Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for July 4, 2013:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- MIT researchers build an all-optical transistor- Cosmic radio bursts point to cataclysmic origins
- Researchers create flexible tin dioxide cloth self-powered photo detector
- Research uncovers dynamic changes in the epigenome that occur during brain circuitry formation
- Feeding galaxy caught in distant searchlight
- Did Andromeda crash into the Milky Way 10 billion years ago?
- White dwarf star throws light on possible variability of a constant of Nature
- New insights concerning the early bombardment history on Mercury
- Professor discovers new use for laser in art world
- For better batteries, just add water
- An all-glass lab-on-a-chip
- Deep soils store up to five times more carbon than first thought, study finds
- Solar prominences put on strange and beautiful show in the Sun's sky (w/ Video)
- Bluebox Security reveals Android vulnerability in run up to Blackhat convention
- Report says France operates PRISM-like spy network
Space & Earth news
Climate change deniers using dirty tricks from 'tobacco wars'
Fossil fuel companies have been funding smear campaigns that raise doubts about climate change, writes John Sauven in the latest issue of Index on Censorship magazine.
Slash-and-burn a way of life on Indonesia's Sumatra
The ground was still hot and smoke hung in the air when Saparina set out to plant her spinach in the ashen remains of rainforest on Indonesia's Sumatra island, where raging fires triggered Southeast Asia's worst smog crisis in years.
Science and adventure on first leg of ocean expedition
Scientists undertaking a UNSW-led expedition to study microbes in the Indian Ocean have weathered huge seas and had a close encounter with giant whales during the first leg of their voyage from South Africa to Mauritius.
Protecting drinking water systems from deliberate contamination
An international project has developed a response programme for rapidly restoring the use of drinking water networks following a deliberate contamination event.
New research suggests economic stagnation is no excuse for climate inaction
Policymakers should be paying more, rather than less, attention to tackling climate change in economically tough times, a new study suggests. As economies have stagnated major emitters of CO2 seem unwilling to accept binding emissions reduction targets. But findings, published this week in Nature Climate Change, show the social cost of carbon dioxide is higher in a low economic growth world.
Russia halts Proton rocket launches after accident
Russia is suspending the launches of Proton rockets after an unmanned rocket carrier exploded on takeoff this week, a source on the Russian Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan said Thursday.
Limiting global warming is not enough
So far, international climate targets have been restricted to limiting the increase in temperature. But if we are to stop the rising sea levels, ocean acidification and the loss of production from agriculture, CO2 emissions will have to fall even more sharply. This is demonstrated by a study published in Nature that has been carried out at the University of Bern.
At the foot of the Red Planet's giant volcano
(Phys.org) —Hundreds of individual lava flows are seen frozen in time on the flanks of Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the Solar System.
Studying mini earthquakes provides clues to volcanic behavior
(Phys.org) —Open vent volcanoes constantly pop with small eruptions, causing low-level, low-frequency earthquakes. These are not the big high-profile earthquakes that come from the slip of a fault line, resulting in widespread destruction. These rarely make trouble.
Finding the connections to "isolated" wetlands
Most people don't give much thought to water quality – until they find their water lacking. And enjoying the benefits of good beaches, fishing, swimming, canoeing and drinking water is not something that can be done in isolation. Clean water is the result of one of the most interconnected networks on the earth: the water cycle.
Curiosity captures 'Phobos rising' movie and Sun setting on Mars
Every once in a while when the time is just right and no one is looking, Curiosity's Earthly handlers allow her some night time Martian delights.
What you can see in the sky while waiting for fireworks on the 4th of July
The sky can be a showy stage with big-time events like eclipses, meteor showers and the occasional bright comet, but most nights have a quiet beauty that whispers instead of shouts. The contrast between hype and hush is no more apparent than on the 4th of July – American independence day celebration – when we gather at a park or hilltop to watch the fireworks boom and flash across the heavens.
Star Tau Boo's baffling magnetic flips
(Phys.org) —The first observations of the complete magnetic cycle of a star other than the Sun are proving a puzzle to astronomers. Tau Boötis, known as Tau Boo (τ Boo), is a yellowish star that is a little brighter than our Sun. It is located 51 light years away in the constellation of Boötes. It is host to a giant exoplanet about six times the mass of Jupiter, which orbits Tau Boo every 3.3 days.
Microgravity memory-test for granular materials suggests landing on asteroids may cause long-distance avalanches
(Phys.org) —Results from a microgravity experiment suggest that the rubble and dust covering asteroids and comets can feel changes in force-chains between particles over much larger distances than on Earth, making these surfaces less stable than previously imagined. Dr Ben Rozitis of the Open University will present findings from the AstEx parabolic flight experiment at the National Astronomy Meeting in St Andrews on Thursday, 4 July.
Autonomous rover drills underground in the Atacama
A rover named Zoë recently traveled the Atacama Desert in Chile, the driest place on Earth and a landscape that has much in common with the harsh terrain of Mars. From the unrelenting UV radiation, to the thin, cold air at high altitudes, to the desiccated sand and lava flows, the Atacama is not especially "life-friendly," but it is a great place to test instruments for future Mars missions.
Thriving tundra bushes add fuel to Northern thaw
(Phys.org) —Carbon-gobbling plants are normally allies in the fight to slow climate change, but in the frozen north, the effects of thriving vegetation may actually push temperatures higher. In a series of climate simulations performed at NERSC, a group of researchers found that the spread of bushes, taller ones especially, could exacerbate warming in northern latitudes by anywhere from 0.6°C to 1.8°C per year.
China hit by largest-ever algae bloom
The seas off China have been hit by their largest ever growth of algae, ocean officials said, with vast waves of green growth washing onto the shores of the Yellow Sea.
Deep soils store up to five times more carbon than first thought, study finds
Deep soils store up to five times more carbon than is commonly reported, a new study by Murdoch University and Cranfield University in the UK has found.
Solar prominences put on strange and beautiful show in the Sun's sky (w/ Video)
(Phys.org) —Cloud spotting seems to be growing in popularity as a hobby here on Earth. Now scientists studying the solar atmosphere are building their own collection of fascinating moving features that they've spotted in the Sun's sky. The unusual solar prominences include a giant disc that rotates for several hours, feathery streamers as long as fifty Earths, a super-heated jet striking the top of a prominence and twisted ribbons flowing in opposite directions at a million kilometres per hour.
New insights concerning the early bombardment history on Mercury
(Phys.org) —The surface of Mercury is rather different from those of well-known rocky bodies like the Moon and Mars. Early images from the Mariner 10 spacecraft unveiled a planet covered by smooth plains and cratered plains of unclear origin. A team led by Dr. Simone Marchi, a Fellow of the NASA Lunar Science Institute located at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) Boulder, Colo., office, collaborating with the MESSENGER team, including Dr. Clark Chapman of the SwRI Planetary Science Directorate, studied the surface to better understand if the plains were formed by volcanic flows or composed of material ejected from the planet's giant impact basins.
Did Andromeda crash into the Milky Way 10 billion years ago?
(Phys.org) —For many years scientists have believed that our Galaxy, the Milky Way, is set to crash into its larger neighbour, the Andromeda Galaxy, in about 3 billion years' time and that this will be the first time such a collision has taken place. But now a European team of astronomers led by Hongsheng Zhao of the University of St Andrews propose a very different idea; that the two star systems collided once before, some 10 billion years ago and that our understanding of gravity is fundamentally wrong. Remarkably, this would neatly explain the observed structure of the two galaxies and their satellites, something that has been difficult to account for until now. Dr Zhao will present the new work at the RAS National Astronomy Meeting in St Andrews on Thursday 4 July.
Feeding galaxy caught in distant searchlight
An international group of astronomers that includes UC Santa Barbara astrophysicist Crystal Martin and former UCSB postdoctoral researcher Nicolas Bouché has spotted a distant galaxy hungrily snacking on nearby gas. The gas is seen to fall inward toward the galaxy, creating a flow that both fuels star formation and drives the galaxy's rotation. This is the best direct observational evidence so far supporting the theory that galaxies pull in and devour nearby material in order to grow and form stars. The results will appear in the July 5 issue of the journal Science.
Cosmic radio bursts point to cataclysmic origins
Mysterious bursts of radio waves originating from billions of light years away have left the scientists who detected them speculating about their origins.
Technology news
Smartphone app for bipolar patients wins $100K prize
A smartphone app to assist people with bipolar disorder, conceived by Cornell researchers, has won the prestigious $100,000 Heritage Open mHealth Challenge.
Yahoo startup shopping spree continues
Yahoo forged ahead Wednesday on its months-long take-over binge with word that it had bought Xobni, a startup behind tools for better managing contact lists and email inboxes.
South Korea beefs up cyber security
South Korea on Thursday said it would double its cyber-security budget and train 5,000 experts amid growing concern over its vulnerability to attacks it blames on North Korea.
Zynga gives new CEO millions to leave Microsoft
Struggling Web game maker Zynga gave new CEO Don Mattrick a $5 million signing bonus and stock awards valued at $40 million to lure him away from his previous job overseeing Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox console for video games.
Waze could lead way to Israeli Internet growth
The billion-dollar sale of navigation company Waze to Google may finally be putting Israel on the map as a major player in consumer Internet innovation.
OSU solar vehicle wins Formula Sun Grand Prix
(Phys.org) —In bright sun and 105-degree heat, the solar vehicle team at Oregon State University drove "The Phoenix" last week to victory in the 2013 Formula Sun Grand Prix competition in Austin, Texas – 193 laps, or 661 miles, around the Circuit of the Americas raceway on nothing but solar energy.
Building blocks to safer buildings
Precast or ready-made building structures offer a number of advantages when compared to more traditional construction techniques, in terms of time and cost savings. However, the vulnerability of joints and connections between assembled precast elements is widely recognised as a potential safety issue, especially in earthquake-prone areas.
Solliance and imec achieve 9.7% efficiency with new thin-film CZTSe solar cell
At next week's Intersolar conference in San Francisco, imomec, imec's associated lab at the Hasselt University, and Solliance, the European R&D consortium that focuses on thin-film photovoltaic solar energy (PV), will present a CZTSe (Cu2ZnSnSe4)-based solar cell with 9.7 percent efficiency (1x1cm2, AM1.5G). This promising result is an important step bringing the solar industry closer to a sustainable alternative for the highest efficiency thin-film solar cells in production, based on CIGS (Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2).
Cyber-savvy Estonia urges EU to rely less on US 'clouds'
IT hub Estonia on Wednesday urged the European Union to rely less on US firms for "cloud" data storage, amid tensions over claims of US spying and data surveillance.
A plane that runs on the sun to end US journey
A revolutionary solar-powered plane is about to end a slow, symbolic journey across America by quietly buzzing the Statue of Liberty and landing in a city whose buildings often obscure the sun.
Indiana University student offers Harlan programming language for GPUs
(Phys.org) —A doctoral candidate in computer science has come up with a programming language, Harlan, that can leverage the computing power of a GPU. His contribution may turn a corner in working with GPU applications, He just released a programming language called Harlan. It's all new and it's totally dedicated to building applications that run GPUs. The Harlan creator is Eric Holk of Indiana University. As a doctoral candidate, his interests, he said, focus on designing and implementing programming languages that can ease up the production of reliable software that performs well. Easier professed than done, some may argue, when it comes to involvement with GPUs.
Solar Plane: Making clean tech sexy, adventurous
In noisy, energetic New York City, the pilots of a spindly plane that looks more toy than jet hope to grab attention in a surprising way: By being silent and consuming little energy.
Bluebox Security reveals Android vulnerability in run up to Blackhat convention
(Phys.org) —Mobile security startup Bluebox Security has revealed via a post on its website a vulnerability in smartphones running the Android operating system. The vulnerability, they say could allow hackers to modify code in apps running on a phone without breaking the app's cryptographic signature.
Report says France operates PRISM-like spy network
A leading French newspaper says France's intelligence services have put in place a giant electronic surveillance gathering network.
Medicine & Health news
Homicide by mentally ill falls, but patient suicide rises in England
The number of people killed by mental health patients has fallen to its lowest level in a decade—figures released today show.
Drinking alcohol to lower the risk of venous thrombosis?
Wine and beer in moderate doses may protect against venous thrombosis, but consumption of more than 14 standard drinks per week increases the risk of the same condition, in particular pulmonary embolism, in both men and women, found Marianne Tang Severinsen, PhD, Senior Consultant, Department of Hematology, Aalborg University Hospital, Denmark, whose paper is published in Thrombosis and Haemostasis this month.
Graying of rural America has policy implications
More than 16.5 percent of rural Americans are age 65 or older, a higher proportion than in other parts of the country, so any changes to government services will have a greater affect on people who live in rural areas, reported a Cornell researcher June 20 at a congressional briefing.
China government to probe 60 firms over drug prices
China's top economic planner is to investigate 60 pharmaceutical companies for excessive charges, including several joint ventures with foreign firms, state media reported Thursday.
Leading the way in analysis of 'legal highs'
A team at the University of Lincoln, UK, is leading the way in new research aimed at detecting the vast amount of substances available on the legal highs market. A method developed at Lincoln has now been incorporated into a United Nations manual for use by drug analysis labs all over the world.
Crowd-sourcing genetic data could help unravel the causes of disease
Earlier this month, researchers and advocates from 40 countries formed a global alliance to enable the secure sharing of genomic and clinical data, aiming to end the era in which only the people who collected your genetic data had access to it.
Study finds both cousin marriage and older mothers double risk of birth defects
Marriage between first cousins can more than double the risk of giving birth to a baby with a congenital anomaly (eg, heart and lung defects, Down syndrome), although the absolute risk is low, according to a multiethnic study of more than 11300 babies from the city of Bradford in the UK, published in The Lancet.
Dengue raises alarm in Central America
Authorities have issued dengue alerts in four nations across Central America, where alarm is rising as the mosquito-borne disease has infected 30,000 people and killed 17 this year alone.
Ice pops interfered with hospital patient's lab tests: report
(HealthDay)—Physicians should be aware that frozen ice pops—a common treat in hospitals—can fool tests designed to detect a fungal infection that threatens people with an weakened immune system, researchers report.
Cambodia's Khmer healers get schooled in ancient art
A lizard dipped in wine may not seem like an obvious asthma remedy, but as Cambodian traditional healers strive to turn their ancient wisdom into a professional industry such treatments are finding their way into the classroom.
Just cutting down the number of cigarettes does not reduce smokers' risk of early death
(Medical Xpress)—Smokers are unlikely to extend their lifespan if they choose to smoke fewer cigarettes but don't give up altogether.
Arts-based activities could help toddlers' development
(Medical Xpress)—Parents taking part in interactive and arts-related activities with their two and three-year-olds could help promote their happiness and development of everyday skills, a study by researchers at The Open University and Oxford University suggests.
New marker substance for cancer cells
Scientists from ETH Zurich have developed a new substance that enables certain tumour types to be rendered visible in high resolution using positron emission tomography. The so-called tracer has successfully been tested in mice. Now the researchers are planning clinical trials in humans.
Interactive software helps veterans suffering from PTSD
Digital tools can be an easily accessible and effective way of treating veterans who suffer from brain injuries and post-traumatic stress.
Britain records new death from MERS virus
A Qatari man has died in a British hospital from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus which has been causing increasing alarm among world health experts, officials said Thursday.
Drawing Donors: How psychology researchers use mind/body strategies to break down barriers to blood donation
(Medical Xpress)—While blood donation needs in the United States are being met, this is largely credited to a rise in first-time donors. The American Red Cross recently lowered the age of donor eligibility, which has led to an increase in high school blood drives in those states where 16-year-olds are now eligible.
A gene responsible for building neural circuitry contributes to proper development of both the eye and ear
Myopia is a visual defect arising from abnormalities in the length of the eyeball and is widespread throughout the world. Hearing loss is also relatively common, affecting nearly 1 in 500 individuals by the age of 9. Although rarely occurring together, a study of a small number of individuals affected by both deficits by Jun Aruga of the RIKEN Brain Science Institute, in collaboration with colleagues from around the world, has now revealed a gene with a prominent role in the development of both the eye and ear.
There's a very simple solution to your lack of vitamin D
Despite living in a famously sunny country, we've been getting reports of widespread vitamin D deficiency for some time now. The solution to this problem is simply the judicious use of a plentiful, if somewhat maligned, natural resource.
'Organic' milk is poorer in iodine than conventional milk
Milk from organic farms has a lower concentration of elements like zinc, iodine and selenium than milk produced by conventional farming methods. The discrepancy is due to the absence of mineral substances in the diets of the cows reared. According to researchers, animals on organic farms should have their diets supplemented with natural sources of iodine such as seaweed, because it is a very important element for children and pregnant women.
Celiac disease shouldn't keep family from BBQ fun: experts
(HealthDay)—Attending a Fourth of July barbecue or picnic can be great fun for the whole family, but parents need to take special precautions if one of their children has celiac disease, an expert warns.
Women with lupus seem at higher risk for hip fractures
(HealthDay)—Women with lupus—the autoimmune disease that can damage skin, joints and organs—also are at higher risk of a hip fracture known as a cervical fracture, new research from Taiwan suggests.
Scientists discover ethnic differences in immune response to TB bacterium
The immune response to the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB) varies between patients of different ethnic origin, raising important implications for the development of tests to diagnose and monitor treatment for the disease, according to new research published today in the journal PLOS Pathogens.
New research could pave the way to safer treatments for arthritis
The increased risk of heart attack or stroke associated with many arthritis drugs may be avoidable, according to a new international study co-authored by researchers at Imperial College London.
New tool to help define role of mystery appendage in everything from development to obesity
(Medical Xpress)—A research team has genetically engineered a mouse with glowing primary cilia, the tiny outgrowths seen on the surface of most cells, according to a study published today in BioMed Central's open access journal, Cilia. The model will enable researchers to better study what is now recognized as the "cell's antenna," with key signaling roles in development and tissue function, for the first time in a live mammal.
Shared brain disruption illustrates similarities between mental illnesses
(Medical Xpress)—A specific brain disruption is present both in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and those with bipolar disorder, adding to evidence that many mental illnesses have biological similarities.
Technological breakthrough paves the way for better drugs
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have developed the first method for directly measuring the extent to which drugs reach their targets in the cell. The method, which is described in the scientific journal Science, could make a significant contribution to the development of new, improved drug substances.
Research uncovers dynamic changes in the epigenome that occur during brain circuitry formation
Changes in the epigenome, including chemical modifications of DNA, can act as an extra layer of information in the genome, and are thought to play a role in learning and memory, as well as in age-related cognitive decline. The results of a new study by scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies show that the landscape of DNA methylation, a particular type of epigenomic modification, is highly dynamic in brain cells during the transition from birth to adulthood, helping to understand how information in the genomes of cells in the brain is controlled from fetal development to adulthood. The brain is much more complex than all other organs in the body and this discovery opens the door to a deeper understanding of how the intricate patterns of connectivity in the brain are formed.
Biology news
Got brown widow spiders? Entomologists seek the public's help for a summer research project
Entomologists at the University of California, Riverside are requesting the public to send in live brown widow spiders for a summer research project aimed at controlling the spread of the spiders.
Life's rhythms
While our "body clock" regulates our 24 hour daily routine, a woman's menstrual cycle follows a 30 day rhythm. Many marine animals, such as the worm Platynereis, synchronize their reproduction rhythm with the lunar cycle. A one-of-a-kind research platform at the Max F. Perutz Laboratories of the University of Vienna now investigates how such "rhythms of life" are regulated on a molecular level.
Keith Tomlins: Controlling waste in tuber crops for a better economy
Trying to optimise production and use of staple food such as cassava and yams in African and Asian countries could also involve cross-fertilisation of best practices across continents.
Rare proof of life for elusive Australian parrot
An intrepid Australian bird-spotter has captured the best evidence in a century of a live "night parrot", a rare creature that ranks among the world's most enigmatic avian species, scientists said Thursday.
Research reveals rowdy past of UK's parks
A University of Manchester researcher has revealed a rowdy side to the history of our Victorian and Edwardian public parks.
The sting in the tail: Chance finding could lead to new antibiotics
(Phys.org) —A whole new class of antibiotics could be possible after a chance discovery by academics at Newcastle University. In a paper published in the journal Molecular Microbiology, the team describe how they were studying a protein derived from E.coli bacteria, called Colicin N, which kills competing bacteria in a very efficient way. Just one molecule of this protein can kill a whole cell.
Sensitive technique for taking RNA inventory of individual cells offers powerful tool
Every cell is a hectic messaging center, with thousands of genes churning out messenger RNA (mRNA) transcripts for translation into functional proteins. Accordingly, sequencing the mRNA content of an individual cell can reveal critical insights into that cell's health and physiological state.
Long-lived mice are less active
Female mice with a high life expectancy are less active and less explorative. They also eat less than their fellow females with a lower life expectancy. Behavioral biologists from the University of Zurich reveal that there is a correlation between longevity and personality for female house mice, and a minimum amount of boldness is necessary for them to survive.
Spider webs more effective at ensnaring charged insects
Flapping insects build up an electrical charge that may make them more easily snared by spider webs, according to a new study by University of California, Berkeley, biologists.
Study clarifies role of bacteria in pandemic diseases
(Phys.org) —Wolbachia are intracellular bacteria that infect invertebrates at pandemic levels, including insects that cause such devastating diseases as Dengue fever, West Nile virus, and malaria. While Wolbachia-based technologies are emerging as promising tools for the control of the insect vectors of these deadly diseases, the processes underlying Wolbachia's successful propagation within and across species remain elusive.
Fruit fly midguts provide human abdomen acumen
(Phys.org) —Nicolas Buchon, associate professor of entomology, is giving the fruit fly research community a lot to digest: a detailed molecular and anatomical atlas of the fruit fly digestive tract. The results, published in the May 30 issue of Cell Reports, are accompanied by a new website to help researchers explore health and disease in this complex organ.
Fly society
(Phys.org) —USC Dornsife's Sergey Nuzhdin, professor of molecular biology, uses fruit flies to examine whether behavior is genetic- or social environment-based. The team provided proof for the first time that grouping according to social preference has a genetic basis.
Streamlining a common survival strategy in marine microbes
(Phys.org) —Despite advances made in the fields of DNA sequencing and analysis, researchers have barely begun to scratch the tip of the iceberg in cataloging the planet's microbial diversity, mainly because only a minute fraction of the millions of species of microbes have been cultured in the laboratory. In marine as well as terrestrial environments, the microbes that can be cultured in the lab do not accurately represent the diversity found in the wild, severely limiting our understanding of why microbes are found where they are and what they are doing there.
This email is a free service of Phys.org
You received this email because you subscribed to our list.
If you no longer want to receive this email use the link below to unsubscribe.
http://phys.org/profile/nwletter/
You are subscribed as jmabs1@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment