PhysOrg Newsletter Thursday, Oct 7

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Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for October 7, 2010:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- MRI zooms in on microscopic flow (w/ Video)
- Hubble astronomers discover early universe was overheated
- UK town using fuel from human waste
- Jellyfish protein could be used to power nanodevices
- Rare melt key to 'Ring of Fire'
- Cell survival protein discovery rewrites immune system story
- Transgenic corn suppresses European corn borer, saves farmers billions
- Cassini catches Saturn moons in paintball fight
- Half-time gamblers give stock market insight
- Scientists trick bacteria with small molecules
- Verizon iPhone in Q1 not a rumor any longer
- Scientists reveal first structure of a class of proteins that help guide blood cell movement
- Too much of a good thing: Human activities overload ecosystems with nitrogen
- At last, a living model for an important body channel
- Thoughts about time inspire people to socialize

Space & Earth news

A 3-D world: New technology allows students to take virtual field trips
(PhysOrg.com) -- The geosciences center may be ordering 3-D glasses by the hundreds, but students won’t be watching Avatar.

Hungary toxic sludge spill reaches Danube
Hungary's toxic sludge spill, which has killed four people, reached the Danube river Thursday, threatening to contaminate the waterway's entire ecosystem, officials told AFP.

EU's Galileo satnav system over budget, late: report
Europe's Galileo satellite navigation system, meant to rival the US-built Global Positioning System (GPS), is over budget, running late and will be unprofitable for years, a press report said on Thursday.

Call to heal the world's coral reefs
There is still time to save the world's ailing coral reefs, if prompt and decisive action can be taken to improve their overall health, leading marine researchers say.

Clues included in diamonds
A study of Brazilian diamonds by Earth scientists from the University of Bristol has found that tiny inclusions in the diamonds contain traces of oceanic crust and sedimentary rocks, formed originally on the surface of the Earth then transported to depths of more than 300km.

New deep-sea hot springs discovered in the Atlantic
Scientists from the MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences and the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, Germany, on board the German research vessel Meteor have discovered a new hydrothermal vent 500 kilometres south-west of the Azores. The vent with chimneys as high as one meter and fluids with temperatures up to 300 degrees Celsius was found at one thousand metres water depth in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The discovery of the new deep-sea vent is remarkable because the area in which it was found has been intensively studied during previous research cruises. The MARUM and Max Planck researchers describe their discovery in their video blog.

'Dinosaurs' in space found by PhD student (w/ Video)
Using Australian telescopes, Swinburne University astronomy student Andy Green has found 'living dinosaurs' in space: galaxies in today's Universe that were thought to have existed only in the distant past.

'Mars antenna' gets repairs
Frequented more by packs of stray burros than by cars, the road is a lonely one. Thirty-five miles north of Barstow, Calif., 30 minutes from the nearest highway, it ambles through parched desert before dropping into a low valley.

Scientists say heavy metal in sludge not dangerous
(AP) -- The toxic red sludge that burst out of a Hungarian factory's reservoir reached the mighty Danube on Thursday after wreaking havoc on smaller rivers and creeks, and downstream nations rushed to test their waters.

NASA mission asks why Mars has no atmosphere
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA this week gave the green light to a mission to Mars that will seek to understand why and how the red planet lost its atmosphere 3-4 billion years ago.

NASA satellites see Otto become a tropical storm
NASA satellites have collected data as the Atlantic Ocean's Tropical Depression 17 has undergone two changes in less than 24 hours. Since Oct. 6, the depression has strengthened and has tropical storm-force winds and has morphed from a sub-tropical storm into a tropical storm.

Saturn's icy moon Enceladus may keep oceans liquid with wobble
(PhysOrg.com) -- Saturn's icy moon Enceladus should not be one of the most promising places in our solar system to look for extraterrestrial life. Instead, it should have frozen solid billions of years ago. Located in the frigid outer solar system, it's too far from the sun to have oceans of liquid water -- a necessary ingredient for known forms of life -- on its surface.

Ground-based images of asteroid Lutetia complement spacecraft flyby
The European Space Agency (ESA) Rosetta spacecraft beamed back to Earth dramatic close-up images on July 10, 2010, as it flew past the 100-kilometer-sized asteroid (21) Lutetia on its way to a comet rendezvous in 2014. But even before Rosetta's encounter with Lutetia, an international team of astronomers, using three of the world's largest telescopes, were busy making its own assessment of the asteroid's shape and size, as well as searching for satellites. The pre-flyby images are being compared this week with those from Rosetta at a meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society in Pasadena, Calif., revealing that the ground-based images are amazingly accurate.

Geologist says there's no need to fight over mineral resources
It's easy to be a pessimist in a world full of calamities. But for those worried about the continuing availability of natural resources, data from the ocean makes a good case for optimism, says economic geologist Lawrence Cathles.

Venus Express finds planetary atmospheres such a drag (w/ Video)
The polar atmosphere of Venus is thinner than expected. How do we know? Because ESA's Venus Express has actually been there. Instead of looking from orbit, Venus Express has flown through the upper reaches of the planet?s poisonous atmosphere.

Mount Etna's mystery explained?
Internationally renowned geophysicist Dr Wouter Schellart has developed the first dynamic model to explain the mystery of the largest and most fascinating volcano in Europe, Mount Etna.

Water discovered on second asteroid, may be even more common
Water ice on asteroids may be more common than expected, according to a new study that will be presented today at the world's largest gathering of planetary scientists.

Cassini catches Saturn moons in paintball fight
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists using data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft have learned that distinctive, colorful bands and splotches embellish the surfaces of Saturn's inner, mid-size moons. The reddish and bluish hues on the icy surfaces of Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione and Rhea appear to be the aftermath of bombardments large and small.

Too much of a good thing: Human activities overload ecosystems with nitrogen
Humans are overloading ecosystems with nitrogen through the burning of fossil fuels and an increase in nitrogen-producing industrial and agricultural activities, according to a new study. While nitrogen is an element that is essential to life, it is an environmental scourge at high levels.

Rare melt key to 'Ring of Fire'
(PhysOrg.com) -- Oxford University scientists have discovered the explanation for why the world?s explosive volcanoes are confined to bands only a few tens of kilometres wide, such as those along the Pacific 'Ring of Fire'.

Hubble astronomers discover early universe was overheated
If you think global warming is bad, 11 billion years ago the entire universe underwent, well, universal warming.

Technology news

Georgia Tech Information Security Center releases cyber threats forecast for 2011
The Georgia Tech Information Security Center (GTISC) today announced the release of the GTISC Emerging Cyber Threats Report for 2011, outlining the top three areas of security risk and concern for consumer and business Internet and computer users. The report was released today at the annual GTISC Security Summit on the Evolving Nature of Cyber Security Threats. The summit gathers leading industry and academic leaders who have distinguished themselves in the field of cyber security.

When the right suit matters: Standards on bomb suits
When a bomb technician inspects a potential explosive device, the bulky protective suit might be the only defense he or she has. Bomb suit manufacturers run tests on their protective suits to ensure they can withstand an explosion, but there currently is no single set of requirements that the suits must meet before they can be sold.

Poll: Technology brings connection, stress
(AP) -- Technology has become so entwined with college students' often frantic lives that most in a new survey say they'd be more frazzled without it.

Amazon purchasing BuyVIP online sales club
Amazon announced on Thursday it is acquiring BuyVIP.com, a private online sales club with more than six million members in Austria, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Spain.

Fujitsu develops GaN HEMT power amplifier featuring world's highest output in millimeter-wave W-Band
Fujitsu announced the development of a power amplifier using gallium nitride (GaN) High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMT) that has achieved the world's highest output performance of 1.3W for wireless communications in the millimeter-wave W-band, for which widespread usage is expected in the future. The new amplifier will offer transmission output equivalent to approximately 16 times that of existing amplifiers that use gallium-arsenide (GaAs), thereby enabling W-band transmission ranges to be extended by approximately six times.

Draft trade pact more palatable to tech companies
(AP) -- For three years, technology and telecommunications companies have watched nervously from the sidelines as the United States and nearly a dozen trading partners have negotiated a trade agreement that critics feared could undermine all sorts of online activities.

Yahoo revs up search results in turnaround quest
(AP) -- Yahoo Inc. is jazzing up its Internet search results in an effort to orchestrate a revenue revival.

Samsung 3Q earnings likely to fall from record
(AP) -- Samsung Electronics, the world's biggest seller of computer memory chips, forecast Thursday that third-quarter operating profit likely eased from the previous quarter's record high amid signs that growth in global demand is waning.

Retailers ready to capitalize on smart phones' surge
Millions of people no longer head home to sign on to the Internet to shop. And that number is growing as fast as iPhone, Android and BlackBerry mobile devices can be stocked in stores.

New computer switches handle heat that renders transistors useless
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have taken the first step to building a computer capable of operating in the heat of a jet engine or the sunny side of the planet Mercury.

Facebook seen as next frontier for online sales
Brick-and-mortar retailers badly want to tap into Facebook's 500 million users.

Morocco draws on the elements for its green energy project
Water, sun and wind: Morocco has launched an ambitious programme to harness the elements to produce "green" electricity to reduce its dependence on energy imports.

Sony commercializes 16.41 megapixel 'Exmor R' back-illuminated CMOS image sensors for mobile phones
Sony today announced the commercialization of two new "Exmor R" back-illuminated CMOS image sensors with dramatically improved photographic performance including significantly high sensitivity and low noise. In addition, Sony will launch two new lens modules equipped with these image sensors, which also include the smallest and thinnest model for mobile phones. This is also the first time that "Exmor R" is commercialized for the use in mobile phones.

Facebook Groups dinged for drafting members
Facebook on Thursday was getting kudos for giving members better control of their information but dinged for letting people be thrown into "groups" without their permission.

New funding for Viewdle, which lets smartphones 'see'
High-powered players are pumping 10 million dollars into Viewdle, a technology startup crafting ways to let smartphones "see" things the same way people do and identify faces.

Bioasphalt to be used, tested on Des Moines bike trail
Iowa State University's Christopher Williams was just trying to see if adding bio-oil to asphalt would improve the hot- and cold-weather performance of pavements. What he found was a possible green replacement for asphalt derived from petroleum.

Japan looking to sell 'smart' cities to the world
There were gadgets and robots galore at Japan's premier electronics show this week. But one of the biggest attractions wasn't anything you could touch - an energy efficient city of the future.

Adobe shares surge on Microsoft acquisition report
Adobe shares surged on Thursday following a report that the US software maker could be the target of an acquisition by Microsoft.

UK town using fuel from human waste
(PhysOrg.com) -- A town in Oxfordshire has become the first in the UK to have biomethane gas generated from human waste piped to their homes for gas central heating and cooking.

Medicine & Health news

Study shows faith-based interventions can encourage exercise in older African-American women
In a randomized controlled study based in Los Angeles, California, encouraging African-American women aged 60 or over to exercise, in conjunction with scripture reading and group prayer, led to a 78% increase in steps per week, equivalent to about three extra miles. This increase was four times greater than in the control group who were also encouraged to exercise but with no faith based interventions. The results are published today in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Data firm sees 2011 drug sales rising 5-7 percent
(AP) -- Revenue from global prescription drug sales should increase 5 percent to 7 percent next year, reaching at least $880 billion, fueled by new drugs and rising sales in developing countries, according to drug data firm IMS Health.

Greater priority should be given to stroke prevention in developing countries
Increased global attention and research needs to be given to stroke prevention and the social and economic effects of the condition in developing countries, according to an academic at the University of East Anglia (UEA).

Childhood vaccines yes, but not at a cost
Researchers from the University of Alicante (Spain) taking part in the European VACSATC project have studied mothers' and fathers' opinions on vaccinating their children in five countries. The results of the survey show that Spanish mothers are more resistant than those in other countries to the idea of paying for vaccines, while 20.9% expressed some concern about the safety of vaccines.

Real price of each pack of cigarettes is more than 100 euro: scientists
Researchers from the Polytechnic University of Cartagena (UPCT) estimate that each pack of cigarettes really costs €107 for men and €75 for women, when premature death is taken into account. These figures confirm previous studies, and are of key importance in the cost-benefit analysis of smoking-prevention policies.

Bacteria to blame in asthma attacks in children
Doctors have long known that viral infections can bring about asthma attacks and the shortness of breath, coughing, and wheezing associated with them. But while viral infections cannot be treated, scientists at the Danish Paediatric Asthma Centre at the University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen University Hospital have discovered that treatable bacterial infections can also cause asthma attacks. The discovery could revolutionize treatment.

Doctors evaluating heart problems should consider checking fat deposits around the heart
Cardiac imaging researchers at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute are recommending that physicians not overlook fatty deposits around the heart when evaluating patients for risk of major heart problems.

Reducing blood transfusions improves patient safety and cuts costs
A Loyola University Hospital study has demonstrated how the hospital has improved patient safety and cut costs by reducing the number of blood transfusions.

Tinnitus in the elderly is prevalent and impacts quality of life
Tinnitus is common among elderly Nigerians and associated with treatable health conditions like otitis media, rhinosinusitis, head injury and hypertension, according to new research published in the October 2010 issue of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.

Heart healthy diet: Low fat or low carbs?
(PhysOrg.com) -- Losing weight, especially among adults who are very heavy to obese, is a good way to prevent the onset of atherosclerosis, the artery-thickening condition that leads to potentially deadly heart disease. A diet that is low in either fats or carbohydrates can help reduce weight. But which one is the more heart-healthy?

Researchers target HIV-related brain difficulties
(PhysOrg.com) -- During the last two decades, scientists and doctors have developed a potent mix of medications that nearly stops HIV in its tracks for most patients. This combination antiretroviral therapy, or cART, can knock down levels of the virus in the body to a thousandth or less of what it would otherwise be. That means more years of a healthy life for many HIV patients.

Hemorrhoid treatment doesn't always involve surgery
(PhysOrg.com) -- University of Cincinnati experts say unexplained pain or rectal bleeding during bowel movements could be an indication of hemorrhoids, sexually transmitted diseases, infection or even certain cancers.

Research identifies the herbal supplements that are effective in treating anxiety
A systematic review of research into the use of nutritional supplements for the treatment of anxiety disorders has found strong evidence for the use of extracts of passionflower or kava and combinations of L-lysine and L-arginine. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access Nutrition Journal pooled the results of 24 studies involving a total of more than 2000 participants, showing that some nutritional and herbal supplements can be effective, without the risk of serious side effects.

Breast density linked to increased risk of subsequent breast cancer
Researchers at Kaiser Permanente have found that patients with a very early form of breast cancer (ductal carcinoma in situ or DCIS) who have higher mammographic density may be at increased risk for subsequent breast cancer, especially in the breast opposite to the one with the initial cancer.

Study links large waist size to higher diabetes rates among Americans
A higher rate of diabetes seen among adult Americans when compared to peers in England is explained primarily by a larger waist size rather than conventional risk factors such as obesity, according to a new study by researchers from the RAND Corporation, University College London and the Institute for Fiscal Studies in London.

Americans' life expectancy continues to fall behind other countries'
The United States continues to lag behind other nations when it comes to gains in life expectancy, and commonly cited causes for our poor performance—obesity, smoking, traffic fatalities, and homicide—are not to blame, according to a Commonwealth Fund-supported study published today as a Health Affairs Web First. The study, by Peter Muennig and Sherry Glied at Columbia University, looked at health spending; behavioral risk factors like obesity and smoking; and 15-year survival rates for men and women ages 45 and 65 in the U.S. and 12 other nations (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom).

Stressed-out mums may worsen their child's asthma
Mums who are often angry or irritated and those who suppress their emotional expressions can worsen the severity of their children's asthma symptoms, especially when the children are younger. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal BioPsychoSocial Medicine studied 223 mothers for a year , investigating how their stress levels, coping styles and parenting styles were associated with their 2 to 12 year old children's disease status.

NY seeks to ban sugary drinks from food stamp buys
(AP) -- New Yorkers on food stamps would not be allowed to spend them on sugar-sweetened drinks under an obesity-fighting proposal being floated by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Gov. David Paterson.

Kids with disability, chronic illness more likely to be bullied
On top of all the other hardships they face daily, adolescent students living with a disability or chronic illness are more likely to be victims of bullying from their peers at school, a new French and Irish study finds.

Type 2 diabetics warned on dangers of low blood sugar
People with type two diabetes who suffer episodes of critically low blood sugar levels (severe hypoglycemia) are at greater risk of suffering subsequent vascular problems such as a heart attack, stroke and kidney disease, as well as non-vascular problems such as cancer and respiratory conditions, a new study has found.

Positive results for seniors with anxiety and depression in 'Aging Wisely' study
With the number of ageing adults set to expand to a quarter of the population by 2050, the problems of anxiety and low mood – already common in older adults – pose a serious public health challenge in the future.

Researchers find osteoporosis drug may help women with kidney disease
The osteoporosis drug raloxifene may be useful in treating kidney disease in women, suggests a new study led by Michal Melamed, M.D., M.H.S., assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology & population health at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

Patient personality hinders detection of depression
Patient personality affects the accuracy of reports by friends and family members of mood history and symptoms and can cause missed diagnoses of depression, according to research published online by the journal International Psychogeriatrics.

Preventive drugs for higher-risk women rarely used to treat breast cancer
The millions of Americans who take a pill each day to drive down their cholesterol or blood pressure do not generally think of themselves as "sick." They believe that they are treating one thing -- high cholesterol or blood pressure -- and helping to prevent something worse: a heart attack or stroke.

An X-ray for your genes
Prescription drugs and their dosages may be standardized, but not every patient reacts to a medicine in the same way. The personal genetic characteristics of individuals and populations can explain why a specific prescription successfully treats one patient and not another, so medical researchers are adopting the new approach called "personalized medicine" and a Tel Aviv University lab is leading the way.

Cheek swab may detect lung cancer
Early detection is critical for improving cancer survival rates. Yet, one of the deadliest cancers in the United States, lung cancer, is notoriously difficult to detect in its early stages.

Controversial law improves care for serious mental illness
(PhysOrg.com) -- Mounting evidence supports the benefits of New York State’s much-debated law authorizing court-ordered outpatient psychiatric treatment for people with serious mental illnesses, according to a series of newly published reports led by Duke University Medical Center researchers.

URMC discovers new trigger for kidney cancer's invasive behavior
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have unlocked a strong interaction between two proteins involved in kidney cancer that help to explain the menacing invasiveness of this particular disease, according to a University of Rochester Medical Center study.

CDC: More American adults hobbled by arthritis
(AP) -- A surprising jump in the number of Americans hobbled by arthritis may be due to obesity, health experts said Thursday.

Researchers develop better way to see molecules at work in living brain cells
By creating a better way to see molecules at work in living brain cells, researchers affiliated with MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and the MIT Department of Chemistry are helping elucidate molecular mechanisms of synapse formation. These studies could also help further understanding of how synapses go awry in developmental diseases such as autism and Fragile X syndrome. The study will appear in the Oct. 7 issue of Cell.

Brain changes found in football players thought to be concussion-free
A study by researchers at Purdue University suggests that some high school football players suffer undiagnosed changes in brain function and continue playing even though they are impaired.

Surprising similarities between human and zebrafish tumors
Most human cells have 23 pairs of chromosomes, the large bundles of DNA that store all of a cell’s genetic information. However, scientists realized more than 100 years ago that tumor cells usually have extra copies of some chromosomes. This trait, known as aneuploidy, appears to give tumor cells a survival edge.

Gut microbes promote cell turnover by a well-known pathway
Microbes matter -- perhaps more than anyone realizes -- in basic biological development and, maybe, they could be a target for reducing cancer risks, according to University of Oregon researchers.

Childhood adversity may lead to unhealthy stress response in adult life
Seemingly healthy adults, if they were abused or neglected during childhood, may suffer physiological consequences decades later. In research published online last week by the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, a team led by psychiatrists at Brown University and Butler Hospital found that healthy adults who reported being mistreated as kids appear to have an elevated inflammatory response to stress compared to adults who had happier childhoods.

Study disproves link between genetic variant, risk of coronary artery disease
A genetic marker touted as a predictor of coronary artery disease is no such thing, according to a study led by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Scientists reveal first structure of a class of proteins that help guide blood cell movement
Researchers have determined the structure of a protein that helps guide blood-forming stem cells, or hematopoetic stem cells. The protein is also one of the main receptors used by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to get inside blood cells.

Thoughts about time inspire people to socialize
Does thinking about time or money make you happier? A new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, finds that people who are made to think about time plan to spend more of their time with the people in their lives while people who think about money fill their schedules with work, work, and -- you guessed it -- more work.

Three-way control of fetal heart-cell proliferation could help regenerate cardiac cells
(PhysOrg.com) -- Heart muscle cells do not normally replicate in adult tissue, but multiply with abandoned during development. This is why the loss of heart muscle after a heart attack is so dire -- you can't grow enough new heart muscle to make up for the loss.

Cell survival protein discovery rewrites immune system story
A discovery by Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers in Melbourne, Australia, reported in today's edition of Science, is set to rewrite a long-held belief about how the body's immune system establishes its memory.

Biology news

Life-saving in the bacterial world: How Campylobacter rely on Pseudomonas to infect humans
Many a holiday is ruined by food poisoning, frequently caused by the bacterium Campylobacter jejuni. Although Campylobacter infections are rarely life-threatening they are extremely debilitating and have been linked with the development of Guillain-Barré syndrome, one of the leading causes of non-trauma-induced paralysis worldwide.

First census of marine life reveals thousands of new species
The Census of Marine Life, a ten-year project to catalog all life in the sea, discovered more than 6,000 new species during its “decade of discovery,” scientists reported as they unveiled its results at a finale event in London Oct. 4-6. The collaboration combined the efforts of scientists from research organizations in more than 80 nations, including the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).

Killer disease decimates UK frog populations
(PhysOrg.com) -- Common frog (Rana temporaria) populations across the UK are suffering dramatic population crashes due to infection from the emerging disease Ranavirus, reveals research published in the Zoological Society of London's (ZSL) journal Animal Conservation.

Crop failures set to increase under climate change
Large-scale crop failures like the one that caused the recent Russian wheat crisis are likely to become more common under climate change due to an increased frequency of extreme weather events, a new study shows.

The elusive intermediary: Newly discovered protein may help to improve crop yields
Photosynthesis is the process used by plants to convert atmospheric carbon dioxide into the energy-rich chemicals upon which all life-forms depend. The energy trapped in these compounds comes from sunlight, and photosynthetic organisms – plants, algae and certain types of bacteria – capture this energy in a usable form with the help of protein complexes called photosystems. Photosystems include antenna proteins that collect incident light, and green plants have two sorts of photosystems, which respond best to light of different wavelengths.

Stem cells shape up to their surroundings
Many scientists aspire to take control over the stem cell differentiation process, so that we can grow organs and implants perfectly matched to each patient in the future. Now research in the Journal of Tissue Engineering explains how engineering the topography on which stem cells grow, and the mechanical forces working on them, can be as powerful an agent for change as their chemical environment.

Novel protein critical for cellular proliferation discovered
Accurate duplication of genetic material and the faithful segregation of chromosomes are critical for cell survival. The initiation of DNA replication is linked both to cell cycle progression and chromatin organization. In plants, animals and other "eukaryotes," the assembly of a multi-protein complex called pre-replicative complex (preRC) is the first step in the initiation of DNA replication. As the name implies, origin recognition complex (ORC) proteins bind to origins of DNA replication. Subsequently, other components of preRC are assembled at these sites. In addition to its role in DNA replication, ORC is also involved in gene silencing and organization of the tightly packed DNA, called heterochromatin. How ORC is brought to the DNA in human cells had previously remained a mystery.

Researchers consider converting invasive plants to fuel
Invasive plants make life tougher for farmers and ranchers who live in the six headwater states of the Missouri River Basin, so why not turn the plants into fuel and make some money at the same time?

In plants, small changes make big impact
(PhysOrg.com) -- You can’t see them or feel them, but right now countless biochemical interactions in your body affect your life in countless ways. These interactions are important because if they go poorly, really bad things can happen. In a simple and admittedly extreme example, poorly regulated protein interactions – interactions between molecules that are the main regulators of biochemical pathways inside cells – could result in unlimited cell division. That doesn’t sound so bad, unless you realize that there’s another name for it: cancer.

Researchers discover 'walking' properties of bacteria
(PhysOrg.com) -- Talk about a walk on the wild side: University of Notre Dame researcher Joshua Shrout is co-author of a new paper that shows that bacteria are capable of "standing up" and moving while vertical.

Every egg is different
Migratory birds have to allocate their resources for reproduction in an efficient way in order to commence breeding shortly after arrival. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen studied pectoral sandpipers on their breeding grounds in northern Alaska. Using stable isotope mass spectrometry they found that the birds applied different resource allocation strategies for reproduction.

Researcher discovers mechanism for changing adult cells into stem-like cells
In 2006, Dr. Shimya Yaminaka of Kyoto University in Japan set the stem cell and regenerative medicine research world on fire when he successfully transformed differentiated mouse skin cells into cells that looked and behave like embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells, the subject of much controversy when used in research, have the ability to differentiate into any type of tissue.

Deceitful lily fools flies: Solomon's lily imitates a yeasty odor to lure vinegar flies into a trap
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany, have solved a case of fraud that has been pending for 40 million years. Arum palaestinum, also called the Solomon's lily, attracts drosophilids (vinegar flies) as pollinators by emitting odor molecules that resemble those produced during alcoholic fermentation of rotting fruit initiated by yeast.

New tool in the fight against tuberculosis
Researchers at the Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois have developed a way to harness the prodigious quantities of both genomic and metabolic data being generated with high-throughput genomics and other techniques. They have developed an algorithm that automatically integrates both data sets. The model, called probabilistic regulation of metabolism (PROM), enables researchers to perturb a given regulatory gene or metabolic process and see how that affects the entire network.

Report: Virus, fungus new suspects in bee disease
Researchers have a pair of new suspects in the mysterious collapse of honey bee colonies across the country.

Transgenic corn suppresses European corn borer, saves farmers billions
Transgenic corn's suppression of the European corn borer has saved Midwest farmers billions of dollars in the past decade, reports a new study in Science.

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