Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for January 31, 2014:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- It's alive! Scientists combine liquid crystals and living bacteria- Spiderman robot spins draglines to cross open space (w/ video)
- BoomRoom's sound by design uses array of loudspeakers
- 3-D scanning with your smartphone
- Researchers report on new catalyst to convert greenhouse gases into chemicals
- Imaging ferroelectric domains
- What's behind a No. 1 ranking? Open-source LineUp software enables granular analysis of subjective ranking systems
- Vibrations influence the circadian clock of a fruit fly
- Ultrathin platinum films become magnetic when subjected to an electric field
- One planet, two stars: New research shows how circumbinary planets form
- Quantum dots provide complete control of photons
- Divorce rate cut in half for newlyweds who discussed five relationship movies
- Study shows autistic brains create more information at rest
- Chinese fans of 'Jade Rabbit' rover await news
- China's PandaX WIMP detector set to begin operations soon
Astronomy & Space news
Solar Dynamics Observatory sees lunar transit
On Jan 30, 2014, beginning at 8:31 a.m EST, the moon moved between NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, and the sun, giving the observatory a view of a partial solar eclipse from space. Such a lunar transit happens two to three times each year.
3D cell culture set for space: New technology to grow bone cells on International Space Station
Many people dream of blasting off into space and scientists are no different. But until space tourism becomes an affordable reality, surely the next best thing is to see your work go into orbit.
Capturing a fleeting starburst
On 11 November 2011, astronomers witnessed a distant star erupt in an incredibly powerful explosion. An international research team including Mikio Morii and colleagues from the MAXI Team at the RIKEN Global Research Cluster has now reconstructed the event from a handful of telescopic snapshots, revealing for the first time the runaway fusion reaction that triggered the blast.
Space flies offer clues about microgravity's impact on astronauts
Fruit flies bred in space are offering scientists a clue as to how astronauts' immune systems may be damaged during prolonged space travel.
Chinese fans of 'Jade Rabbit' rover await news
The Jade Rabbit did not go quietly into that long lunar night.
Explosive volcanoes light up Mercury's deep past
Mercury has long been a mystery to scientists. Until recently, knowledge of the planet was limited to the grey, patchy landscape revealed by the Mariner 10 probe, NASA's first mission to Mercury in the mid-1970s.
One planet, two stars: New research shows how circumbinary planets form
(Phys.org) —Luke Skywalker's home planet Tatooine would have formed far from its current location in the Star Wars universe, a new University of Bristol study into its real world counterparts, observed by the Kepler space telescope, suggests.
Technology news
California cracks down on computer boot camps
California consumer protection officials are threatening to close a group of computer coding boot camps that train people to work in the technology industry, saying they failed to get licensed as private schools before they started accepting students.
LA Unified gets lower price for thousands of iPads
Los Angeles Unified School District is getting a break on the price of thousands of iPads, as it continues the rollout of a $1 billion plan to provide the tablets to all students.
Katy Perry sets Twitter milestone with 50 mln followers
Pop star Katy Perry made Twitter history Friday, becoming the first person ever with more than 50 million followers on the microblogging website.
Web developers gather for 'Hackathon for Cuba' (Update)
Technology experts are gathering to brainstorm ways to improve access to the Internet and information in Cuba, considered one of the least connected countries in the Western hemisphere.
Twitter gets 900 patents, ends dispute with IBM (Update)
Twitter has acquired more than 900 patents from computing giant IBM, ending a dispute between the two companies, a joint announcement said Friday.
Apple patent shows future iPads, iPhones could be more touch sensitive
Apple has applied for a patent that describes a method the Cupertino, Calif., company could use to improve the accuracy of the touchscreen on its iPad and iPhone devices.
Microsoft nears CEO choice, mulls Gates role
Microsoft is nearing a decision on its new chief executive, with Indian-born insider Satya Nadella the leading candidate, US media reported Friday.
Obama: I care deeply about 'net neutrality'
President Barack Obama says the U.S. government is exploring options for keeping the Internet free and open after a federal court set aside rules designed to do just that.
Spy agency tracked Canadians at an airport (Update)
A secret document leaked by U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden shows Canada's electronic spy agency used information gleaned from a free internet service at a Canadian airport to track the wireless devices of thousands of airline passengers.
What does Google want with DeepMind?
All eyes turned to London this week, as Google announced its latest acquisition in the form of DeepMind, a company that specialises in artificial intelligence technologies. The £400m pricetag paid by Google and the reported battle with Facebook to win the company over indicate that this is a firm well worth backing.
3-D scanning with your smartphone
Traditionally, 3-D scanning has required expensive laser scanner equipment, complicated software, and technological expertise.
BoomRoom's sound by design uses array of loudspeakers
(Phys.org) —Jörg Müller, a researcher at the Technical University of Berlin, thinks of ways to make effective use of sounds in human-computer interactions. He and his team explore how to direct sounds in a focused way, and their concept is called the BoomRoom. A report in New Scientist talks about the-audio-enabled "BoomRoom, where a ring of 56 loudspeakers allows sounds to be assigned stationary or mobile positions in the space around the person. In a paper for the upcoming ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, which will be held in April in Toronto, Muller, Matthias Geier, Christina Dicke and Sascha Spors explained: "The BoomRoom allows for direct manipulation of virtual sound sources hovering in mid-air." The BoomRoom also enables ordinary objects to appear to emit sounds. Boom-Room uses Wave Field Synthesis (WFS), and optical tracking. "Loudspeakers and cameras can be at a distance from where the actual interaction takes place." The authors sai! d they envision loudspeakers and cameras embedded into the walls and ceilings of arbitrary rooms.
What's behind a No. 1 ranking? Open-source LineUp software enables granular analysis of subjective ranking systems
Behind every "Top 100" list is a generous sprinkling of personal bias and subjective decisions. Lacking the tools to calculate how factors like median home prices and crime rates actually affect the "best places to live," the public must take experts' analysis at face value.
Spiderman robot spins draglines to cross open space (w/ video)
(Phys.org) —Inspired by spiders' abilities to produce draglines and use them to move across open space, researchers have designed and built a robot that can do the same. Similar to Spiderman shooting a dragline from his wrist, the robot produces a sticky plastic thread that it attaches to a surface, such as a wall or tree branch. Then the robot descends the dragline, while simultaneously continuing to produce as much line as needed. The mechanism could enable robots to move from any solid surface into open space without the need for flying.
Medicine & Health news
Cruise ship returns to Texas with 170 sick aboard
More than 170 passengers and crew members have fallen sick aboard a cruise ship, prompting it to return two days early to a Houston-area port.
Sanofi sues Eli Lilly for patent infringement
French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi has said it is suing US rival Eli Lilly in an American court for infringing four patents relating to its diabetes treatments.
Psychological well-being is important for physical health
In a comprehensive review published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics Carol Ryff described how major research findings have supported the link between psychological well-being and physical health.
Seeking the genetic underpinnings of lupus
Lupus is one of the most enigmatic of diseases. It can take years to diagnose, marked as it is by a laundry list of seemingly unrelated symptoms: fever, fatigue, rashes, hair loss, sensitivity to light, seizures and even psychosis. Nearly 2 million Americans have some form of lupus, an autoimmune disorder, that is, one in which the immune system wages war on the body's own cells and tissues. More than 90 percent of those who suffer from it are women—and there is no cure.
Falling short of the mark on maternal health in Pakistan
The clock is ticking on the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals as the 2015 deadline approaches. For University of Alberta researcher Zubia Mumtaz, that raises a lot of questions about her area of research—maternal health—and how it will be addressed.
UK study calls for better suicide prevention activity in general hospitals
General hospitals could engage in more mental health screening and better follow-up of at-risk individuals in order to improve suicide prevention, according to research led by Nadine Dougall of the University of Stirling.
How to cope with football withdrawal after the Super Bowl
After the final play of the Super Bowl, millions of fans will go through withdrawal symptoms from not being able to watch football for months.
Dutch cities wants cannabis cultivation decriminalised
Dutch cities called Friday for the government to decriminalise cannabis cultivation and wholesale, which remain illegal despite easy access to the drug in hundreds of licenced coffee shops.
CDC: Norovirus caused cruise ship outbreak
Federal health investigators say lab tests have confirmed that norovirus was to blame for an outbreak on a cruise ship that sickened nearly 700.
FDA proposes rules for safe transport of foods
The Food and Drug Administration is proposing new rules to keep food safe while it's transported.
Beaumont Health System first outside of Japan to test new atrial fibrillation technology
Beaumont Health System is the first center outside of Japan to use a new balloon ablation technology to treat atrial fibrillation, the most common heart rhythm disorder that affects about 3 million people in the U.S.
New study finds no reason to replace fructose with glucose
Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital have found there is no benefit in replacing fructose, the sugar most commonly blamed for obesity, with glucose in commercially prepared foods.
Stoptober 2012 encouraged an extra 350,000 attempts to quit smoking
More than a third of a million people in England took part in Stoptober 2012, a national campaign to encourage people to give up smoking, according to new research by UCL researchers published today in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
New study finds differences in concussion risk between football helmets
Football helmets can be designed to reduce the risk of concussions, according to a new study by some of the nation's leading concussion researchers published today in the Journal of Neurosurgery.
How neurons control fine motor behavior of the arm
Motor commands issued by the brain to activate arm muscles take two different routes. As the research group led by Professor Silvia Arber at the Basel University Biozentrum and the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research has now discovered, many neurons in the spinal cord send their instructions not only towards the musculature, but at the same time also back to the brain via an exquisitely organized network. This dual information stream provides the neural basis for accurate control of arm and hand movements. These findings have now been published in Cell.
Cold weather hits fibromyalgia sufferers hard
Cold temperatures, such as those gripping the Midwest over the past week, are tough on everybody. But for individuals with fibromyalgia, whose symptoms include chronic, widespread pain, the big freeze is especially difficult to endure.
Super Bowl Sunday may be risky for problem drinkers
(Medical Xpress)—In recent years, Super Bowl Sunday has become as synonymous with parties, food and alcohol as it is with football.
Kidney patients may gain from less salt
(Medical Xpress)—Reducing salt consumption may help prolong the lives of patients with chronic kidney disease, a study from The University of Queensland study has found
Oxytocin may treat abdominal pain
(Medical Xpress)—Australian researchers have found a key to treating chronic abdominal pain may lie in a hormone that induces labour and encourages social bonding.
Osteoporosis screening recommendations may miss two-thirds of women aged 50 to 64
Women who are 65 and older routinely undergo bone-density testing to screen for osteoporosis. But for those between the ages of 50 and 64, it has been unclear who should be screened.
Stopping a deadly virus in its tracks
An international team of scientists, led by Dr Greg Moseley and Professor David Jans from the Monash School of Biomedical Sciences, has identified a novel vaccine strategy against lyssaviruses that cause rabies in animals and humans. Each year, over 60,000 people worldwide die from rabies following lyssavirus infections.
Eating and sleeping well hold keys to a longer life
(Medical Xpress)—Good sleep patterns can help men live longer – but women will only benefit if they also have a diverse diet, a new study shows.
Study finds home births comparatively safe for low-risk women, infants
The largest study ever conducted in the United States of planned home births found that 93.6 percent of the 16,924 women in the study had spontaneous vaginal births, and only 5.2 percent required a cesarean section for delivery.
Brain research reveals new link between high intensity exercise and appetite
(Medical Xpress)—High intensity exercise suppresses yearnings for unhealthy foods, a study by Aberdeen nutritionists has found.
Impaired cell division leads to neuronal disorder
Prof. Erich Nigg and his research group at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel have discovered an amino acid signal essential for error-free cell division. This signal regulates the number of centrosomes in the cell, and its absence results in the development of pathologically altered cells. Remarkably, such altered cells are found in people with a neurodevelopmental disorder, called autosomal recessive primary microcephaly. The results of these investigations have been published in the current issue of the US journal Current Biology.
Study illuminates how humans digest fiber
New insight into how gut bacteria digest fibre could lead to advances in areas as diverse as health and environmentally-friendly biofuels.
Gastric bypass improves insulin secretion in pigs
The majority of gastric bypass patients mysteriously recover from their type 2 diabetes within days, before any weight loss has taken place. A study at Lund University Diabetes Centre in Sweden has now shown that the insulin-producing beta cells increase in number and performance after the surgery.
Pre-surgical drug may ease recovery and reduce pain for kids
Managing a child's pain and distress after surgery is an essential part of recovery. However, using strong painkilling medications post-surgery can put kids at risk for side effects and other complications.
Study reports success in targeted therapy for common form of lung cancer
The most common genetic subtype of lung cancer, which has long defied treatment with targeted therapies, has had its growth halted by a combination of two already-in-use drugs in laboratory and animal studies, setting the stage for clinical trials of the drugs in patients, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and other scientists report in a new study.
Imaging technique shows brain anatomy change in women with multiple sclerosis, depression
A multicenter research team led by Cedars-Sinai neurologist Nancy Sicotte, MD, an expert in multiple sclerosis and state-of-the-art imaging techniques, used a new, automated technique to identify shrinkage of a mood-regulating brain structure in a large sample of women with MS who also have a certain type of depression.
Report outlines progress, challenges in childhood cancer
A new report from the American Cancer Society outlines progress made and –more importantly—challenges that remain in fighting childhood cancer. The report estimates the number of new cancer cases and deaths for children and adolescents in the United States, summarizes the most recent and comprehensive data on cancer incidence, mortality, and survival, and outlines what is known and where answers are still needed for childhood cancers. It appears in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians and also as a Special Section in Cancer Facts & Figures 2014. The American Cancer Society created the report to inform clinicians and the public about progress and challenges in preventing and averting suffering and death from the cancers that affect children and adolescents.
DNA of peanut-allergic kids changes with immune therapy, study finds
Treating a peanut allergy with oral immunotherapy changes the DNA of the patient's immune cells, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford. The DNA change could serve as the basis for a simple blood test to monitor the long-term effectiveness of the allergy therapy.
Early studies show microspheres may prevent bone infections after joint replacement
Currently more than 1 million knee replacements and hip replacements are performed each year in the United States, and with the aging population, the number of total joint replacements is expected to grow.
Forensic experts compile guide on how to ID child abuse, starvation
Forensic science experts from North Carolina State University have just published a comprehensive overview of forensic research that can be used to identify child abuse and starvation.
Potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease
Researchers identify abnormal expression of genes, resulting from DNA relaxation, that can be detected in the brain and blood of Alzheimer's patients.
Gardening provides high-to-moderate physical activity for children
Gardening, often considered to be an activity reserved for adults, is gaining ground with children as new programs are introduced that promote gardening's "green" attributes. Physical benefits of getting out in the garden have also been reported for adults and seniors—now, a study from researchers in South Korea finds that children, too, can reap the benefits of digging, raking, and weeding. Researchers Sin-Ae Park, Ho-Sang Lee, Kwan-Suk Lee, Ki-Cheol Son, and Candice Shoemaker published the results of their study in HortTechnology. They say that the data can inform future development of garden-based programs that help engage children in physical activity and promote healthy lifestyles.
Docs detail healthy food choices for Super Bowl Sunday
(HealthDay)—Along with football, food is a major part of the Super Bowl Sunday experience—but it's a good idea to choose what you eat wisely and avoid overindulging, experts say.
Model can predict spine surgery complications
(HealthDay)—A new model can predict the risk of medical complications, including major complications, after spine surgery, according to a study published in the Feb. 1 issue of The Spine Journal.
Inappropriate use of antibiotics in ERs remains high for adults
(HealthDay)—For patients presenting to the emergency department with acute respiratory tract infections (ARTI), inappropriate utilization of antibiotics has decreased for children, but not for adults, according to a study published online Dec. 16 in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.
Integrative medicine: New guidelines recommend statins for 30 million Americans
Breaking news: One quarter of Americans reading this article should be on a cholesterol-lowering statin medicine per new guidelines put out last month by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology.
New probe could help determine severity of rotator-cuff injuries
A new ultrasound probe that has been developed at Clemson University could take some of the guesswork out of determining the severity of rotator-cuff injuries, making it easier for doctors to decide whether patients need surgery.
Caring for animals may correlate with positive traits in young adults
Young adults who care for an animal may have stronger social relationships and connection to their communities, according to a paper published online today in Applied Developmental Science.
Retrieval practice improves memory in severe traumatic brain injury
Kessler Foundation researchers have shown that retrieval practice can improve memory in individuals with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). "Retrieval Practice Improves Memory in Survivors of Severe Traumatic Brain Injury," was published as a brief report in the current issue of Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Volume 95, Issue 2 (390-396) February 2014. The article is authored by James Sumowski, PhD, Julia Coyne, PhD, Amanda Cohen, BA, and John DeLuca, PhD, of Kessler Foundation.
Scientists develop protocol to harvest mouse cell lines for melanoma research
Dartmouth researchers have developed a protocol that permits cells harvested from melanoma tumors in mice to grow readily in cell culture. Their findings were published in an article, Multiple murine BRafV600E melanoma cell lines with sensitivity to PLX4032, in the January 25, 2014 issue of Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research.
CDC to launch latest graphic anti-smoking campaign
(HealthDay)—For the third year in a row, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is poised to deliver a bold, no-holds-barred, anti-tobacco message to the American public.
Limited microdiscectomy effective for disc herniation
(HealthDay)—In patients with lumbar disc herniation, limited discectomy with removal of the fragment is associated with good long-term outcomes, according to a study published in the February issue of the Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques.
Osteoporosis / Osteopenia prevalent in chronic pancreatitis
(HealthDay)—Sixty-five percent of patients with chronic pancreatitis have osteoporosis or osteopenia, according to a meta-analysis published in the February issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Improved outcomes seen with ventricular assist devices
(HealthDay)—Among Medicare patients receiving implantation of ventricular assist devices (VADs) for advanced heart failure, mortality has decreased, but readmission rates did not change, according to research published online Jan. 29 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Melanoma risk up in IBD independent of biologic therapy
(HealthDay)—Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with an increased risk of melanoma, independent of the use of biologic therapy, according to research published in the February issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
AAP approves childhood immunization schedules for 2014
(HealthDay)—The recommended childhood and adolescent immunization schedules for 2014 have been approved, according to an American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy statement published in the Feb. 1 issue of Pediatrics.
College drinking may aggravate PTSD symptoms
(HealthDay)—College students with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are likely to drink more alcohol than other students, potentially worsening their symptoms and leading them to drink even more, new research suggests.
Health reform differs across states, report finds
(HealthDay)—Californians' experience with health reform is probably very different from that of, say, the citizens of Texas.
FDA clears first drug for blindness sleep disorder
U.S. health regulators have approved a first-of-a-kind drug to treat a sleep disorder that mainly afflicts the blind.
Studies find new links between sleep duration and depression
A genetic study of adult twins and a community-based study of adolescents both report novel links between sleep duration and depression. The studies are published in the Feb. 1 issue of the journal Sleep.
MS researchers study predictors of employment status
Researchers at Kessler Foundation have studied the measurement tools used in multiple sclerosis for their effectiveness in predicting employment status. They compared the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC), the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (PASAT), and the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), and found the SDMT effective in differentiating employed from unemployed individuals.
Fruit flies reveal normal function of a gene mutated in spinocerebellar ataxia type 7
Disruptive clumps of mutated protein are often blamed for clogging cells and interfering with brain function in patients with the neurodegenerative diseases known as spinocerebellar ataxias. But a new study in fruit flies suggests that for at least one of these diseases, the defective proteins may not need to form clumps to do harm.
Divorce rate cut in half for newlyweds who discussed five relationship movies
Discussing five movies about relationships over a month could cut the three-year divorce rate for newlyweds in half, researchers report. The study, involving 174 couples, is the first long-term investigation to compare different types of early marriage intervention programs.
Study shows autistic brains create more information at rest
New research from Case Western Reserve University and University of Toronto neuroscientists finds that the brains of autistic children generate more information at rest – a 42% increase on average. The study offers a scientific explanation for the most typical characteristic of autism – withdrawal into one's own inner world. The excess production of information may explain a child's detachment from their environment.
Biology news
Scientists launch multi-million dollar battle against African disease killing one cow every 30 seconds
The Nairobi-based International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) announced today that a global consortium supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been formed to develop a new vaccine against a disease that's devastating cattle herds in sub-Saharan Africa. This highly advanced cattle vaccine project could also help malaria and cancer research in humans.
'Barcoding' life
San Diego is one of the world's "hotspots" for biodiversity, home to a diverse collection of creatures found nowhere else in the world. But like many ecological hotspots around the globe, most of the unique species in our region—particularly its insects, spiders and other small critters—have yet to be described and catalogued by scientists.
Technique is safer, faster way to diagnose horse eye problems
(Phys.org) —Horses face high risks of developing eye problems, and Cornell clinicians have developed a new way to detect and diagnose them more safely and quickly than before. Published online in January in the journal Veterinary Ophthalmology, their findings are the first to show how horses with microscopic foreign objects in their eyes can benefit from in vivo corneal confocal microscopy, a human medical technique that allows doctors to take pictures of living eyes in microscopic detail without a scratch.
Studies explore storage ideas for Anjou pears
Fresh Anjou pears, harvested in late summer from orchards in Oregon and Washington, will usually be available in supermarket produce departments through early spring of the following year. That's thanks to, in part, science-based, long-term-storage technologies that help postpone ripening.
Mysterious pest threatens Texas' billion dollar grain sorghum crop
A tiny insect of unknown origin is posing a serious threat to the billion dollar Texas grain sorghum crop, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts.
Assorted South West parasites favour cleaner habitat
Biologists investigating parasites on freshwater fish in the South West believe they have discovered at least 42 native parasite species that were previously undescribed.
A guardian gene for female sex
Researchers at INRA, France, have just uncovered one of the major genes responsible for female differentiation: FOXL2. During normal development, the formation of testes or ovaries in a foetus depends on the presence or absence of the SRYgene, carried by the Y chromosome. However, instances of sex reversal have been observed, where foetuses carrying two X chromosomes, which are programmed to develop an ovary, are actually born with all of the characteristics of a male. For more than a decade, researchers at INRA's Developmental Biology and Reproduction unit in Jouy-en-Josas have been studying and characterising the mutations responsible for XX males in domesticated animal species such as goats, exposing the importance of a gene (FOXL2) carried by an autosome (not a sex chromosome).
Well-watered citrus tested in cold-acclimating temperatures
Commercial citrus growers are often challenged by environmental conditions in winter, including low seasonal rainfall that is typical in many citrus growing regions. Growers must rely on irrigation to sustain citrus crops through dry winters, so understanding how to determine citrus irrigation needs is critical for successful operations. Authors of a study published in HortScience noted that current methods used to determine moisture needs for citrus are limited, in that they do not account for effects of cold acclimation on water requirements. "Evidence suggests that at least some changes in plant water deficits occur as a result of cold temperatures and not dry soil," noted Robert Ebel, lead author of the study. "Changes in citrus water relations during cold acclimation and independent of soil moisture content are not well understood. Our study was conducted to characterize changes in plant relations of citrus plants with soil moisture carefully maintained at high levels! to minimize drought stress."
Three native aromatics indicated for use in Mediterranean extensive green roofs
Green roofs are being studied as a means to increase vegetation and preserve aesthetics in old Mediterranean cities. In order to preserve ancient cities' local character and biodiversity, researchers are looking to native plant species that can withstand the low water environments that are necessary in lightweight green roof design. Xerophytes—species of plants that have adapted to survive in environments with little water—fit well in green roof construction plans, creating lightweight roofs that don't compromise ancient buildings' structural concerns. A research team in Athens explored the use of three Mediterranean aromatic xerophytes, Artemisia absinthium, Helichrysumitalicum, and H. orientale, for use in an extensive green roof design. The study, published in HortScience, also investigated the practice of using of locally produced grape marc compost to promote drought resistance, and looked at the effects of different planting depths and irrigation frequencies on t! he three aromatics.
New York declares war on swans
In Britain, wild swans may be prized for their beauty and protected by the Queen, but the US state of New York has declared war on them, branding them a violent menace.
Boaters need to be mindful of dolphins
Boaties heading out into the Hauraki Gulf over the summer need to take greater care in sharing the water, Massey researchers say, as they uncover the impact of collisions between vessels and marine mammals in the area.
Sea turtles will feel the heat from climate change
Last year was Australia's hottest on record and this year started with heatwaves. Animals feel the heat too – so how will they cope and adapt as the climate changes?
Scientists shine a light on coral photosynthesis
(Phys.org) —Balancing budgets isn't just a matter for governments, as scientists have observed in a study of the way light is used in the symbiotic relationship between animal and plant that we know as coral.
Teaching young wolves new tricks
Although wolves and dogs are closely related, they show some striking differences. Scientists from the Messerli Research Institute at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna have undertaken experiments that suggest that wolves observe one another more closely than dogs and so are better at learning from one another. The scientists believe that cooperation among wolves is the basis of the understanding between dogs and humans. Their findings have been published in the online journal PLOS ONE.
To calculate long-term conservation pay off, factor in people
Paying people to protect their natural environment is a popular conservation tool around the world – but figure out that return on investment, for both people and nature, is a thorny problem, especially since such efforts typically stretch on for years.
Ticks and endangered voles linked by migrating birds
Migrating birds probably did it. That's what University of California, Davis, epidemiology professor Janet Foley says after DNA detective work confirmed that a disease-carrying tick only found in the southeastern United States has colonized a federally endangered rodent population in an extremely isolated patch of Mojave Desert wetlands.
Trees' diminished resistance to tropical cyclone winds attributed to insect invasions
Guam experiences more tropical cyclones than any other state or territory in the United States. These cyclones—called typhoons in the western Pacific Ocean—can be devastating to Guam's dense native forests. The impact of large-scale tropical cyclones affects the health of managed and unmanaged forests, urban landscapes, and perennial horticulture plantings for many years after the actual storm. In fact, the island's forests are often called 'typhoon forests' because their health and appearance is inextricably defined by the most recent typhoons.
Lemur lovers sync their scents
The strength of a lemur couple's bond is reflected by the similarity of their scents, finds a new study.
Researchers are piecing together causes of decline in honey bees
Last spring, when Mary Harris started looking for particular pesticides in the pollen carried by honey bees in northwest Iowa, she didn't find any. But that changed the week tractors hit the fields to plant crops.
Researchers identify amino acid change that allows pathogens to jump from one plant to another
(Phys.org) —A research team with members from the U.K., Germany and the U.S. has identified an amino acid sequence in effector proteins in two pathogens that helps explain how a firmly established pathogen can leap from one plant to another. In their paper published in the journal Science, the team describes genomic research they conducted on two types of well-known plant pathogens and what it revealed regarding effector proteins and their role in helping the pathogen jump from one plant species to another.
Researchers find genetic cause for citrus canker
Researchers from the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Florida are closer to finding a possible cure for citrus canker after identifying a gene that makes citrus trees susceptible to the bacterial pathogen.
Big sperm don't always win the race
When females mate with more than one male, each one's sperm has to compete to get to her eggs. Until now, researchers had thought the fastest sperm would dominate.
Vibrations influence the circadian clock of a fruit fly
The internal circadian clock of a Drosophila (fruit fly) can be synchronised using vibrations, according to research published today in the journal Science. The results suggest that an animal's own movements can influence its clock.
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