Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for November 21, 2013:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Two human proteins found to affect how 'jumping gene' gets around- Multibeam femtosecond optical transfection for the ultimate brain interface
- Two Y genes can replace the entire Y chromosome for assisted reproduction in mice
- Researchers engineer breakthrough for biofuel production
- World's largest particle detector IceCube detects first high-energy neutrinos from the cosmos
- Infrared vision lets researchers see through—and into—multiple layers of graphene
- Researchers integrate single-crystal BFO onto a silicon chip, open door to smart devices
- Researchers estimate amount of CO2 released into atmosphere by rivers and streams
- Targets of anticancer drugs have broader functions than what their name suggests
- Study pinpoints cell type and brain region affected by gene mutations in autism
- Scientists think mysterious virus could be a signal of a weak immune system
- Hardworking sisters enable insect colonies to thrive
- Creating biochemical reagents that can accurately detect disease-associated antibodies
- Will 2-D tin be the next super material?
- Astronomers reveal mystery of brightest ever gamma-ray burst
Space & Earth news
Repeal of Australia's carbon tax moves closer
A bill to abolish an Australian carbon tax designed to combat climate change cleared parliament's lower house Thursday with the new conservative government saying "it doesn't work".
'Heaven and hell' in the serpent's tail
Renowned University of Arizona astrophotographer and astronomy educator Adam Block has taken this photograph of glowing, colorful beauty shimmering behind a dark cloud of dust and gas in the constellation Serpens.
Geospatial data project will let almost anyone put almost anything on map
A powerful Web-based system enabling people worldwide to better predict such things as damaging floods and potential effects of climate change is the goal of a $4.5 million, four-year project begun by Purdue University researchers.
Deep divisions as climate talks enter final stretch
UN climate talks enter their penultimate day in Warsaw on Thursday with divisions deeply entrenched between rich and poor nations on who must do what to curb planet warming.
3 Questions: Alan Berger on cities and health
How do cities affect our health? A newly published research report from MIT's Center for Advanced Urbanism (CAU) highlights the complexity of the issue. Produced in collaboration with the American Institute of Architects, the document examines an array of public health matters in eight major metropolitan areas in the United States, and suggests a wide array of possible remedies, from better mass transit to extensive tree-planting. The report was principally authored by Alan Berger, a professor of landscape architecture and urban design, along with Andrew Scott, an associate professor of architecture; about a dozen graduate students from MIT's School of Architecture and Planning and researchers at CAU also worked on the project. Berger sat down with MIT News to talk about the findings.
Air quality models: New health prevention tools
As the link between air pollution and several illnesses has been established, air quality forecast will play an increasing role in mitigating health risk.
NASA catches Melissa's fickle life as a tropical storm
Tropical Storm Melissa is spinning around in the north Central Atlantic Ocean after becoming tropical on Nov. 18. On Nov. 19, Melissa is expected to convert to a post-tropical storm. NOAA's GOES-East satellite captured images that were made into an animation showing Melissa's conversion from a subtropical to tropical storm and now making another change.
Federal forecasters don't expect an extreme winter
The weather forecast for this winter is mostly a shrug of the shoulders.
Strathclyde students launch experiment into stratosphere
A group of students at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, recently launched an experiment on-board a stratospheric balloon – as part of a prestigious European Space Agency (ESA) programme.
Stepping up Vega launcher production
Such is the success of Europe's Vega small launcher that an order was signed today in Rome for the production of ten more vehicles. These will be launched over three years from the end of 2015.
NASA launches next generation PhoneSat, Ames-developed launch adapter
(Phys.org) —A second-generation smartphone cubesat as well as a nanosatellite deployment system, launched into space Tuesday from the Virginia coast. The cubesats were included as auxiliary payload aboard a U.S. Air Force Minotaur 1 rocket that lifted off from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility at 5:15 p.m. PST.
NASA helps launch student-built satellites as part of CubeSat launch initiative
NASA is beginning to receive confirmation 11 small cubesat research satellites, including the first developed by high school students, that were launched into space Tuesday night from the Virginia coast are operating as planned.
New solar instrument reaches orbit
An instrument that measures the sun's energy output is in orbit after it was launched last night on the U.S. Air Force's Space Test Program Satellite-3. The satellite was aboard a Minotaur I rocket that launched at 8:15 p.m. EST from NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va.
How waste wood works for forests
At first glance, they may look lush and green, but many of the nation's forests also are chock-full of brush—often, invasive species and disease-transmitting biomass—just waiting for a spark. "One of the reasons wildfires are so catastrophic is that many forests are unhealthy and there's a lot of excess biomass in the forest," says Joseph Jakes. "By creating new and expanded markets for the low-value biomass, we aim to provide economic incentives for people to come in and selectively remove the hazardous biomass—which will simultaneously accelerate forest restoration and create jobs in the U.S. forest products industry."
A better motor for the Mars Rover
In the world of robotics, identifying actuators that are strong and compact is probably one of the most important open technological problems yet to be resolved. More often than not, the mechanical elements that translate data into doing are big, rough, and generally unfriendly for use in everyday robotics, said Dinos Mavroidis, Distinguished Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Northeastern University.
UAH research into April 2011 tornadoes uncovers insights
Research into the violent storms that spawned killer tornadoes across Alabama and the southeastern U.S. in April 2011 continues to uncover insights into what might have caused so many powerful tornadoes, plus information about how we respond to weather news.
ChargerSat-1 boosted into space by Minotaur rocket Tuesday night
Members of the Space Hardware Club (SHC) at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) were still attempting Wednesday to contact ChargerSat-1, the university's first student-built cubesat to be rocketed into space.
Exploring the dark universe at the speed of petaflops
An astonishing 95% of our universe is made of up dark energy and dark matter. Understanding the physics of this sector is the foremost challenge in cosmology today. Sophisticated simulations of the evolution of the universe play a crucial role.
Satellite Swarm prepares for take-off
Three satellites, each the size of a small car, will take off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia on Friday.
Secrets from the deep
Violent bursts of organic matter from dying organisms, continuous showers of "marine snow" from the upper layers of a water column, and nutrients leaking from creatures so tiny they are invisible to the naked eye: this is the mysterious, microscopic world of our oceans.
UN sounds alarm over ozone-damaging nitrous oxide
Levels of nitrous oxide, a gas that both depletes the ozone layer and stokes global warming, could nearly double by mid-century, the UN warned on Thursday.
NASA sees Tropical Storm Helen affecting southeastern India
NASA's Aqua satellite captured visible and infrared imagery of slow-moving Tropical Storm Helen as it was spreading its western clouds over parts of southeastern India on November 21.
Volcano raises new island far south of Japan
A volcanic eruption has raised an island in the seas to the far south of Tokyo, the Japanese coast guard and earthquake experts said.
ISON comet has lost individual fragments
One or more chunks could have split off from the nucleus of comet ISON in recent days. Two wing-like structures in the gaseous environment of the comet, which have been photographed by a team of scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research and the Wendelstein Observatory of the Ludwig Maximilian Universität Munich, seem to indicate this; the structures appear on images which were taken at the end of last week. This detachment of individual pieces of debris could possible explain the comet's recent increase in brightness.
Rover team working to diagnose electrical issue
(Phys.org) —Science observations by NASA's Mars rover Curiosity have been suspended for a few days while engineers run tests to check possible causes of a voltage change detected on Nov. 17.
How habitable is Mars? A new view of the Viking experiments
Almost 40 years ago, two NASA probes on the surface of Mars scooped the soil in search of signs of microbes. The results that came back from the twin Viking missions were, to say the least, ambiguous. The scientific literature contains decades of debate over what they found.
Infant galaxies merging near 'cosmic dawn'
Astronomers using the combined power of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have discovered a far-flung trio of primitive galaxies nestled inside an enormous blob of primordial gas nearly 13 billion light-years from Earth.
Black hole birth captured by cosmic voyeurs
Intelligent telescopes designed by Los Alamos National Laboratory got a front row seat recently for an unusual birth.
Astronomers reveal mystery of brightest ever gamma-ray burst
For the first time, a team of astronomers from around the world, including experts from the University of Leicester, have used data from satellites and observatories to explain the brightest Gamma-ray Burst (GRB) ever recorded.
NASA sees 'watershed' cosmic blast in unique detail
(Phys.org) —On April 27, a blast of light from a dying star in a distant galaxy became the focus of astronomers around the world. The explosion, known as a gamma-ray burst and designated GRB 130427A, tops the charts as one of the brightest ever seen.
Researchers estimate amount of CO2 released into atmosphere by rivers and streams
(Phys.org) —A large international team of environmental scientists has combined their resources to make a reasonable estimate of the amount of CO2 that is transferred from inland waterways to the atmosphere. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the team describes the resources and techniques they used to measure global inland water surface area, CO2 concentrations in surface waters and the velocity of gas transfer between the water and the atmosphere—all of which were used to make an estimate.
Technology news
Chinese cyber spying may justify sanctions, US panel says
A US panel raised the specter of sanctions against China, warning Congress that Beijing has not curbed its rampant spying on American interests, a major national security concern.
Hitachi begins construction on test facility for CO2 capture technology
Hitachi today announced that construction has begun on a Carbon Capture Test Facility ("CCTF") designed to capture CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants. Hitachi and its partner, Saskatchewan Power Corporation ("SaskPower"), agreed to build this demonstration project in March of 2012. The construction work is expected to be completed during the fall of 2014, and the CCTF will be operational by the end of that year. The goal of the demonstration project is to determine the necessary properties required to scale up to a large, commercial-size facility, and demonstration tests will be conducted to comprehensively evaluate the facility's overall reliability and economic feasibility.
Waste that is brimming with energy
Together with the Italian GARBO corporation, the University of Greenwich, United Kingdom, and the University of Padua, Italy, as well as the midsized company EAAT from Chemnitz, Germany, the HZDR researchers are working on a technological solution for waste treatment.
Argonne in the marketplace: Microchannel plates with ALD
Think of an eight-inch square honeycomb structure made of glass whose pores are just a few tens of microns thick—the size of a single bacterium. In your mind's eye, you hold the beginnings of a breakthrough technology.
Marines tap real-time information like never before
Marines in Hawaii last week demonstrated that using handheld devices and special software to automatically sift through loads of data can help ease information overload and deliver made-to-order intelligence to the front lines.
Deutsche Telekom sells 70%-stake in Scout24 for 1.5 bn euros
German telecoms giant Deutsche Telekom said Thursday it has agreed to sell Scout24—which owns the online classified portals ImmobilienScout24 and AutoScout24—for 1.5 billion euros ($2.0 billion).
Israeli startup buys up bankrupt electric car firm
An Israeli energy startup has taken over the remains of Israel's trailblazing—and now bankrupt—electric car venture, the new owner said Thursday.
Warrior power: ONR, veterans plugged in on alternative energy
An innovative Office of Naval Research (ONR) program is looking to Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard veterans for the cutting edge in alternative energy-and is highlighted this week in a new video released during the Navy's Warrior Care Month.
Pandora posts 3Q loss, revenue up 50 percent
Shares of Pandora Media Inc. are dropping after the Internet radio leader's outlook for the three months through January was mostly short of Wall Street's forecast.
Just 10 percent of Calif. car chargers delivered
A New Jersey energy company required by an unusual legal settlement to build an extensive network of electric car chargers throughout California has delivered just 10 percent of what it promised in the first year.
Australia police, central bank websites hacked
Australian police and central bank websites fell victim to cyber attacks Thursday with an Indonesian hacker claiming responsibility, reportedly demanding that Canberra apologise in an intensifying row over spying.
Jury ends Day 2 of Samsung-Apple deliberations
Jurors failed to reach a decision Wednesday and will return for a third day of deliberations to determine how much Samsung Electronics owes Apple for copying key features of the iPhone and iPad.
The sixth sense in mechanical engineering: Researchers invent a sensor screw
An age-old engineering problem: how do you precisely measure the forces that act between two components inside a machine or, for example, on the sail of a boat without drilling holes or sticking on a sensor? Researchers at the Technischen Universität Darmstadt have developed a brilliantly simple solution: a screw with an integrated sensor.
Navy 'mine-hunter' AUV sets mission endurance record
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory's (NRL) Acoustics Division, with Bluefin Robotics, executed a record setting 507 kilometer (315 mile), long-endurance autonomy research mission using its heavyweight-class mine countermeasures autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), Reliant.
Founder of Taiwan's Acer returns as chairman
Taiwan's struggling personal computer maker Acer announced Thursday that it has named its founder Stan Shih as the new chairman and interim corporate president.
Electric taxi 'EVA' for tropical megacities
TUM CREATE has unveiled its electric taxi prototype, codenamed EVA, at the 43rd Tokyo Motor Show today. It will be on display at Booth 8 in West Hall 4 of the Tokyo Big Sight from 22 November to 1 December 2013. EVA serves as a platform to showcase the results of the innovations and developments at TUM CREATE, a joint research program by Technische Universitaet Muenchen and Nanyang Technological University.
Driverless cars
At first glance, the cars look like they are performing an everyday manoeuvre. It is 12 November, and three cars are driving in a convoy on the motorway. The rear vehicle passes the middle vehicle and returns to the right lane. However, there is nothing normal about this manoeuvre on the A10 motorway. These are semi-self-driving cars, and TU Delft helped develop them.
Cypriot university to accept Bitcoin payments
Cyprus' biggest private university said Thursday it will start accepting the digital currency Bitcoin as an alternative way to pay tuition fees.
Pinterest launches location-based pins
Pinterest, the online pinboard for sharing everything from wedding china ideas to travel inspiration, is now letting users add location to their pins.
Microsoft to take over Nokia HQ in 2014 after deal
Nokia says its headquarters near the Finnish capital will be taken over by Microsoft on completion of the sale of its cellphone and services division to the U.S. software company, expected in early 2014.
Honda Accord wins green car prize at LA Auto show
The Honda Accord was named Green Car of the Year at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Thursday, beating shortlisted rivals from Audi, BMW, Mazda and Toyota.
US regulators to propose use of cell phones in flight
US telecommunications regulators will consider next month allowing people to use cell phones and other broadband services during flights, officials said Thursday.
Self-driving cars and autonomous robots: Where to now?
There isn't a radio-control handset in sight as a nimble robot briskly weaves itself in and out of the confined tunnels of an underground mine.
Famed balloonist proposing huge inflatable solar updraft tower for observatory
(Phys.org) —Famed balloonist Per Lindstrand (he crossed the Pacific Ocean in one with Richard Branson back in 1991) has told The Engineer that he is proposing a 1km high inflatable solar updraft tower to power the ALMA Observatory in Chile's Atacama Desert.
US jury orders Samsung to pay Apple $290 million
A Silicon Valley jury on Thursday ordered Samsung Electronics to pay Apple $290 million for copying vital iPhone and iPad features.
Study looks at better prediction for epileptic seizures through adaptive learning approach
A UT Arlington assistant engineering professor has developed a computational model that can more accurately predict when an epileptic seizure will occur next based on the patient's personalized medical information.
Medicine & Health news
For many older adults, vision prescription differs between eyes
Follow-up in older adults shows a high rate of anisometropia, or differing levels of visual abnormalities between eyes, reports a study in Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry.
Blow-up hospitals help Philippine typhoon effort
Inflatable field hospitals have been erected in the typhoon-ravaged Philippines city of Tacloban, part of a huge international relief effort to help millions hit by the storm.
'Dead' baby wakes at China funeral parlour before cremation
A Chinese baby boy who had been declared dead was saved from being cremated alive when he started crying at a funeral parlour, media reported Thursday.
Statewide bans on marriage, adoptions affect mental health of gay men
Young gay men who hope one day to be fathers experience psychological distress brought on by policies that ban same-sex marriage and adoption, say researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
Life expectancy lowered by ten years in obese children
In Mexico, overweight or obese children could suffer a step back in life expectancy by up to 10 years.
HIV and parenting needs to be discussed, new study finds
A team from Royal Holloway University and St. Mary's Hospital, London, interviewed young people aged 18-23 who had transmitted HIV from their mothers – known as 'perinatally acquired HIV' (PAH). Previously most of these children would have died in childhood, but medication in the UK, means they are surviving into early adulthood.
Rutegrs-Camden nursing scholar develops tool for ostomy care
Nurses caring for ostomy patients will now be equipped with an essential new tool that provides them with the first comprehensive guide to optimize ostomy management and enhance patient safety.
High HIV knowledge and risky sexual behavior not associated with HIV testing in young adolescents
Having high knowledge about HIV and engaging in risky sexual activity do not make high-school-aged teens more likely to get tested for HIV. Those are the findings of a new study by researchers at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. The study of nearly 1,000 Bronx, NY teens found those most likely to be tested for HIV had strong partner communication about HIV and were in committed relationships. This is the first-ever study to understand the role that partners play in HIV testing behavior of this patient population and was published in the November issue of the journal AIDS Patient Care and STDs.
SU2C researcher identifies potential treatment option for melanoma
Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), the charitable initiative supporting ground-breaking research aimed at getting new cancer treatments to patients in an accelerated timeframe, announces that the Allan H. (Bud) and Sue Selig Stand Up To Cancer Melanoma Innovative Research Grant Recipient Roger S. Lo, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Medicine at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has published two studies in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research which indicate that treatment using combinatory therapy may be effective in suppressing drug resistance in the treatment of melanoma.
Certain measures can help predict older dialysis patients' prognoses
Simple measures of the severity of an older kidney failure patient's illness when starting dialysis—such as whether dialysis was initiated in an inpatient setting, the length of the patient's hospital stay, and the use of other life-sustaining procedures—can convey meaningful information about the patient's prognosis, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). The information can help guide physicians as they determine the best care for patients on dialysis.
Canada: Vancouver shows doorknobs the door
The city of Vancouver has banned doorknobs in new construction, a city official said Thursday.
Study provides first Class 1 evidence for cognitive rehabilitation in MS
Kessler Foundation researchers published the results of the MEMREHAB Trial in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, providing the first Class I evidence for the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation in multiple sclerosis (MS). The article, Chiaravalloti N, Moore NB, Nikelshpur OM, DeLuca D: An RCT to treat learning impairment in MS. Neurology 2013(81), was released as an epub ahead of print on November 8. It was accompanied by an editorial: Filippi M, Rocca MA: Let's rehabilitate cognitive rehabilitation for MS. Neurology 2013(81):1-2.
Obama lifts research ban on HIV organ transplants
President Barack Obama has lifted a ban on research into the possibility of transplanting organs from one HIV-positive person to another.
CDC report card: Good, bad marks on target battles
Three years ago, the nation's top public health agency picked its key battles. Now, its first report card on reaching those goals gives it a grade of pretty good but needs improvement.
Rotavirus vaccination may also protect children against seizures
A new study suggests an additional—and somewhat surprising—potential benefit of vaccinating children against rotavirus, a common cause of diarrhea and vomiting. Besides protecting kids from intestinal illness caused by rotavirus, immunization may also reduce the risk of related seizures, according to findings published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and available online.
Different types of teacher-child interactions support children's development in different areas
Teachers' daily interactions with children are crucial to making sure they're ready for school. Many state early childhood systems and the federal Office of Head Start consider teacher-child interactions when they measure programs' quality. But research hasn't always been clear about which aspects of interactions are most important to how children do academically and socially. A new study that used a novel approach to analyzing data in this area has identified which types of teacher-child interactions support children's learning and development in which areas.
US health care lottery: luck of the draw in Virginia
Mossamat Jhumu is tickled pink, as she has just won the lottery in Virginia. However, the prize is not money or merchandise but free health care.
Nurses battle fatigue in tide of Philippine typhoon births
Kyrie Boniface is only a few hours old and seven weeks early, born before dawn in an under-equipped and over-crowded hospital in the typhoon-ravaged Philippine city of Tacloban.
Changing children's understanding of the brain
The impact attending a neuroscience lecture can have on children's understanding of the brain has been analysed by researchers from the University of Bristol in a paper published this week in PLoS ONE.
How to avoid turkey bowl injuries this Thanksgiving
Every year around this time, Loyola University Medical Center Sports Medicine surgeon Dr. Pietro Tonino sees a spike in sprains, contusions, broken bones and other injuries suffered in Thanksgiving pickup football games.
China study shows fibre for oesophageal cancer prevention
Populations in China's north-west have been the focus of research which investigated risk factors for oesophageal cancer.
Trial results positive for tinnitus sufferers
UT Dallas researchers have demonstrated that treating tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, using vagus nerve stimulation-tone therapy is safe and brought significant improvement to some of the participants in a small clinical trial.
Playing computer games makes brains feel and think alike
Scientists have discovered that playing computer games can bring players' emotional responses and brain activity into unison. By measuring the activity of facial muscles and imaging the brain while gaming, the group found out that people go through similar emotions and display matching brainwaves. The study of Helsinki Institute for Information Technology HIIT researchers is published in PLOS ONE.
Intestinal bacteria influence food transit through the gut
Food transit through the small intestine affects the body's absorption of nutrients and, consequently, our health. The discovery that food transit time is regulated by a hormone indicates new ways to increase the intestinal absorption of nutrients, and thus potentially treat malnutrition.
Researchers discover new treatment for osteoporosis
University of Sydney researchers have discovered a promising treatment for osteoporosis, which is easily delivered in water soluble form.
Researchers explore links between learning disorders in children
New interdisciplinary research from Western University has uncovered fundamental links among three major learning difficulties in some school-age children. Although many children have specific problems with dyslexia, specific language impairment and dyscalculia, this study is the first to show a significant portion of these children have overlapping deficits. Importantly, the research team has also devised a 10-minute screening test that could be administered broadly in primary schools to identify children at risk for the different disorders.
NZ toxic contaminant levels halved, study shows
Blood samples taken by Massey researchers to measure the concentrations of toxic environmental contaminants, called persistent organic pollutants (or POPs), show their levels halved in the past 15 years among New Zealand's adult population.
New crizotinib side-effect: Reduced measures of kidney function during treatment (recovery after)
A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published today in the journal Cancer shows that using crizotinib to treat ALK positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) appears to reduce kidney function when assessed by one of the most commonly used clinical methods. Whether this reflects a true effect of crizotinib on kidney function, or only on the accuracy of this particular method for assessing it is being studied. Though kidney function recovered in almost all cases after the crizotinib was stopped, as patients may be on crizotinib for months or even years researchers recommend additional tests of kidney function if they are worried about changes in the standard kidney function test or are concerned about using other drugs that interact with the kidneys concurrently with crizotinib.
Growth more stunted in lower-income youth with kidney disease
Even with more prescriptions for growth hormone, children and adolescents with chronic kidney disease were less likely to grow to normal height ranges if they came from lower-income families, according to research funded by the National Institutes of Health. Results from the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) Study are published in the December issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases and online today.
Breast milk you can bank on
Sixteen weeks into her third pregnancy, Janet Gowland's waters broke and there was a risk she would miscarry.
Universal influenza vaccine potentially in sight
The fall ritual of getting an annual influenza shot could join castor oil on the list of bygone remedies within a decade, some scientists say. And as that tradition fades away, so too will our fears of the virus mutating into a global pandemic.
Stress and isolation take toll on those under 50 with HIV, older people fare better
Case Western Reserve University researchers were surprised to learn that people younger than 50 years old with HIV feel more isolated and stressed than older people with the disease. They expected their study to reveal just the opposite.
A study on cell migration provides insights into the movement of cancer cells
Jordi Casanova, head of the "Morphogenesis in Drosophila" lab at IRB Barcelona and CSIC research professor, and Gaëlle Lebreton, postdoctoral fellow in the same group, have published a study performed using Drosophila melanogaster in the Journal of Cell Science. This work reveals that in a multiple movement, a single cell can act as the leader and can drag the rest with it. The scientists have studied the tracheal development of Drosophila in vivo and describe the morphological characteristics of the leading cell and provide molecular details about how it drives the movement.
Different cellular mechanisms behind regenerated body parts
Scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered that two separate species of salamander differ in the way their muscles grow back in lost body parts. Their findings on the species-specific solutions, published in the scientific periodical Cell Stem Cell, demonstrate there is more than one mechanism of tissue regeneration.
Research shows that anti-fungal medicine may increase vulnerability to influenza and other viruses
Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute have discovered evidence that a widely used anti-fungal medicine increases susceptibility to flu infection in mice and cell cultures. Published online in Cell Reports, the study shows that Amphotericin B, commonly given to cancer and bone marrow transplant patients to fight invasive fungal infections, neutralizes an important anti-viral protein, making it easier for viruses to infect cells.
New link between obesity and diabetes found
A single overactive enzyme worsens the two core defects of diabetes—impaired insulin sensitivity and overproduction of glucose—suggesting that a drug targeting the enzyme could help correct both at once, according to mouse studies done by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center. The findings were published today in the online edition of Cell Metabolism.
Researchers identify genomic variant associated with sun sensitivity, freckles
Researchers have identified a genomic variant strongly associated with sensitivity to the sun, brown hair, blue eyes – and freckles. In the study of Icelanders the researchers uncovered an intricate pathway involving the interspersed DNA sequence, or non-coding region, of a gene that is among a few dozen that are associated with human pigmentation traits. The study by an international team including researchers from the National Institutes of Health was reported in the Nov. 21, 2013, online edition of the journal Cell.
Scientists find the invisibility cloak that shields HIV-1 from the immune system
Of the two major types of HIV, only one, HIV-1, typically causes AIDS in infected people who don't receive treatment. A study published by Cell Press November 21st in the journal Immunity reveals how HIV-1 escapes detection by essentially becoming invisible to a patient's immune system, whereas HIV-2 triggers protective immune responses in patients. This understanding of how HIV-1's "invisibility cloak" works could lead to the development of effective vaccines against HIV-1.
Scientists identify gene that regulates body weight in humans and mice
Research has pointed to the importance of genetic factors in human obesity and has shown that heritability plays a role in 40% to 90% of cases. Now investigators reporting online November 21 in The American Journal of Human Genetics, published by Cell Press, have found that loss of a particular gene's function in humans and mice causes morbid obesity. The study of a morbidly obese family provides new insights into the pathways that control body weight and nutritional status, and the results could be useful for designing therapies for obesity and malnutrition.
Preventing marijuana-induced memory problems with over-the-counter painkillers
In addition to being used as a recreational drug, marijuana has been used for centuries to treat a variety of conditions, from chronic pain to epilepsy. However, its medical value is greatly limited by debilitating side effects. A study published by Cell Press November 21st in the journal Cell has revealed the molecular pathways responsible for marijuana-induced learning and memory problems. The findings suggest that preventing these side effects could be as easy as taking an over-the-counter painkiller.
Researchers develop first molecular test to diagnose eosinophilic esophagitis
Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have developed the first molecular test to diagnose eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), a chronic upper gastrointestinal disorder. The incidence of EoE has skyrocketed since it was first characterized two decades ago.
Where and how are fear-related behaviors and anxiety disorders controlled?
Using an approach combining in vivo recordings and optogenetic manipulations in mice, the researchers succeeded in showing that the inhibition of parvalbumin-expressing prefrontal interneurons triggers a chain reaction resulting in fear behaviour. Conversely, activation of these parvalbumin interneurons significantly reduces fear responses in rodents.
Study shows displaying lab costs upfront can save money
Health care costs continue to go up, and physicians control more than 80 percent of those costs. Could providing physicians with real-time information about the cost of what they order help to restrain excessive testing? This is the question addressed in an article in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, published by Springer. The research project was led by Daniel Horn of the Massachusetts General Hospital's Division of General Medicine in the US, and is among the first to focus on the impact that the passive display of real-time laboratory costs can have within a primary care, non-academic setting.
Study sheds light on nerve regeneration following spinal cord injury
Fish, unlike humans, can regenerate nerve connections and recover normal mobility following an injury to their spinal cord. Now, University of Missouri researchers have discovered how the sea lamprey, an eel-like fish, regrows the neurons that comprise the long nerve "highways" that link the brain to the spinal cord. Findings may guide future efforts to promote recovery in humans who have suffered spinal cord injuries.
Optimal site for cell transplantation to treat spinal cord injury investigated
After laboratory mice received a contusive spinal cord injury at the T10 level, low and high doses of neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/PCs) derived from fetal bioluminescent-labeled transgenic mice were injected into four groups of mice at either the lesion epicenter or at rostral and caudal sites. A control group was similarly injected with phosphate buffered saline. The mice receiving the NS/PC cells experienced motor functional recovery while those in the control group did not.
Newly discovered brown fat cells hold possibilities for treating diabetes, obesity
Obesity and diabetes have become a global epidemic leading to severe cardiovascular disease. Researchers at the University of Utah believe their recent identification of brown fat stem cells in adult humans may lead to new treatments for heart and endocrine disorders, according to a new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Stem Cells.
New study could enhance treatments for drug-resistant melanoma
Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, killing more than 8,000 in the U.S. each year. Approximately 40 percent of advanced melanoma tumors are driven to grow by the presence of mutations in a gene known as the BRAF gene. And although new drugs called BRAF inhibitors have shown an ability to rapidly shrink melanoma tumors, BRAF-mutated tumors often resist early treatment and only partially respond to BRAF inhibitors, which leaves behind cancer cells that can eventually grow into new tumors.
Pre-eclampsia rates on the rise in the US
A latest study by researchers at the Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia University Medical Center reports that pre-eclampsia, characterized by an elevation in the blood pressure and excess protein in the urine of pregnant women, has a 1.5-fold to 2-fold higher incidence in first pregnancies. The condition, which causes complications in approximately 3-6% of all pregnancies, is also associated with high risks of preterm delivery, intrauterine growth restriction, placental abruption, and perinatal mortality. Findings are published online in the British Medical Journal.
Researchers map brain areas vital to understanding language
When reading text or listening to someone speak, we construct rich mental models that allow us to draw conclusions about other people, objects, actions, events, mental states and contexts. This ability to understand written or spoken language, called "discourse comprehension," is a hallmark of the human mind and central to everyday social life. In a new study, researchers uncovered the brain mechanisms that underlie discourse comprehension.
Study finds gene network associated with alcohol dependence
There is good evidence from studies of families and twins that genetics plays an important role in the development of alcoholism. However, hundreds of genes likely are involved in this complex disorder, with each variant contributing only a very small effect. Thus, identifying individual risk genes is difficult.
New technique improves accuracy, ease of cancer diagnosis
A team of researchers from UCLA and Harvard University have demonstrated a technique that, by measuring the physical properties of individual cells in body fluids, can diagnose cancer with a high degree of accuracy.
Dreading pain can be worse than pain itself
Faced with inevitable pain, most people choose to "get it out of the way" as soon as possible, according to research published this week in PLOS Computational Biology. In the study, which was conducted from the Institute for Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London, and the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, participants chose between real painful stimuli in the form of electric shocks, and imagined painful dental appointments occurring at different times in the future. Whilst most people chose to hasten the experience of pain, and would even accept more severe pain to avoid having to wait for it, a smaller proportion preferred to "put it off" into the future.
Healthy lifestyle before conception may increase likelihood of a healthy pregnancy
Leading a healthy lifestyle in the months prior to conception as well as during pregnancy could potentially decrease the chance of complications such as pre-eclampsia or premature birth, according to a new study led by scientists at King's College London.
Does obesity reshape our sense of taste?
Obesity may alter the way we taste at the most fundamental level: by changing how our tongues react to different foods.
Heavy drinking is bad for marriage if one spouse drinks, but not both
Do drinking and marriage mix? That depends on who's doing the drinking—and how much—according to a recent study by the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions (RIA).
Mercury levels dropping in younger US women
(HealthDay)—Mercury levels in American women of childbearing age have dropped about one-third over a decade, a new federal study shows.
Rare disease yields clues about broader brain pathology
(Medical Xpress)—Alexander disease is a devastating brain disease that almost nobody has heard of—unless someone in the family is afflicted with it. Alexander disease strikes young or old, and in children destroys white matter in the front of the brain. Many patients, especially those with early onset, have significant intellectual disabilities.
Attractants prevent nerve cell migration
A vision is to implant nerve precursor cells in the diseased brains of patients with Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, whereby these cells are to assume the function of the cells that have died off. However, the implanted nerve cells frequently do not migrate as hoped, rather they hardly move from the site. Scientists at the Institute for Reconstructive Neurobiology at Bonn University have now discovered an important cause of this: Attractants secreted by the precursor cells prevent the maturing nerve cells from migrating into the brain. The results are presented in the journal "Nature Neuroscience."
Study pinpoints cell type and brain region affected by gene mutations in autism
A team led by UC San Francisco scientists has identified the disruption of a single type of cell—in a particular brain region and at a particular time in brain development—as a significant factor in the emergence of autism.
Targets of anticancer drugs have broader functions than what their name suggests
Drugs that inhibit the activity of enzymes called histone deacetylases (HDACs) are being widely developed for treating cancer and other diseases, with two already on the market. Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, show that a major HDAC still functions in mice even when its enzyme activity is abolished, suggesting that the beneficial effects of HDAC inhibitors may not actually be through inhibiting HDAC activity, and thus warranting the reassessment of the molecular targets of this class of drugs.
Genetic defect keeps verbal cues from hitting the mark
A genetic defect that profoundly affects speech in humans also disrupts the ability of songbirds to sing effective courtship tunes. This defect in a gene called FoxP2 renders the brain circuitry insensitive to feel-good chemicals that serve as a reward for speaking the correct syllable or hitting the right note, a recent study shows.
Scientists think mysterious virus could be a signal of a weak immune system
More than 260,000 Americans are alive today thanks to transplant operations that have replaced their failing kidneys, hearts, lungs or livers with healthy organs donated by volunteers or accident victims.
Team first to map autism-risk genes by function
Pity the poor autism researcher. Recent studies have linked hundreds of gene mutations scattered throughout the brain to increased autism risk. Where do you start?
Newborn babies have built-in body awareness ability
The ability to differentiate your own body from others is a fundamental skill, critical for humans' ability to interact with their environments and the people in them. Now, researchers reporting in Current Biology on November 21 provide some of the first evidence that newborn babies enter the world with the essential mechanisms for this kind of body awareness already in place.
Study of fluke parasites identifies drug resistance mutations, raises hope for new therapies
An international group of scientists led by Tim Anderson Ph.D., at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute and Philip LoVerde Ph.D., at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio has identified the mutations that result in drug resistance in a parasite infecting 187 million people in South America, Africa and Asia. The new finding allows detailed understanding of the drugs' mechanism of action and raises prospects of improved therapies.
Research reveals details of how flu evolves to escape immunity
Scientists have identified a potential way to improve future flu vaccines after discovering that seasonal flu typically escapes immunity from vaccines with as little as a single amino acid substitution. Additionally, they found these single amino acid changes occur at only seven places on its surface – not the 130 places previously believed. The research was published today, 21 November, in the journal Science.
Gut microorganisms may determine cancer treatment outcome
An intact population of microorganisms that derive food and benefit from other organisms living in the intestine is required for optimal response to cancer therapy, according to a mouse study by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and their collaborators.
Multibeam femtosecond optical transfection for the ultimate brain interface
(Medical Xpress)—The robotic brain surgeon, featured in the 2013 movie "Enders Game" is no fictional brain-fixing machine. The open-source surgical platform, known as Raven II, has already starred in several brain procedures to date. It is not too hard now to imagine machines like this eventually installing brain controlled interfaces (BCIs). What is missing from this futuristic vision, is what happens at the business end, where the bots meet the brain. This unfolding drama, which began with crude electrode array stimulation, now parlays a combination of optical technologies that permits both transfection of neurons with interface machinery, and their subsequent control. A huge advance in automating the transfection part, and reducing the time it takes by orders of magnitude, has been reported today in Nature's Scientific Reports by a Scottish group from the University of Saint Andrews. Their new technology delivers DNA plasmids containing optical indicators and ion chan! nels to individual neurons using arrays of femtosecond laser beams—and they can do this as fast as they can reach out and touch the neuron profiles on the screen in front of them.
Biology news
Shocking recording of elephant slaughter
The Wildlife Conservation Society released a powerful video today that features shocking audio of an elephant being shot and killed by ivory poachers in Central Africa. The video is part of WCS's 96 Elephants campaign – named for the number of elephants gunned down by poachers every day.
Human expansion is leaving the osprey of the Canaries cornered
A team of scientists from the GOHNIC Association in the Canary Islands has concluded in a study that human expansion could be one of the main causes of the precarious situation of ospreys in the archipelago, a species at risk of extinction.
Research will shed light upon the family tree of deep-sea fishes
The deep sea could be the largest habitat for life on Earth yet to be methodically explored. Due to chilly temperatures, extreme depth and an eerie darkness below about 650 feet, it can be technologically arduous and very expensive to collect and observe the biodiversity that thrives in this mysterious ecosystem.
Retired scientist ignites 'Orange revolution' to fight citrus greening
Five years ago, Dr. Mani Skaria, then a plant pathologist at the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Citrus Center at Weslaco, encouraged the citrus growers he worked with to think outside the box. He urged them to ignite what he called the Orange Revolution.
New research reveals unique monogamous behaviour in sparrows
Geography might reveal the answer to why some species vary in promiscuity, according to new research by Queen's Professor Fran Bonier (Biology). She discovered sparrows are more promiscuous at higher latitudes and are less promiscuous at higher elevations.
Researchers create cell models of rare and undiagnosed diseases
In what is anticipated to be a major step forward for rare disease research, The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute is partnering with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Undiagnosed Disease Program (UDP). NYSCF scientists will generate stem cell lines from 100 patients in the UDP and collaborate with UDP researchers to better understand and potentially treat select rare diseases. While working collaboratively under this agreement, neither NIH nor NYSCF will receive funding. This partnership will leverage investments made using government (NIH) and private (NYSCF) dollars to ensure that research into rare diseases will move forward efficiently and effectively.
Orphan orangutans return to the wild
Asked what is so engaging about orangutans, Robyn Johns says it's simple: "When you watch their mannerisms and look into their eyes it's not surprising to learn that we have 97 per cent of our DNA in common."
Scientists show how cells protect their DNA from catastrophic damage
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have unveiled a profound biological process that explains how DNA can be damaged during genome replication. In addition, the scientists developed a new analytical tool to measure the cell's response to chemotherapy, which could have an important impact on future cancer therapy. The results are now published in the scientific journal Cell.
Climate change may disrupt butterfly flight seasons
The flight season timing of a wide variety of butterflies is responsive to temperature and could be altered by climate change, according to a UBC study that leverages more than a century's worth of museum and weather records.
Monkey flower see, monkey flower do: Model plant's legacy highlights gene-shuffling hotspots
(Phys.org) —Genomic variation is a feature of all natural populations and is vitally important in order to survive changes in their environments. Genetic variation among individuals, to which DNA recombination is an important contributor, is passed from parents to offspring and helps explain that different individuals in the population may harbor a diverse set of traits. Understanding and characterizing this variation requires both appropriate model organisms and a considerable amount of genomic sequencing capacity, on the scale of the capability of the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI).
Scientists discover a hidden giant
(Phys.org) —University of Queensland researchers have discovered a vivid new species of giant clam on reefs in the Solomon Islands and at Ningaloo in Western Australia.
Locust research shows how the company you keep shapes what you learn
(Phys.org) —A team of scientists has shown how the environment shapes learning and memory by training locusts like Pavlov's dog to associate different smells with reward or punishment.
Captive breeding for thousands of years has impaired olfactory functions in silkmoths
A new study on silkmoths revealed that the insects' ability to perceive environmental odors has been reduced after about 5,000 years of domestication by humans. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany, and their colleagues from Japan compared olfactory functions in Bombyx mori and in their wild ancestors. Perception of the pheromone bombykol, however, remained highly sensitive in domesticated males.
Hardworking sisters enable insect colonies to thrive
They are among the animal kingdom's most industrious workers … now a study reveals why colonies of ants and bees depend on females for their success.
Researchers engineer breakthrough for biofuel production
(Phys.org) —Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have developed a method for greatly enhancing biofuel production in tiny marine algae.
Two human proteins found to affect how 'jumping gene' gets around
Using a new method to catch elusive "jumping genes" in the act, researchers have found two human proteins that are used by one type of DNA to replicate itself and move from place to place. The discovery, described in the Nov. 21 issue of Cell, breaks new ground, they say, in understanding the arms race between a jumping gene driven to colonize new areas of the human genome and cells working to limit the risk posed by such volatile bits of DNA.
Two Y genes can replace the entire Y chromosome for assisted reproduction in mice
The Y chromosome is a symbol of maleness, present only in males and encoding genes important for male reproduction. But live mouse offspring can be generated with assisted reproduction using germ cells from males with the Y chromosome contribution limited to only two genes: the testis determinant factor Sry and the spermatogonial proliferation factor Eif2s3y.
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