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Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for September 29, 2010:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Unread correspondence of Francis Crick: New twists in double helix discovery story are uncovered- One-dimensional window on superconductivity, magnetism: Atoms are proxies for electrons in ultracold optical emulator
- Scientists genetically engineer silkworms to produce artificial spider silk (w/ Video)
- The iCub robot learns archery
- Researchers say web searches are good predictors of success
- A 'giant' step toward explaining differences in height: Scientists map height 'hotspots' in the genome
- Report casts world's rivers in 'crisis state'
- Three tiny qubits, another big step toward quantum computing
- Research on killer HIV antibodies provides promising new ideas for vaccine design
- Species accumulate on Earth at slower rates than in the past: study
- Dirty hands, dirty mouths: Study finds a need to clean the body part that lies
- Google gives Gmail users more control over inboxes
- The real 'Iron Man' exoskeleton does the work of two to three soldiers (w/ Video)
- No evidence for ancient comet or Clovis catastrophe, archaeologists say
- Growing nanowires horizontally yields new benefit: 'nano-LEDs'
Space & Earth news
Sentinels of climate change
Ice currently covers more than 10 percent of our watery planet, yet its volume is continuing to decline at a staggering pace in response to our warming world.
Resource restoration planning process begins for BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The Department of the Interior, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the co-trustees for natural resources affected by the BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spill announced today they have started the injury assessment and restoration planning phase of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment, a legal process to determine the type and amount of restoration needed to compensate the public for harm to natural resources and their human uses as a result of the spill.
NRL's wide-field imager selected for Solar Probe Plus mission
NASA has chosen the Naval Research Laboratory's Wide-field Imager to be part of the Solar Probe Plus mission slated for launch no later than 2018. The Solar Probe Plus, a small car-sized spacecraft will plunge directly into the sun's atmosphere approximately four million miles from our star's surface. It will explore a region no other spacecraft ever has encountered in an effort to unlock the sun's biggest mysteries.
Hylas gets green light for spaceport trip
(PhysOrg.com) -- Following extensive testing in India, the Hylas-1 telecommunication satellite has been given the go-ahead for shipping to Europe?s Spaceport in French Guiana for its November flight.
Climate accord loopholes could spell 4.2-degree rise in temperature and end of coral reefs by 2100
A global temperature increase of up to 4.2 C and the end of coral reefs could become reality by 2100 if national targets are not revised in the Copenhagen Accord, the international pledge which was agreed at last year's Copenhagen's COP15 climate change conference.
Australia needs better plan for variable water future
The delivery of sustainable water supplies in Australia will require water managers and engineers to factor in a range of predicted variations in climate and long-term demand for water resources, according to a CSIRO climate and water expert, Dr Francis Chiew.
Beijing polluted by heavy-emission truck, study says
The 62-mile, nine-day traffic jam in Beijing's August heat made international headlines -- and an epic amount of air pollution. It's the latest demonstration of how Cornell air quality researcher Max Zhang's work could make a critical difference for people who breathe bad air every day.
Simple approach could clean up oil remaining from Exxon Valdez spill
Traces of crude oil that linger on the shores of Alaska's Prince William Sound after the Exxon Valdez oil spill remain highly biodegradable, despite almost 20 years of weathering and decomposition, scientists are reporting in a new study. Their findings, which appear in ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology, suggest a simple approach for further cleaning up remaining traces of the Exxon Valdez spill — the largest in U.S. waters until the 2010 Deepwater Horizon episode.
NASA uses 3 satellites to see strengthening Tropical Storm Nicole
NASA is providing data from three satellites to give forecasters valuable information on newly strengthened Tropical Storm Nicole. Nicole was Tropical Depression 16 until 11 a.m. EDT, Sept. 29 and NASA data helped confirm her new designation. Satellite data from NASA showed frigid thunderstorm cloud top temperatures, heavy rainfall, and extensive cloud cover as Nicole strengthened.
Gold rush on the Gulf: Researchers clamor for cash
(AP) -- Once a backwater in the world of oceanographic research, the Gulf of Mexico has suddenly become the site of a scientific gold rush, all because of the BP oil spill.
Planet gets fresh look by UT astronomers
Work by a team of University of Texas at Arlington astronomers could significantly broaden astrophysicists' search for planets in other solar systems by changing the way they think about the orbiting bodies.
Milky way sidelined in galactic tug of war
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Magellanic Stream is an arc of hydrogen gas spanning more than 100 degrees of the sky as it trails behind the Milky Way's neighbor galaxies, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, has long been thought to be the dominant gravitational force in forming the Stream by pulling gas from the Clouds. A new computer simulation by Gurtina Besla (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics) and her colleagues now shows, however, that the Magellanic Stream resulted from a past close encounter between these dwarf galaxies rather than effects of the Milky Way.
Russian company to build 'space hotel' with home comforts
A Russian company on Wednesday announced plans to launch a comfortable space hotel for tourists who up to now have shared cramped accommodation with astronauts, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.
Scientists find potentially habitable planet near Earth
A team of planet hunters led by astronomers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the Carnegie Institution of Washington has announced the discovery of an Earth-sized planet (three times the mass of Earth) orbiting a nearby star at a distance that places it squarely in the middle of the star's "habitable zone," where liquid water could exist on the planet's surface. If confirmed, this would be the most Earth-like exoplanet yet discovered and the first strong case for a potentially habitable one.
Report casts world's rivers in 'crisis state'
(PhysOrg.com) -- The world's rivers, the single largest renewable water resource for humans and a crucible of aquatic biodiversity, are in a crisis of ominous proportions, according to a new global analysis.
Technology news
Traders: China resumes rare earth exports to Japan
(AP) -- Beijing has apparently told Chinese companies they can resume exports to Japan of rare earth minerals used in high-tech products but is holding up shipments with tighter customs inspections, two Japanese trading firms said Wednesday.
Elpida develops industry's smallest 30nm process 2-Gigabit DDR3 SDRAM
Elpida Memory, Inc., Japan's global supplier of Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), today announced that it had completed development of a 30nm process 2-gigabit DDR3 SDRAM.
Samsung to provide 3D TVs to Britain's Virgin Media
South Korea's Samsung Electronics, the world's largest maker of flat-screen TVs, on Wednesday announced a partnership with Virgin Media to expand its presence in Britain's 3D television market.
Research team receives $7.9M from NSF to develop Internet for 21st century
The National Science Foundation's Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering has awarded a team of researchers led by UCLA $7.9 million to develop a more efficient and robust Internet that can meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.
NIST 'Vision Science Facility' aims for lighting revolution
Light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, have become popular with backpackers and cyclists who mount them on headbands for a reliable, hands-free source of illumination. Now, a new lab at the National Institute of Standards and Technology is helping to bring these tiny but brilliant devices into your home, to help save both energy costs and the environment.
HP provides rosy outlook, no guidance on next CEO
(AP) -- Hewlett-Packard Co. offered a rosy financial outlook Tuesday without giving any guidance on the biggest issue hanging over the world's largest technology company: the identity of its next CEO.
Apple iPhone 4 sales strong in China
More than 200,000 Apple iPhone 4s have been snapped up in China within days of going on sale while waiting lists stretch to the end of October, state media reported Wednesday.
Taiwan's Inventec to invest $95 million in solar cell
Inventec Corp., a leading Taiwanese contract notebook computer maker, said on Wednesday it will invest at least 3 billion Taiwan dollars (95 million US) to set up a solar cell unit.
India's fraud-hit Satyam posts loss but is on the mend
India's fraud-hit Satyam announced Wednesday a loss of 27.6 million dollars for the last fiscal year as it reported its first earnings since an accounting scandal pushed the firm to the edge of bankruptcy.
Research lays foundation for building on the moon -- or anywhere else
The key to the stability of any building is its foundation, but it is difficult to test some building sites in advance - such as those on the moon. New research from North Carolina State University is helping resolve the problem by using computer models that can utilize a small sample of soil to answer fundamental questions about how soil at a building site will interact with foundations.
Washington Post, NY Times, Gannett invest in news aggregator
A news aggregator startup announced on Wednesday it has received 12 million dollars in funding from The Washington Post, The New York Times and USA Today publisher Gannett Co.
New invention saves energy, health, climate
A new Danish invention could cut energy use in buildings by 25 percent by creating a better indoor climate. The "CleanAir" invention was recently patented by a researcher in atmospheric chemistry at the University of Copenhagen. The inventor, Matthew Johnson, will show his invention to the general public for the very first time at the conference "World Climate Solutions" at Bella Center in Copenhagen on Sept. 29-30.
Peugeot, Mitsubishi team up on electric vehicle project
French automaker PSA Peugeot Citroen and Japan's Mitsubishi Motors said Wednesday they had signed an agreement to develop light commercial electric vehicles.
Berkeley lab creates new energy model for Chinese cities
To tally the energy consumption of a city, the usual method is to add up all the energy used by residents -- when they drive their car or turn on the air-conditioning -- plus all the energy consumed by commercial buildings and industries in their day-to-day operations. But how should one account for the energy that went into building the office park where people work or paving the roads that people drive? And what about the energy required to make the clothes they are wearing?
'Emotionsense' determines emotions by phone
A system which enables psychologists to track people's emotional behavior through their mobile phones has been successfully road-tested by researchers.
Researchers find phone apps sending data without notification (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- Publicly available cell-phone applications from application markets are releasing consumers' private information to online advertisers, according to a joint study by Intel Labs, Penn State, and Duke University.
Google gives Gmail users more control over inboxes
(AP) -- Google Inc. is addressing one of the biggest complaints about its free e-mail service by giving people more control over how their inboxes are organized.
The real 'Iron Man' exoskeleton does the work of two to three soldiers (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new version of what some refer to as the "Iron Man" suit was unveiled Monday by Raytheon at the company's research facility in Salt Lake City.
Researchers say web searches are good predictors of success
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Yahoo! have been collecting data on Web searches for movies and games and comparing them with other predictors of success, such as product reviews and production budgets, and have discovered that, while not as accurate as traditional means, adding search data into the mix makes predictions more successful overall.
Medicine & Health news
Dementia, high blood pressure and brain blood flow may be linked
Blood flow through the brain is essential for the delivery of nutrients such as glucose and oxygen that are needed for nerve cells to function. During the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients can suffer from high blood pressure and blood flow through the brain is reduced: the greater the reduction, the worse patients' dementia becomes.
Shorter work hours are approved for rookie doctors
(AP) -- Rookie doctors will be getting shorter work shifts, along with stricter supervision, but a medical student group said Wednesday that the changes don't do enough to protect sleep-deprived residents and their patients.
Reducing gene-damaging impurities in medicines
Drug manufacturers have been adjusting to strict new government standards that limit the amount of potentially harmful impurities in medicine, according to the cover story of the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), ACS' weekly newsmagazine. The impurities are "genotoxic," capable of damaging the DNA in genes.
Hodgkin's lymphoma: Benefit of stem cell transplantation with an unrelated donor unclear
It remains an unresolved question whether adult patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma, a certain type of lymph node cancer, benefit from allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) with an unrelated donor.
Proteins to yield new clues in fight against osteoporosis
A $1.76 million study at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute seeks to identify new methods of diagnosing osteoporosis and inform the development of next-generation drugs to treat the bone disease.
Feeding prior to eye exams reduces stress in premature infants
Premature infants are often examined for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). This exam can be quite stressful for the neonate, causing changes in heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation, and increased crying. In a recent study published in the Journal of AAPOS, the Official Publication of the American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, researchers found that feeding infants one hour before the examination unexpectedly reduced stress but did not increase vomiting or gastric aspirates.
Surgery offers long-term survival for early stage prostate cancer patients
In the largest, most modern, single-institution study of its kind, Mayo Clinic urologists mined a long-term data registry for survival rates of patients who underwent radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer. The findings are being presented at the North Central Section of the American Urological Association's 84th Annual Meeting in Chicago.
Alcohol consumers are becoming the norm, analysis finds
Sept. 29, 2010 - More people are drinking than 20 years ago, according to a UT Southwestern Medical Center analysis of national alcohol consumption patterns. Gathered from more than 85,000 respondents, the data suggests that a variety of factors, including social, economic and ethnic influences and pressures, are involved in the increase.
Less than half of essential workers willing to report to work during a serious pandemic
Although first responders willingly put themselves in harm's way during disasters, new research indicates that they may not be as willing— if the disaster is a potentially lethal pandemic.
Coping with genetic predisposition to cancer
Kelly Metcalfe, a professor at the Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, focuses her research on a unique population of women faced with some really tough decisions and helps them reach satisfactory conclusions.
The Medical Minute: Health care plays role in domestic abuse screening
Domestic violence is a health care problem of epidemic proportions in Pennsylvania and across the country. Nationally, nearly one-third of American women (31 percent) report being physically or sexually abused by a current or former husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives. The rates of abuse among adolescents and within lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities also are staggering.
MicroRNA panel provides a more precise lung cancer diagnosis
A test based on a panel of microRNAs under development by Rosetta Genomics, Ltd., in Rehovot, Israel, may allow for more precise diagnosis and better targeted therapy for patients with lung cancer.
Studies show improved patient tolerance for unsedated colonoscopy using novel water method
The October issue of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), features the results of two randomized controlled trials of unsedated colonoscopy comparing water infusion versus air insufflation to distend the colon. Both studies showed that patient tolerance with the water method during unsedated colonoscopy was greater than with air insufflation and enhanced patient willingness to undergo a repeat unsedated exam; however, the cecal intubation and adenoma detection rates varied somewhat between the two studies.
Malawi adopts UN guidelines on AIDS
(AP) -- Malawi's vice president says her AIDS-ravaged southern African country will adopt the latest U.N. health guidelines that call for putting HIV-positive people on drugs sooner.
New debate: Mammograms may help women in 40s
(AP) -- A new study from Sweden is stirring fresh debate over whether women in their 40s should get mammograms. It suggests that the breast cancer screening test can lower the risk of dying of the disease by as much as 26 percent.
After traumatic event, early intervention reduces odds of PTSD in children by 73 percent
After experiencing a potentially traumatic event - a car accident, a physical or sexual assault, a sports injury, witnessing violence - as many as 1 in 5 children will develop Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Nanotechnology brings personalized therapy one step closer to reality
A novel technology can make nanoscale protein measurements, which scientists can use in clinical trials to learn how drugs work.
Doctors need to help patients prepare better for health decisions
Twelve years ago, then 28-year-old graduate student Brian Zikmund-Fisher was forced into the toughest choice of his life: Die from a blood disorder within a few years or endure a bone marrow transplant that could cure him or kill him in weeks.
Father's incarceration associated with elevated risks of marijuana and other illegal drug use
In a recently published study in the journal Addiction, researchers from Bowling Green State University report evidence of an association between father's incarceration and substantially elevated risks for illegal drug use in adolescence and early adulthood.
Swine flu patients benefited from taking Tamiflu, says study
Healthy people who caught swine flu during the 2009 pandemic may have been protected against developing radiographically (x-ray) confirmed pneumonia by taking the antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu), concludes a study of cases in China published in the British Medical Journal today.
Intrauterine devices can be used to treat endometrial cancer
Intrauterine devices, originally developed as contraceptives, can also be used to treat and cure cancer of the endometrium according to new research published online in the cancer journal, Annals of Oncology today. The finding opens the way for young women with the disease, which affects the lining of the womb, to be treated without the need for a hysterectomy, thus preserving their fertility until they have had all the children they want.
Absent mothers can cause hyperactivity and anxiety later in life
In mice, early weaning and separation from their mothers promotes long-lasting hyperactivity and anxiety . Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Neuroscience describe the development of this new behavioral model, which they hope to use to investigate the long-term effects of early childhood neglect in people.
Exercise could cut womb cancer risk by 30 percent
(AP) -- Women who regularly work up a sweat exercising have a 30 percent lower risk of developing endometrial cancer, a new study says.
Cincinnati researchers conducting clinical trial of cocaine vaccine
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati are conducting a clinical trial for a vaccine designed to treat cocaine addiction by preventing the drug from entering the brain, thus reducing its pleasurable effects.
For those with breast cancer, risk of other cancers in relatives increased
Close relatives of women diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 35 years are at an increased risk of developing other cancers, according to a University of Melbourne led study, published in the British Journal of Cancer today.
Researchers make waves into what awakens epilepsy
A University of Alberta research team has discovered a potential new trigger for epileptic seizures that strike during deep sleep.
Life-threatening syndrome makes hunger dangerous
A University of Alberta medical researcher is studying obese children affected with a life-threatening syndrome that makes them constantly feel hungry.
Maternal diet high in trans fat could lead to overweight infants, study finds
A new University of Georgia study suggests that mothers who consume a diet high in trans fats double the likelihood that their infants will have high levels of body fat.
Decrease in suicide not linked to newer antidepressants
Many researchers have studied the relationship between the increase in sales of new antidepressants in recent decades and a simultaneous decline in the suicide rate. In a study based on figures from the Nordic countries, researchers at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health found no evidence that increased sales of the new medicines could be linked to a lower suicide rate. The researchers also did not find any relationship between reduced sales of the older and more toxic antidepressants and a reduction in suicide rates.
Even on decline, US teen births still highest in developed world
Teen birth rates in the United States are still 33 percent higher than in New Zealand, the developed country with the next highest incidence — even though U.S. rates have fallen from a high of 62 per 1,000 teens in the early 1990s to a record low of 41 in 2005, a new study finds. The number has since leveled off to about 42 births per 1,000 teens.
New target identified for Alzheimer's disease
Neurological researchers at Rush University Medical Center have found a new therapeutic target that can potentially lead to a new way to prevent the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The target called neutral sphingomyelinase (N-SMase) is a protein that when activated, can cause a chain of reactions in the cell leading to neuronal death and memory loss.
Study finds beta blockers reduce risk of death after surgery
Surgical patients with known heart disease risks who are given beta blockers around the time of surgery have a significantly reduced risk of post-operative death compared with patients not given beta blockers, according to a study by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center.
Blueberries help fight artery hardening, lab animal study indicates
Blueberries may help fight atherosclerosis, also known as hardening of the arteries, according to results of a preliminary U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded study with laboratory mice. The research provides the first direct evidence that blueberries can help prevent harmful plaques or lesions, symptomatic of atherosclerosis, from increasing in size in arteries.
National study finds strong link between diabetes and air pollution
A national epidemiologic study finds a strong, consistent correlation between adult diabetes and particulate air pollution that persists after adjustment for other risk factors like obesity and ethnicity, report researchers from Children's Hospital Boston. The relationship was seen even at exposure levels below the current EPA safety limit.
Chemotherapy alters brain tissue in breast cancer patients
Researchers at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center have published the first report using imaging to show that changes in brain tissue can occur in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Kids' science kits may take hit from safety ruling
(AP) -- One of the tools that teachers use to get kids jazzed about science - hands-on science kits - could face an uncertain future amid a debate on safety.
California's leadership in tobacco control results in lower lung cancer rate
A study led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego shows that California's 40 year-long tobacco control program has resulted in lung cancer rates that are nearly 25 percent lower than other states.
Not just an innocent bystander: Unusual suspect holds the secret for new approach to treat severe sepsis
Severe sepsis, a disease characterised by a sudden drop in blood pressure and progressive organ dysfunction following infection, remains one of the most common causes of mortality in intensive care units worldwide. Even under the best possible medical conditions, mortality rates range between 30 and 70%. A research team from the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia, Portugal, led by Miguel Soares, found that free heme, released from red blood cells during infection, is the cause of organ failure, leading to the lethal outcome of severe sepsis.
IV treatment may lower risk of dying from bacterial meningitis
New research shows that an intravenous (IV) treatment may cut a person's risk of dying from bacterial meningitis. The research is published in the September 29, 2010, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The treatment is called dexamethasone.
Research examines vicious cycle of overeating and obesity
New research provides evidence of the vicious cycle created when an obese individual overeats to compensate for reduced pleasure from food.
New drug offers big relief for osteoarthritis pain
A phase II clinical trial of the first new type of drug for musculoskeletal pain since aspirin shows that it significantly reduces knee pain in osteoarthritis, the most common osteoarthritis pain, according to new research from Northwestern Medicine.
Study finds increases in 5-, 10-year survival at every stage of breast cancer
Advances in screening for disease detection, better surgical techniques available to more women, and an increased number of therapies that reduce the risk of relapse in patients with both locally advanced and early stage disease, have collectively contributed to dramatic improvements in breast cancer's survival rates, according to a review of 60 years of patient records at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
New therapy boosts cure rate by 20 percent in a deadly childhood cancer
Using immunotherapy—biologic agents that stimulate the body's immune system—pediatric oncologists have achieved the first substantial increase in over a decade in cure rates for the childhood cancer neuroblastoma. A newly released study shows that the new treatment improved two-year survival rates by 20 percent, compared to standard treatment for an aggressive form of neuroblastoma, a cancer of the nervous system.
'Louder at the back, please': White noise improves memory in schoolchildren
Playing white noise in class can help inattentive children learn. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Behavioral and Brain Functions tested the effect of the meaningless random noise on a group of 51 schoolchildren, finding that although it hindered the ability of those who normally pay attention, it improved the memory of those that had difficulties in paying attention.
Study: Stress hormone blocks testosterone's effects
High levels of the stress hormone cortisol play a critical role in blocking testosterone's influence on competition and domination, according to new psychology research at The University of Texas at Austin.
Stem cells used to reattach teeth with new technique
A new approach to anchor teeth back in the jaw using stem cells has been developed and successfully tested in the laboratory for the first time by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Research on killer HIV antibodies provides promising new ideas for vaccine design
New discoveries about the immune defenses of rare HIV patients who produce antibodies that prevent infection suggest a novel direction for designing new vaccines. Researchers at Rockefeller University and colleagues have now made two fundamental discoveries about the so called broadly neutralizing anti-HIV antibodies, which effectively keep the virus at bay. By detailing the molecular workings of a proven immune response, the researchers hope their work will ultimately enable them to similarly arm those who are not equipped with this exceptional immunological firepower. The findings are reported in the Sept. 30 issue of the journal Nature.
Dirty hands, dirty mouths: Study finds a need to clean the body part that lies
Apparently your mom had it right when she threatened to wash your mouth out with soap if you talked dirty. Lying really does create a desire to clean the "dirty" body part, according to a University of Michigan study.
A 'giant' step toward explaining differences in height: Scientists map height 'hotspots' in the genome
(PhysOrg.com) -- An international collaboration of more than 200 institutions, led by researchers at Children's Hospital Boston, the Broad Institute, and a half-dozen other institutions in Europe and North America, has identified hundreds of genetic variants that together account for about 10 percent of the inherited variation of height among people.
Biology news
Court OKs US-funded stem cell research for now
(AP) -- An appeals court ruled Tuesday that government funding of embryonic stem cell research can continue for now.
Gene sleuths uncover the secrets of the civet
The Asian palm civet, a small nocturnal carnivore famous for excreting coffee beans prized by gourmets, in fact comprises three species, French scientists said on Wednesday.
New study shows over one-fifth of the world's plants are under threat of extinction
A global analysis of extinction risk for the world's plants, conducted by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew together with the Natural History Museum, London and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has revealed that the world's plants are as threatened as mammals, with one in five of the world's plant species threatened with extinction. The study is a major baseline for plant conservation and is the first time that the true extent of the threat to the world's estimated 380,000 plant species is known, announced as governments are to meet in Nagoya, Japan in mid-October 2010 to set new targets at the United Nations Biodiversity Summit.
For the first time, monkeys recognize themselves in the mirror, indicating self-awareness (w/ Video)
Typically, monkeys don't know what to make of a mirror. They may ignore it or interpret their reflection as another, invading monkey, but they don't recognize the reflection as their own image. Chimpanzees and people pass this "mark" test — they obviously recognize their own reflection and make funny faces, look at a temporary mark that the scientists have placed on their face or wonder how they got so old and grey.
Species accumulate on Earth at slower rates than in the past: study
Computational biologists at the University of Pennsylvania say that species are still accumulating on Earth but at a slower rate than in the past.
Researchers find first genetic evidence for loss of teeth in the common ancestor of baleen whales
In contrast to a toothed whale, which retains teeth that aid in capturing prey, a living baleen whale (e.g., blue whale, fin whale, humpback, bowhead) has lost its teeth and must sift zooplankton and small fish from ocean waters with baleen or whalebone, a sieve-like structure in the upper jaw that filters food from large mouthfuls of seawater.
Scientists genetically engineer silkworms to produce artificial spider silk (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- A research and development effort by the University of Notre Dame, the University of Wyoming, and Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. has succeeded in producing transgenic silkworms capable of spinning artificial spider silks.
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