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Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for October 10, 2010:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Discovery paves way for development of efficient, inexpensive plastic solar cells- Land 'evapotranspiration' taking unexpected turn: Huge parts of world are drying up
- Study challenges conventional theory of modern drug design
- Studies provide new insights into the genetics of obesity and fat distribution
- Tsunami risk higher in Los Angeles, other major cities
- Research discovers how the deaf have super vision
- Researchers develop oral delivery system to treat inflammatory bowel diseases
- Researchers create experimental vaccine against Alzheimer's
- Scientists link hepatitis C virus infection to fat enzyme in liver cells
- Scientists watch cell-shape process for first time
- Russian manned spacecraft docks with ISS: official
- Abu Dhabi shifts plans for $22B clean-energy city
- Study reveals cancer-linked epigenetic effects of smoking
- China's second lunar probe enters moon orbit: media
- Clue to unusual drug-resistant breast cancers found
Space & Earth news
Little progress seen in climate talks in China
(AP) -- Hopes dimmed for progress at climate talks in China as negotiators moved into their final day Saturday with little consensus.
China highlights climate change efforts
(AP) -- As the world's biggest greenhouse gas producer, China was widely seen as an obstacle in the Copenhagen climate summit last year. But while negotiations inched forward, Beijing poured $34.6 billion into clean energy in 2009, nearly double the U.S. investment.
NASA's Mobile Mars Laboratory almost ready for flight
The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite has completed assembly at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and is nearly ready for a December delivery to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif., where it will be joined to the Curiosity rover. SAM and Curiosity are set to fly on the on the upcoming Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover mission scheduled for launch in the fall of 2011.
NASA sees Otto become eighth hurricane of the Atlantic season
At 11 a.m. EDT on Oct. 8, Otto strengthened into a hurricane, becoming the eighth hurricane of the Atlantic Ocean season. NASA's Aqua satellite and the NOAA GOES-13 satellite captured images of Otto as he intensified.
Toxicity of Hungary's red sludge flow drops
(AP) -- The concentration of toxic heavy metals where Hungary's massive red sludge spill entered the Danube has dropped to the level allowed in drinking water, authorities said Friday, easing fears that Europe's second longest river would be significantly polluted.
Officials: wall of Hungary sludge lake will fall
(AP) -- The wall of a reservoir filled with caustic red sludge will inevitably collapse and unleash a new deluge of red sludge that could flow about a half-mile (1 kilometer) to the north, a Hungarian official said Sunday.
China's second lunar probe enters moon orbit: media
China's second lunar probe entered the moon's orbit on Saturday, eight days after the Long March 3C rocket carrying the Chang'e-2 blasted off from the launch centre, state media reported.
Russian manned spacecraft docks with ISS: official
A newly-modernized Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying three astronauts on Sunday docked with the International Space Station (ISS) to double its crew to six, mission control said.
Tsunami risk higher in Los Angeles, other major cities
Geologists studying the Jan. 12 Haiti earthquake say the risk of destructive tsunamis is higher than expected in places such as Kingston, Istanbul, and Los Angeles.
Land 'evapotranspiration' taking unexpected turn: Huge parts of world are drying up
The soils in large areas of the Southern Hemisphere, including major portions of Australia, Africa and South America, have been drying up in the past decade, a group of researchers conclude in the first major study to ever examine "evapotranspiration" on a global basis.
Technology news
No 3D magic for new Harry Potter movie
The new Harry Potter film will only be released in standard 2D next month, after the US studio making it said Friday it had abandoned efforts to convert the movie into a 3D version in time.
Computer security expert shoots down '10/10/10' fears
Computer security firm Sophos has shot down rumors that a "10/10/10" virus will strike computers at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday -- October 10, 2010.
WSJ, NY Times, USA Today developing Galaxy applications
The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and USA Today are among news organizations planning to offer news applications for Samsung's Galaxy tablet computer, an iPad rival, the Journal said Friday.
Ubisoft jumps on Kinect motion-sensing videogame controls
French videogame star Ubisoft is showing off its moves with titles that capitalize on Kinect motion-sensing Xbox 360 console controllers set to debut in November.
Microsoft pinning mobile hopes on new operating system
Microsoft unveils a new mobile phone operating system on Monday in what is being seen as a potentially make-or-break effort by the US software giant to remain a player in the hotly competitive niche.
Asia computer market has room for both tablets and laptops
Tablet computers such as Apple's iPad and Samsung's Galaxy have had a fanfare of publicity, but they are unlikely to kill off their older cousin the laptop anytime soon, say Asian analysts and vendors.
Abu Dhabi shifts plans for $22B clean-energy city
(AP) -- A $22 billion clean-energy city being built in the desert outside Abu Dhabi will no longer aim to produce all its own power, the developer revealed Sunday following a wide-ranging review that retools some of the project's ambitions.
Medicine & Health news
Women's race and class impact contraception recommendations, study shows
A woman's race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status impact whether health care providers recommend one of the most highly effective forms of contraception, a UCSF study confirms. The results also indicate that the interaction of both factors plays a role in clinicians' decisions.
Erlotinib improves progression-free survival as first-line therapy in advanced lung cancer
For patients with advanced lung cancer whose tumors carry EGFR activating mutations, first-line treatment with erlotinib nearly tripled progression-free survival compared to a standard chemotherapy combination, show results from the first prospective Phase-III study to report findings in this setting.
Surgical technique relieves painful spine fractures in patients with metastatic cancer
A surgical technique appears to offer quick and effective relief for debilitating spinal fractures often suffered by patients with metastatic cancer, researchers reported at the 35th Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in Milan.
New targeted therapy adds benefit to erlotinib in some patients with advanced lung cancer
A subset of lung cancer patients seem to live longer and experience delays in disease progression when a new drug that targets a cancer-associated molecule called MET is added to treatment with erlotinib, the results of a double-blind Phase-II trial show.
Facebook co-founders give $170K to pro-pot measure
(AP) -- California's ballot measure to legalize marijuana has a new friend: Facebook co-founder Sean Parker has given $100,000 to back the proposal.
Clinical trials demonstrate effective weight loss strategies for obese and overweight adults
Lifestyle interventions, including physical activity and structured weight loss programs, can result in significant weight loss for overweight, obese and severely obese adults, according to two reports that were posted online today by JAMA. The studies and accompanying editorials were made available early online to coincide with the presentation of these papers at the 28th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Obesity Society. The articles will appear in the October 27 print issue of JAMA.
Prepared meals and incentivized weight-loss program for obese and overweight women
In another article being released early online, Cheryl L. Rock, Ph.D., R.D., from Moores UCSD Cancer Center, La Jolla, Calif., and colleagues, conducted a randomized controlled trial of weight loss and weight maintenance in 442 overweight or obese women (BMI, 25 – 40), ages 18 to 69, over a two year period with follow-up between November 2007 and April 2010.
Identifying subsets of patients who will respond to subsequent lines of chemotherapy
In a study presented at the 35th Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), Dr Giovanni Bernardo from Fondazione Maugeri in Pavia, Italy, presented results that suggested it may be possible to identify subsets of metastatic breast cancer patients who are likely to respond to subsequent lines of chemotherapy.
Investigational ovarian cancer drug shows promise against platinum resistant disease
A drug being developed as a treatment for ovarian cancer has shown single agent activity with durable disease control in some patients in a Phase-II clinical trial, an international research group has reported.
TTF and chemotherapy increase survival for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer
Novocure reported today that patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) achieved a significant increase in survival time when tumor treating fields (TTF) therapy was added to chemotherapy, as compared to previously reported outcomes for patients receiving chemotherapy alone. Dr. Miklos Pless, head of medical oncology at the Winterthur Hospital Cancer center in Switzerland, presented the data at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress (ESMO).
Alienated youths are more likely to lash out
When people are rejected by peers, they often lash out. In children, that aggression occasionally takes horrifying directions, leading to school shootings or other deadly acts. Researchers in the Netherlands found that some children are more likely than others to lash out in response to acute peer rejection: children who already feel like outcasts.
German firm shelves libido-boosting drug for women
German drug firm Boehringer Ingelheim has shelved development of a libido-booster for women after it was given the thumbs down by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the company said.
Health halos that make us fat
If you think you eat healthier at the Sunburst Fresh Cafe than at Big Jims Beefy BBQ, you might be wrong. You could be a victim of the "Health Halo."
Researchers create experimental vaccine against Alzheimer's
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have created an experimental vaccine against beta-amyloid, the small protein that forms plaques in the brain and is believed to contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease.
Study reveals cancer-linked epigenetic effects of smoking
For the first time, UK scientists have reported direct evidence that taking up smoking results in epigenetic changes associated with the development of cancer.
Scientists link hepatitis C virus infection to fat enzyme in liver cells
Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology (GIVI) have found that an enzyme associated with the storage of fat in the liver is required for the infectious activity of the hepatitis C virus (HCV). This discovery may offer a new strategy for treating the infection.
Research discovers how the deaf have super vision
Deaf or blind people often report enhanced abilities in their remaining senses, but up until now, no one has explained how and why that could be. Researchers at The University of Western Ontario, led by Stephen Lomber of The Centre for Brain and Mind have discovered there is a causal link between enhanced visual abilities and reorganization of the part of the brain that usually handles auditory input in congenitally deaf cats. The findings, published online in Nature Neuroscience, provide insight into the plasticity that may occur in the brains of deaf people.
Studies provide new insights into the genetics of obesity and fat distribution
An international consortium has made significant inroads into uncovering the genetic basis of obesity by identifying 18 new gene sites associated with overall obesity and 13 that affect fat distribution. The studies include data from nearly a quarter of a million participants, the largest genetic investigation of human traits to date. The papers, both from the GIANT (Genetic Investigation of ANthropometric Traits) consortium – which consists of more than 400 scientists from 280 research institutions worldwide – will appear in Nature Genetics and are receiving early online publication.
Biology news
Scientists watch cell-shape process for first time
Researchers at the Carnegie Institution for Science, with colleagues at the Nara Institute of Science and Technology, observed for the first time a fundamental process of cellular organization in living plant cells: the birth of microtubules by studying recruitment and activity of individual protein complexes that create the cellular protein network known as the microtubule cytoskeleton—the scaffolding that provides structure and ultimately form and shape to the cell. These fundamental results could be important to agricultural research and are published in the October 10, 2010, early on-line edition of Nature Cell Biology.
Dengue-resistant mosquitoes to be released next year
(PhysOrg.com) -- Every year, dengue fever infects up to 100 million people and kills more than 20,000 of them. In an effort to reduce these numbers, scientists have infected mosquitoes with bacteria that makes them less able to carry the dengue virus, and plan to release these mosquitoes in Australia and Vietnam next year.
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