. The plasma is used to modify the internal surface of the bag specifically, so that different cell types can grow on it.
Mutant mosquitoes lose their appetite for humans
(Phys.org) —What draws a mosquito to bite its host has long been studied from the perspective of the victim—uncovering which smells and chemicals lure the insect in. But researchers at Rockefeller's Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior, headed by Robin Chemers Neustein Professor Leslie Vosshall, are aiming instead to get inside the perpetrator's mind. Or rather, its genome.
British butterfly desperate for warm weather this summer
(Phys.org) —Butterflies are extremely sensitive to changes in temperature and new research has revealed that when summer weather turns bad the silver-spotted skipper battles for survival.
Researchers decipher an alternative mechanism of intracellular protein trafficking
Research, published on the cover of the journal Traffic, describes existing alternative mechanisms to the traditional export model of newly synthesized membrane and secretory proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The article is signed by an international group composed of Professor Pedro Moral, head of the Consolidated Research Group on Human Population Biology of the Anthropology Unit at the Faculty of Biology of the UB, affiliated centre with the campus of International excellence BKC, and Meritxell Cutrona, collaborator at the Unit and member of Consorzio Mario Negri Sud and Gabriele d'Annunzio University Foundation (Italy).
Pollinators easily enhanced by flowering agri-environment schemes
Agri-environment schemes aimed to promote biodiversity on farmland have positive effects on wild bees, hoverflies and butterflies. Effects on diversity and abundance were strongest when agri-environment schemes prescribed sowing wild-flowers, the more flowering species the better. Organic farms, set-aside land or fields receiving reduced amounts of fertilizer and pesticides generally hosted more wild pollinators than conventionally farmed land. Jeroen Scheper of Alterra Research Institute and colleagues demonstrated this by analysing the results of 71 studies that had looked at the effects of implementing agri-environment schemes in various European countries.
Research shows river dredging reduced fish numbers, diversity
Comparing dredged and undredged sections of the Allegheny River, reduced populations of fish and less variety of aquatic life occurred in areas where gravel extraction took place, according to researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences,.
How cells get a skeleton
The mechanism responsible for generating part of the skeletal support for the membrane in animal cells is not yet clearly understood. Now, Jean-François Joanny from the Physico Chemistry Curie Unit at the Curie Institute in Paris and colleagues have found that a well-defined layer beneath the cell outer membrane forms beyond a certain critical level of stress generated by motor proteins within the cellular system. These findings, which offer a new understanding of the formation of this so-called cortical layer, have just been published in the European Physical Journal E.
Whitebark pine trees: Is their future at risk?
There's trouble ahead for the whitebark pine, a mountain tree that's integral to wildlife and water resources in the western United States and Canada.
How does inbreeding avoidance evolve in plants?
Inbreeding is generally deleterious, even in flowering plants. Since inbreeding raises the risk that bad copies of a gene will be expressed, inbred progeny suffer from reduced viability.
Duck genome provides new insight into fighting bird flu
The duck genome consortium, consisted of scientists from China Agricultural University, BGI, University of Edinburgh and other institutes has completed the genome sequencing and analysis of the duck (Anas platyrhynchos), one principal natural host of influenza A viruses, which caused a new epidemic in China since this February. This work reveals some noteworthy conclusions and provides an invaluable resource for unraveling the interactive mechanisms between the host and influenza viruses.
Alien invaders get a bad press
A new study, published in Acta Oecologia, says many of the most damning claims about invaders are not backed up with hard evidence. This might be skewing priorities when it comes to dealing with them.
Self-fertilizing plants contribute to their own demise
Many plants are self-fertilizing, meaning they act as both mother and father to their own seeds. This strategy – known as selfing – guarantees reproduction but, over time, leads to reduced diversity and the accumulation of harmful mutations. A new study published in the scientific journal Nature Genetics shows that these negative consequences are apparent across a selfing plant's genome, and can arise more rapidly than previously thought.
Alpine rock cress uses a ribonucleic acid to measure its age and tell when it's the right time to flower
Perennial plants flower only when they have reached a certain age and been subjected to the cold. These two circumstances prevent the plant from starting to flower during winter. George Coupland and his fellow scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne have now discovered that the Alpine rock cress determines its age based on the quantity of a short ribonucleic acid.
New study proposes solution to long-running debate as to how stable the Earth system is
Researchers at the University of Southampton have proposed an answer to the long-running debate as to how stable the Earth system is.
Biotech crops vs. pests: Successes and failures from the first billion acres (Update)
Since 1996, farmers worldwide have planted more than a billion acres (400 million hectares) of genetically modified corn and cotton that produce insecticidal proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt for short. Bt proteins, used for decades in sprays by organic farmers, kill some devastating pests but are considered environmentally friendly and harmless to people. However, some scientists feared that widespread use of these proteins in genetically modified crops would spur rapid evolution of resistance in pests.
Hairpin turn: Micro-RNA plays role in wood formation
For more than a decade, scientists have suspected that hairpin-shaped chains of micro-RNA regulate wood formation inside plant cells. Now, scientists at NC State University have found the first example and mapped out key relationships that control the process.
To germinate, or not to germinate, that is the question
Scientists at the University of York have uncovered new insights into the way seeds use gene networks to control when they germinate in response to environmental signals.
New study finds females play active, pivotal role in postcopulatory processes
Females play a larger role in determining paternity than previously thought, say biologists in Syracuse University's College of Arts and Sciences. Their findings are the subject of a new paper titled "Female mediation of competitive fertilization success in Drosophila melanogaster," published this month by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
African starlings: Dashing darlings of the bird world in more ways than one
It's not going to happen while you're peering through your binoculars, but African glossy starlings change color more than 10 times faster than their ancestors and even their modern relatives, according to researchers at The University of Akron and Columbia University. And these relatively rapid changes have led to new species of birds with color combinations previously unseen, according to the study funded in part by the National Science Foundation and published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
From hot springs to HIV, same protein complexes are hijacked to promote viruses
Biologists from Indiana University and Montana State University have discovered a striking connection between viruses such as HIV and Ebola and viruses that infect organisms called archaea that grow in volcanic hot springs. Despite the huge difference in environments and a 2 billion year evolutionary time span between archaea and humans, the viruses hijack the same set of proteins to break out of infected cells.
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