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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for July 26, 2013:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Photon funnel could direct and regulate light into solar cells- Japan's IBIS keyhole surgery robot demonstrated (w/ Video)
- Researchers detect B-mode polarization in cosmic microwave background
- Researchers stop and store light for 60 seconds
- First rifle constructed from printed 3D parts by gun enthusiast in Canada (w/ Video)
- Removing complexity layers from the universe's creation
- What can plants reveal about global climate change?
- Gold nanoparticles improve photodetector performance
- Researchers uncover cellular mechanisms for attention in the brain
- Scientists model 'extraordinary' performance of Bolt
- Gadget genius
- Astrophysicist determines occurrence rate of giant planets around M-dwarfs
- Evolution on the inside track: Study shows how viruses in gut bacteria change over time
- Cheaper supermarket teas could cause fluoride related illnesses
- Scientists discover new drug targets for aggressive breast cancer
Space & Earth news
Halliburton admits destroying US oil disaster evidence
Halliburton Energy Services has admitted destroying evidence relating to the devastating 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, federal officials said.
Building stronger policies to fight global hunger
As part of Feed the Future, the federal government's global hunger and food security initiative, Michigan State University will use a $10 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development to strengthen developing countries' abilities to fight hunger through improved food policy.
US Navy to retrieve bombs it dropped over Barrier Reef
The United States Navy said it will spearhead a search for four unarmed bombs it dropped over Australia's Great Barrier Reef and make sure they are safely removed.
Flawless launch of Alphasat, Europe's largest and most sophisticated telecom satellite
Alphasat, Europe's largest and most sophisticated telecommunications satellite, was launched into its planned orbit today from Kourou, French Guiana.
Software zeros in on carbon pollution
Local researchers are developing an online tool that would allow farmers to monitor their greenhouse gas emissions and virtually test ways to reduce carbon pollution.
Spacesuited astronauts climb aboard Boeing CST-100 commercial crew capsule for key tests
A pair of NASA astronauts donned their spacesuits for key fit check evaluations inside a test version of the Boeing Company's CST-100 commercial 'space taxi' which was unveiled this week for the world's first glimpse of the cabin's interior.
Kepler team has some succes in reaction wheel recovery attempt
In May of this year, the Kepler planet-hunting telescope lost its ability to precisely point toward stars, putting its exoplanet search in jeopardy. Two of the four reaction wheels failed, and Kepler scientists say the spacecraft needs at least three reaction wheels to be able to point precisely enough to continue the mission. In the latest update from Kepler, mission manager Roger Hunter says that the team has made a little headway and had initial success in testing the two failed reaction wheels. But the big test will come later to see how much friction the two wheels generate with continued use.
Potential well water contaminants highest near natural gas drilling, study says
A new study of 100 private water wells in and near the Barnett Shale showed elevated levels of potential contaminants such as arsenic and selenium closest to natural gas extraction sites, according to a team of researchers that was led by UT Arlington associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry Kevin Schug.
Station astronauts remotely control planetary rover from space
Just as remotely-operated vehicles help humans explore the depths of the ocean from above, NASA has begun studying how a similar approach may one day help astronauts explore other worlds. On June 17 and July 26, NASA tested the Surface Telerobotics exploration concept, in which an astronaut in an orbiting spacecraft remotely operates a robot on a planetary surface. In the future, astronauts orbiting other planetary bodies, such as Mars, asteroids or the moon, could use this approach to perform work on the surface using robotic avatars.
NASA sees heaviest rain north of Tropical Storm Flossie's center
As Eastern Pacific Ocean's Tropical Storm Flossie continues to move further west toward Hawaii, NASA's TRMM satellite analyzed its rainfall.
NASA's various views of Tropical Storm Dorian
NASA satellites analyzed Tropical Storm Dorian in infrared light, giving scientists an idea of the storm's structure, cloud heights and cloud temperatures.
Weekly recap from the International Space Station expedition lead scientist
The Expedition 36 crew completed packing the Materials International Space Station Experiment-8 (MISSE-8) Payload Experiment Container (PEC) and Optical Reflector Materials Experiment-III (ORMatE-III) after it was retrieved during the spacewalk. The MISSE-8 samples have been in orbit for a little over two years and the PEC and ORMatE are manifested for return to Earth on SpaceX 3.
NASA sees enthusiastic response to asteroid call for ideas
NASA has received more than 400 responses to its request for information (RFI) on the agency's asteroid initiative, Deputy Administrator Lori Garver announced Friday.
Discoveries from Planck may mean rethinking how the universe began
This spring, humanity was shown its most detailed map of the early universe ever created. Generated by observations from the Planck spacecraft, the map revealed fluctuations in temperature in the relic radiation left over from the Big Bang—what we call the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB).
How high is space?
Look up, there's space. Astronomically speaking, it's right there, just outside a thin layer of atmosphere. But how far away is it? How high is space?
Global warming to cut snow water storage 56 percent in Oregon watershed
A new report projects that by the middle of this century there will be an average 56 percent drop in the amount of water stored in peak snowpack in the McKenzie River watershed of the Oregon Cascade Range - and that similar impacts may be found on low-elevation maritime snow packs around the world.
The largest magnetic fields in the universe
An ultradense ("hypermassive") neutron star is formed when two neutron stars in a binary system finally merge. Its short life ends with the catastrophic collapse to a black hole, possibly powering a short gamma-ray burst, one of the brightest explosions observed in the universe.
What can plants reveal about global climate change?
Recently, climate change, including global warming, has been a "hot" news item as many regions of the world have experienced increasingly intense weather patterns, such as powerful hurricanes and extended floods or droughts. Often the emphasis is on how such extreme weather impacts humans, from daily heat index warnings to regulating CO2 emissions. While the media continues to present climate change as a controversial issue, many scientists are working hard to gather data, collaborate across disciplines, and use experimental and modeling techniques to track how organisms and ecosystems are responding to the current changes in our Earth's global environment.
Astrophysicist determines occurrence rate of giant planets around M-dwarfs
A study led by Notre Dame astrophysicist Justin Crepp has for the first time definitively determined how many of the lowest-mass stars in the galaxy host gas giant planets. The researchers' paper, "The Occurrence Rate of Giant Planets around M-dwarfs," was posted to arXiv this week and submitted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal.
Space station research exposing the salty truth of supercritical water transitions
There is a moment when everything changes. Something familiar crosses a boundary and suddenly behaves in new ways. Take water for example. In middle school science class, you probably learned about saturation points when adding salt to a liquid. Or you discovered the importance of phase changes when going from boiling to steam or from freezing to ice. That moment of change is now being studied at a new level in space.
Technology news
Samsung's 2Q profit record high but below forecast
(AP)—Samsung Electronics reported a record-high profit for a sixth straight quarter but still disappointed investors who had higher expectations for the world's largest smartphone maker.
Zynga's 2Q losses narrow as company slashes costs
(AP)—Zynga narrowed its second-quarter losses as the troubled company laid off workers and trimmed other expenses to help offset its difficulty coming up with compelling games to play on smartphones.
Amazon.com posts 2Q loss, higher revenue
(AP)—Amazon.com is reporting a loss in the second quarter as higher revenue was not enough to make up for rising operating expenses.
Vivendi sells Activision stake for $8.2 billion
(AP)—Vivendi SA is selling most of its majority stake in video game maker Activision Blizzard Inc. for $8.2 billion as the French conglomerate tries to strengthen its balance sheet.
Austrian court ends Facebook ban for broadcaster
(AP)—Austria's Constitutional Court has overturned a ruling blocking state broadcaster ORF from having Facebook pages, disagreeing with complaints from private media that it gave the outlet an unfair competitive edge.
Educators explore innovative 'theater' as a way to help students learn physics
In a newly released study, education researchers report that personifying energy allowed students to grapple with difficult ideas about how energy works. Contrasted with more traditional lectures and graphs, this innovative instructional technique may be useful for teaching about other ideas in physical science, which commonly deals with things that change form over time.
Google discloses it paid $966 million for Waze
(AP)—Google says that it paid $966 million to buy online mapping service Waze, six weeks after closing the deal.
Mobile chip giant sees smartphone surprises ahead
Leading mobile phone chip maker Qualcomm said Thursday that the next generation of smartphones will take another stride forward as the company reported robust quarterly earnings.
Isolated Turkmenistan bows to Internet age
When Turkmen mother Selbi Dzhafarova wanted to buy a toy car for her son's birthday, he burst into tears. "He asked us to buy him a computer instead," she said.
Apple's smartphone market share slips
Apple's share of the global smartphone market fell during the second quarter to its lowest level in four years, according to data released Friday.
Nuke experts blast Fukushima operator over toxic leaks
Foreign nuclear experts on Friday blasted the operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, with one saying its lack of transparency over toxic water leaks showed "you don't know what you're doing".
T-Mobile nixes down payments, ups monthly fees
(AP)—T-Mobile is eliminating down payments on new phones, but it is increasing the price for some models through higher monthly payments.
From embarrassing Facebook posts to controversial Tweets, why are consumers oversharing online?
Increased use of digital communication is causing consumers to lose their inhibitions and "overshare" online, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.
Car-hacking researchers hope to wake up auto industry
Computer geeks already knew it was possible to hack into a car's computerized systems and potentially alter some electronic control functions.
Birds' good vibrations power mini backpacks
Birds that yield good vibration provide motion excitation ... for engineers: As Earth warms, birds may be changing their migratory patterns. But to obtain avian data, scientists need in-flight tracking sensors – and those sensors need energy.
Extrusion for greener aluminum production
Aluminum recycling has become a successful business since its inception a century ago. Nearly a third of the aluminum produced in the United States is made from aluminum scraps that have been recycled in a process—usually remelting—that uses only 5 to 10 percent of the energy it takes to extract aluminum from mined bauxite ore.
What a turn-off: why your phone must be powered down on flights
It's a fact of life for anyone boarding a plane: all electronic devices need to be turned off during take-off and landing.
First rifle constructed from printed 3D parts by gun enthusiast in Canada (w/ Video)
A man known as "ThreeD Ukulele" on YouTube has posted a video that shows him (or a colleague) test firing a small rifle (named the "Grizzly" after a Canadian tank) that he claims was constructed by parts he printed on a 3D printer. If his claims turn out to be true, it will mark the first known instance of a rifle being constructed in such a way.
Medicine & Health news
US proposes rules for safer imported foods
(AP)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed new steps Friday to ensure that fresh produce, cheeses and other foods imported into the United States are safe.
PepsiCo to no longer call Naked juices 'natural'
(AP)—PepsiCo Inc. says it will no longer label its Naked juices as being "all natural," after a lawsuit complained that the drinks contain ingredients that don't fit that bill.
Detention harms even the strongest
Even the most resilient asylum seekers who spend more than six months in detention risk mental illness, new research has found.
Elder Bush: shaving head was 'right thing to do'
Former US president George HW Bush said Friday shaving his head in support of a young leukemia patient whose father is in his security detail was "the right thing to do."
Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation has lasting benefit
(HealthDay)—Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation with the Urgent PC Neuromodulation System offers sustained overactive bladder symptom improvement after three years of therapy, according to a study published in the June issue of The Journal of Urology.
Hair-straightening product may endanger stylists, clients
(HealthDay)—A popular hair-straightening product can pose a health threat to hairstylists and their customers, researchers say.
Fullest clinical report of Saudi MERS points to important differences with SARS cases to date
The new research, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, also reveals some important differences with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
Equipment issues account for almost 1 in 4 operating room errors
Around a quarter of all operating room errors are caused by technology/equipment problems, indicates an analysis of the available evidence, published online in BMJ Quality & Safety.
Suffocating tumors could lead to new cancer drugs
Scientists have discovered a new molecule that prevents cancer cells from responding and surviving when starved of oxygen and which could be developed into new treatments for the disease, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society today (Friday).
Is it Bell's palsy or a stroke? Emergency physicians have the answer
Emergency physicians correctly identified nearly 100 percent of patients with Bell's palsy, the symptoms of which are nearly identical to potentially life-threatening diseases such as stroke and brain tumors. The results of a study of 6 years of California patient records were published online yesterday in Annals of Emergency Medicine.
Australian doctors call for ban on smacking kids
Australian doctors Friday called for the smacking of children by parents to be made illegal, saying it was too easy to blur the line between reasonable discipline and abuse.
NGO sounds alarm on rising hepatitis deaths in Asia
A Singapore-based group fighting the spread of viral hepatitis called for greater political will to combat the disease Friday, as new data showed it killed one person every 30 seconds in Asia.
Anti-doping systems in sport doomed to fail
New research from the University of Adelaide shows that the probability of finding doping cheats in sport is so low, and the cost of testing so high, that sports authorities cannot hope to make any major inroads into the problem.
New focus to combat rising liver disease
University of Adelaide researchers are investigating how the liver responds to hepatitis C virus (HCV) and why some people can control the virus while others can't. The aim is to find better therapies to combat hepatitis C and associated liver disease.
Scientists ID compounds that target amyloid fibrils in Alzheimer's, other brain diseases
UCLA chemists and molecular biologists have for the first time used a "structure-based" approach to drug design to identify compounds with the potential to delay or treat Alzheimer's disease, and possibly Parkinson's, Lou Gehrig's disease and other degenerative disorders.
Too many Pap tests
Most Australian women are currently having more Pap smears than their health requires, according to new research led by a University of New South Wales academic.
Lyme disease on the uptick in upstate New York
Why are Lyme disease-carrying deer tick populations growing in central New York?
Isolated psychiatric episodes rare, but possible, in common form of autoimmune encephalitis
A small percentage of people diagnosed with a mysterious neurological condition may only experience psychiatric changes - such as delusional thinking, hallucinations, and aggressive behavior - according to a new study by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, people who had previously been diagnosed with this disease, called anti-NMDA receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis, had relapses that only involved psychiatric behavior. In an article published Online First in JAMA Neurology, researchers suggest that, while isolated psychiatric episodes are rare in anti-NMDAR encephalitis cases, abnormal test findings or subtle neurological symptoms should prompt screening for the condition, as it is treatable with immunotherapies.
Same food allergy risk, different wording
New research shows the wording of warning labels may lead to different perceptions of risk for the same danger.
CDC: U.S. patients suffering tropical infection
(HealthDay)—The intestinal infection cyclosporiasis is generally seen in people living or traveling in tropical or subtropical areas, but two cases brought to the attention of the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention in June occurred in individuals who had not been traveling internationally at the time infection would have occurred.
Review defines new fracture risk factors post-vertebroplasty
(HealthDay)—Patients with low bone mineral density (BMD), low body mass index (BMI), and intradiscal cement leakage are at risk for new osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) after vertebroplasty, according to a review published in the June issue of the Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques.
Inherited virus can cause cognitive dysfunction and fatigue
Many experts believe that chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) has several root causes including some viruses. Now, lead scientists Shara Pantry, Maria Medveczky and Peter Medveczky of the University of South Florida's Morsani College of Medicine, along with the help of several collaborating scientists and clinicians, have published an article in the Journal of Medical Virology suggesting that a common virus, Human Herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), is the possible cause of some CFS cases.
1-year results of ADAPT-DES trial published in The Lancet
Patients who receive a drug-eluting stent (DES) and demonstrate high platelet reactivity on clopidogrel are more likely to have blood clots form on the stent and to suffer a heart attack; however, these patients are less likely to develop bleeding complications. One-year results of the ADAPT-DES trial will be published online July 26, 2013, in The Lancet. The findings were first presented at last year's Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) annual scientific symposium.
Singing fruit flies, Alzheimer's diagnostics among student projects
From seeking evolutionary clues through the courtship and survival habits of fruit flies to new diagnostics and treatments for Alzheimer's and breast cancer, University of Houston (UH) undergraduate students are devoting their summer to serious research.
UK's "super mouse" yielding major discoveries in cancer research
It appears tiny and inconsequential enough, but the "super mouse"—created by researchers at the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center some six years ago—has spawned plenty of new research into preventing and/or treating many types of cancer.
Give them a hand: Gesturing children perform well on cognitive tasks
In the first study of its kind, SF State researchers have shown that younger children who use gestures outperform their peers in a problem-solving task.
Overactive immune response blocks itself
As part of the innate immune system natural killer cells (NK cells) play an important role in immune responses. For a long time they have been known as the first line of defense in the fight against infectious diseases. Therefore, researchers assumed that the body needs as many active NK cells as possible. However, scientists at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) have now shown that the principle "the more the better" does not apply to this type of immune cells.
Discovered a genetic biomarker that detects Lewy body dementia
The Germans Trias i Pujol Health Sciences Research Institute (IGTP) and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) have discovered the first genetic biomarker to detect Lewy body dementia (LBD), a disease that can be confused with Alzheimer's. This biomarker is found in 20% of cases and differentiates one of the sub-groups of the pathology. Licensed to the Grifols company, it will lead to more precise diagnosis and treatment.
Researchers uncover cellular mechanisms for attention in the brain
The ability to pay attention to relevant information while ignoring distractions is a core brain function. Without the ability to focus and filter out "noise," we could not effectively interact with our environment. Despite much study of attention in the brain, the cellular mechanisms responsible for the effects of attention have remained a mystery... until now.
Cheaper supermarket teas could cause fluoride related illnesses
Drinking some cheaper supermarket tea blends can push people's fluoride intake over daily recommended levels, and put them at increased risk of skeletal and dental illnesses, a University of Derby study has found.
Scientists discover new drug targets for aggressive breast cancer
Scientists at A*STAR's Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) led in a study that has identified genes that are potential targets for therapeutic drugs against aggressive breast cancer. These findings were reported in the July 2013 issue of PNAS.
Biology news
Pesticides contaminate frogs from Californian National Parks
Pesticides commonly used in California's Central Valley, one of the world's most productive agricultural regions, have been found in remote frog species miles from farmland. Writing in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, researchers demonstrate the contamination of Pacific Tree Fogs in remote mountain areas, including national parks; supporting past research on the potential transport of pesticides by the elements.
Researchers seek to preserve where the wild things are
It was August 1941, four months before the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Simulated hibernation aids MSU toad work
Mississippi State University researchers successfully promoted egg laying in threatened Boreal toads when they moved the amphibians out of the refrigerator and into the wine chiller.
Research evolves to face rabbit control challenge
The Western Australian Department of Agriculture's invasive species science group is asking residents to help them with their latest research into controlling growing rabbit populations.
Traditional forest management reduces fungal diversity
There is a shortage of dead wood in forests because fallen branches and trees tend to be cleared away. This wood, if available, ought to be decomposing, as it is the habitat of many living beings like lignicolous fungi. These fungi are capable of decomposing dead wood and turning it into organic and inorganic matter. So clearing away the dead wood from the forests is ecologically harmful for the fungi. Nerea Abrego-Antia and Isabel Salcedo-Larralde, biologists in the Department of Plant Biology and Ecology of the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country, have recently quantified this effect on fungi populations that live off dead wood in various beech groves in Navarre. The main conclusion of the study is that forestry and classical forest management are harming the community of saproxylic fungi. What is more, the researchers have discovered that in the forests being exploited various fungi species are disappearing and in some cases even whole families are affected.
Database simplifies finding Canadian plant names and distribution
Environmental consultants, research ecologists, nature conservation agencies, city managers, translators, and many others, all need to put names to plants at one time or another. The sources used often are not scientifically up-to-date, making it difficult to figure out the accepted name or proper vernacular to use in a vast country like Canada. The VASCAN database simplifies this task for all users.
National Zoo keeping watch for panda pregnancy
(AP)—Scientists at the Smithsonian's National Zoo say the female giant panda's hormones are rising, which indicates she may be pregnant or experiencing a false pregnancy.
A new coral reef species from the Gambier Islands, French Polynesia
The new species Echinophyllia tarae is described from the remote and poorly studied Gambier Islands, French Polynesia. Although the new species is common in the lagoon of Gambier Islands, its occurrence elsewhere is unknown. Echinophyllia tarae lives in protected reef habitats and was observed between 5 and 20 m depth. It is a zooxanthellate species which commonly grows on dead coral fragments, which are also covered by crustose coralline algae and fleshy macroalgae.
Evolution on the inside track: Study shows how viruses in gut bacteria change over time
Humans are far more than merely the sum total of all the cells that form the organs and tissues. The digestive tract is also home to a vast colony of bacteria of all varieties, as well as the myriad viruses that prey upon them. Because the types of bacteria carried inside the body vary from person to person, so does this viral population, known as the virome.
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