Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for October 6, 2010:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Carbon atom pioneers share Nobel chemistry prize (Update 4)- Flexible and transparent OLEDs from TDK (w/ Video)
- Combination vaccine developed for smallpox and anthrax
- Study sheds new light on how the Sun affects the Earth's climate
- New fossil suggests dinosaurs not so fierce after all
- Researchers find the blind use visual brain area to improve other senses
- Long-extinct passenger pigeon finds a place in the family tree
- Motorola looking to take bite out of Blackberry
- BLADE software eliminates 'drive-by downloads' from malicious websites (w/ Video)
- From eye to brain: Researchers map functional connections between retinal neurons at single-cell resolution
- Number of synapses shown to vary between night and day in zebrafish study
- Blood pressure breakthrough holds real hope for treatment of pre-eclampsia
- Blood test could diagnose Alzheimer's disease
- Greatest warming is in the north, but biggest impact on life is in the tropics
- In Parkinson's disease, brain cells abandon mitochondria
Space & Earth news
Limited progress in climate talks in China
(AP) -- U.N. climate talks being held in China this week are making limited progress as rich and poor nations remain divided on key issues, negotiators said Wednesday.
SERVIR: Program brings satellite imagery, decision support tools to Himalayan region
NASA and USAID are expanding SERVIR to the Himalayas to address critical issues such as land cover change, air quality, glacial melt and adaptation to climate change. The agencies are working in partnership with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), a regional knowledge development and learning center that serves member countries in the Hindu-Kush-Himalaya region, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Nepal and Pakistan.
EU to Hungary: Don't let toxic sludge hit Danube
(AP) -- Hungary opened a criminal probe into the toxic sludge flood Wednesday and the European Union urged emergency authorities to do everything they can to keep the contaminated slurry from reaching the Danube and affecting half a dozen other nations.
UD researcher on project team for NASA's first visit to the sun
A University of Delaware researcher is helping to design instruments for a robotic space probe that will go where no other has gone before: the sun.
Panel: Gov't thwarted worst-case scenario on spill
(AP) -- The Obama administration blocked efforts by government scientists to tell the public just how bad the Gulf oil spill could become and committed other missteps that raised questions about its competence and candor during the crisis, according to a commission appointed by the president to investigate the disaster.
Environmentalists fret about Plum Island's future
(AP) -- Researchers since the 1950s have studied dangerous animal diseases here that if unleashed could imperil the nation's livestock. Cold War germ warfare testing also occurred on Plum Island, and for decades the U.S. Army used it as a coastal defense post.
Hubble probes comet 103P/Hartley 2 in preparation for DIXI/EPOXI flyby
(PhysOrg.com) -- Hubble Space Telescope observations of comet 103P/Hartley 2, taken on September 25, are helping in the planning for a November 4 flyby of the comet by the Deep Impact eXtended Investigation (DIXI) on NASA's EPOXI spacecraft.
Bangladesh monsoon rains 'lowest since 1994'
Bangladesh has experienced its driest monsoon season for more than a decade despite heavy rains in neighbouring India and Pakistan that caused flooding, officials said Wednesday.
Crews struggle to clear toxic Hungary sludge flood
(AP) -- There was no stopping the avalanche of toxic red sludge when it rammed into Kati Holtzer's home: It smashed through the main door and trapped the woman and her 3-year-old boy in a churning sea of acrid waste.
Image: Close-up of a meteorite - 'Oilean Ruaidh'
This is an image of the meteorite that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity found and examined in September 2010.
Volcano fuels massive phytoplankton bloom
Advocates for seeding regions of the ocean with iron to combat global warming should be interested in a new study published today in Geophysical Research Letters.
WISE captures key image of comet mission's destination
NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, caught a glimpse of the comet that the agency's EPOXI mission will visit in November. The WISE observation will help the EPOXI team put together a large-scale picture of the comet, known as Hartley 2.
Dairy industry not to blame in greenhouse gas emissions, new study says
Forget all the tacky jokes about cow flatulence causing climate change. A new study reports that the dairy industry is responsible for only about 2.0 percent of all US greenhouse gas emissions.
Slowing climate warming may require geoengineering
Geoengineering could prevent the potentially catastrophic climate-change tipping points that loom just ahead, reports a new Cornell study.
Study to reveal link between climate and early human evolution
Olduvai Gorge is a steep-sided ravine on the edge of the Serengeti Plain, East Africa, and is home to some of the world's most important fossil hominins. Geologists are investigating the chemical composition of carbonate rocks that lie beneath the surfaces where early human fossils have been uncovered. The data will help an international team of geologists, paleoanthropologists and archaeologists understand how environmental pressures may have influenced the development of human ancestors and their use of the land.
GOES-13 on top of new seventeenth Atlantic (sub) tropical depression
The GOES-13 satellite keeps a vigilant eye on the Atlantic Ocean and eastern U.S. and this morning at 5 a.m. EDT it saw System 97L organize into the seventeenth tropical depression of the Atlantic Ocean season. The only catch is that it is actually a subtropical depression, so it is currently known as Subtropical Depression 17 (TD17).
Climate satellite 'blinded' by radio interference
The European Space Agency (ESA) said on Wednesday that it had launched a behind-the-scenes campaign to shut down illicit radio and TV transmissions interfering with a major climate satellite.
WMAP project completes satellite operations mission observed universe's oldest light
(PhysOrg.com) -- After nine years of scanning the sky, the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) space mission has concluded its observations of the cosmic microwave background, the oldest light in the universe. The spacecraft has not only given scientists their best look at this remnant glow, but also established the scientific model that describes the history and structure of the universe.
NASA loosens GRIP on Atlantic hurricane season
NASA wrapped up one of its largest hurricane research efforts ever last week after nearly two months of flights that broke new ground in the study of tropical cyclones and delivered data that scientists will now be able to analyze for years to come.
Japan space probe may have brought home space dust: reports
Japan's space agency has found particles that may be extra-terrestrial in the capsule of the space probe Hayabusa that returned home in June after a seven-year journey to an asteroid, reports said Wednesday.
Planet Neptune not guilty of harassment
New research by a University of Victoria PhD student is challenging popular theory about how part of our solar system formed. At today's meeting of the prestigious Division of Planetary Sciences in Pasadena, California, Alex Parker is presenting evidence that, contrary to popular belief, the planet Neptune can't have knocked a collection of planetoids known as the Cold Classical Kuiper Belt to its current location at the edge of the solar system.
VISTA reveals the secret of the unicorn (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new infrared image from ESO’s VISTA survey telescope reveals an extraordinary landscape of glowing tendrils of gas, dark clouds and young stars within the constellation of Monoceros (the Unicorn). This star-forming region, known as Monoceros R2, is embedded within a huge dark cloud. The region is almost completely obscured by interstellar dust when viewed in visible light, but is spectacular in the infrared.
Greatest warming is in the north, but biggest impact on life is in the tropics
In recent decades documented biological changes in the far Northern Hemisphere have been attributed to global warming, changes from species extinctions to shifting geographic ranges. Such changes were expected because warming has been fastest in the northern temperate zone and the Arctic.
Study sheds new light on how the Sun affects the Earth's climate
The Sun's activity has recently affected the Earth's atmosphere and climate in unexpected ways, according to a new study published today in the journal Nature. The study, by researchers from Imperial College London and the University of Colorado, shows that a decline in the Sun's activity does not always mean that the Earth becomes cooler.
Technology news
Site issues cause outage for some Facebook users
(AP) -- Facebook says unspecified site issues caused the social-networking site to be slow or unavailable for some of its 500 million users.
Redirection reduces impact of erosion
The life expectancy of cooling plates in heat exchangers at Rio Tinto Alcan’s Yarwun alumina refinery has increased from a few days to as long as 12 months with help from CSIRO’s slurry erosion researchers, according to the October issue of Process magazine.
VTT printed hemoglobin test on paper
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed a method of using printing technology to produce simple tests related to health, well-being and the environment. VTT has demonstrated the efficacy of the method by printing a hemoglobin test, i.e. manufactured paper that reveals whether a given sample contains hemoglobin.
New statistics on business innovation released by NSF
Preliminary figures from the Business R&D and Innovation Survey (BRDIS)--fielded for the first time in 2009--indicate that some 22 percent of companies in manufacturing industries reported one or more product innovations (goods and/or services) in the period 2006-08 and about 22 percent introduced process innovations (new methods for manufacturing or production; logistics, delivery, distribution; support activities).
Euro terror alert spotlights voiceprint technology
(AP) -- Did their voices betray them? The discovery of an alleged terror plot against Europe owes at least some of its success to "voiceprint" technology that allows law enforcement to electronically match a voice to its owner.
Qualcomm pulls plug on Flo TV device sales
US technology company Qualcomm said Tuesday that it was suspending sales of its Flo TV "personal television" sets as it examines the future of the mobile TV service.
Verizon says fast 4G wireless coming to 38 cities
(AP) -- Verizon Wireless said Wednesday that its new wireless broadband network, which offers higher data speeds initially for laptop users, will be live before the end of the year in the cities on the Boston-to-Washington stretch as well as in California, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Seattle and other areas.
Facebook lets users form groups and download data (Update)
Facebook on Wednesday began letting users form cozy cliques as part of a move to give people more control of their information at the world's most popular online social network.
Microsoft acquires applications monitor AVIcode
US software giant Microsoft announced on Wednesday that it has bought AVIcode, a Maryland-based company that monitors the performance of online applications and services.
Motorola sues Apple for patent infringement
Motorola, just days after being targeted in a patent suit by Microsoft, filed complaints against Apple on Wednesday alleging that the iPhone, iPad and other products infringe its patents.
Michigan students get DC vote site to play song
(AP) -- University of Michigan students hacked a prototype D.C. elections voting site and programmed it to play their fight song, prompting election officials to temporarily take it down.
UAE's planned renewable energy city gets its first residents
Abu Dhabi's planned Masdar City, which is to be the world's first powered solely by renewable energy, now has residents -- students at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology.
Change needed in telecom regulation: researchers
The Internet has had an obviously revolutionary effect on the way people find and disseminate information; but it's had no less revolutionary an effect on the organization of the telecommunications industry. Where the industry was, in the past, dominated by a few huge companies with aligned interests, it's now a tumult of startups charging hard in different directions. Google and Facebook became billion-dollar companies with virtually no control over the networks on which their services depend, and there's no guarantee that their interests will converge with those of Verizon and Comcast.
BLADE software eliminates 'drive-by downloads' from malicious websites (w/ Video)
Insecure Web browsers and the growing number of complex applets and browser plug-in applications are allowing malicious software to spread faster than ever on the Internet. Some websites are installing malicious code, such as spyware, on computers without the user's knowledge or consent.
Electric bicycle gets 60-mile range with portable hydrogen fuel cell
Claiming to have developed "the most energy dense power solution for electric bicycles," SiGNa Chemistry, Inc., is hoping to greatly improve not only electric bicycles, but many other electric applications. The New York City-based company has developed a cartridge containing sodium silicide, a stable metal powder. When the powder comes in contact with water (including polluted water, sea water, and urine), it instantly produces hydrogen, and the hydrogen is then converted into electricity. According to the company, one cartridge can power a bicycle for a range of up to 60 miles without pedaling.
Hemp produces viable biodiesel, study finds
(PhysOrg.com) -- Industrial hemp, which grows in infertile soils, is attractive as a potential source of sustainable diesel fuel.
Flexible and transparent OLEDs from TDK (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- Flexible and translucent organic displays have been developed by TDK for use in “bendable” mobile phones and other gadgets, and the bendable display is expected to go into mass production by the end of 2011.
Medicine & Health news
Overhaul 'made-to-order' drugs, which cost NHS millions, urges DTB
The provision of made-to-order drugs ("specials") in primary care is expensive, often unnecessary, and associated with legal pitfalls, says the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB).
Asthma exacerbation and large doses of inhaled corticosteroids
There is no evidence that increasing the dose of inhaled corticosteroids at the onset of an asthma exacerbation, as part of a patient-initiated action plan, reduces the need for rescue oral corticosteroids. This is the conclusion of work published in The Cochrane Library this month.
New registry to accelerate research on fragile X syndrome
(PhysOrg.com) -- As researchers delve further into the genetic basis for disease, they face a conundrum: finding enough affected people who can fill out a true picture of mutations that can vary from one person to another. A case in point is fragile X syndrome, a genetic mutation that affects approximately one infant boy in 3,600 births, and one infant girl in 4,000-6,000 births.
Reproductive health: Checkerboard of infertility treatment in Europe
European patients are in many countries, in fact, limited in their individual choice of medically assisted reproduction (MAR) treatment, experts from the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) stressed today at the European Health Forum Gastein (EHFG).
UN report: 22 nations face protracted food crises
(AP) -- U.N. food agencies said Wednesday that 166 million people in 22 countries suffer chronic hunger or difficulty finding enough to eat as a result of what they called protracted food crises.
Prostate cancer detected with help from optical imaging system
Hanli Liu, a University of Texas at Arlington bioengineering professor, has landed a three-year, $958,660 grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate a minimally invasive way to screen for and diagnose prostate cancer by using a multi-channel optical imaging system.
Louisiana Tech professor partners with local schools to study menu nutrition
Dr. Mary Murimi, professor of nutrition and dietetics at Louisiana Tech University, has partnered with Lincoln Parish Schools (Louisiana) to improve the nutritional value of food offered to students throughout the parish school system.
FDA stresses need to modernize its science
(AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration must update its scientific tools for reviewing prescription drugs, medical devices and tracking food safety, according to a list of priorities laid out Wednesday by agency leadership.
Is man's best friend also child's best therapist?
(PhysOrg.com) -- Bonding with a dog sounds like the perfect remedy for children who have lost their trust in people, and BYU undergrad Trisha Markle wants to quantifiably confirm whether the practice works.
Treatments for postnatal depression assessed
Giving antidepressants to women with postnatal depression early in the course of the illness is likely to result in the greatest improvement in symptoms, according to new research from the University of Bristol, funded by the National Institute for Health Research, Health Technology Assessment (HIHR HTA) programme.
Keeping blood pressure in check may benefit some African-Americans with kidney disease
Keeping blood pressure at a low level in African-Americans with kidney disease may slow the progression of the condition in patients with proteinuria, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers found in a national study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Limited number of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes cause most invasive pneumococcal disease
Contrary to current thinking, the group of serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae responsible for most invasive pneumococcal disease worldwide is conserved across regions. Streptococcus pneumoniae is the leading bacterial cause of pneumonia, sepsis, and meningitis in children, which together comprise more than 25% of the 10 million deaths estimated to have occurred in 2000 in children under 5 years of age, and preventable by access to appropriate vaccines.
Persistently noisy workplace more than doubles heart disease risk
A persistently noisy workplace more than doubles an employee's risk of serious heart disease, suggests research published online in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
Vitamin D supplements do not increase bone density in healthy children
Giving vitamin D supplements to healthy children with normal vitamin D levels does not improve bone density at the hip, lumbar spine, forearm or in the body as a whole, according to a new Cochrane Systematic Review.
Light drinking during pregnancy does not harm child's behavioral or intellectual development
Light drinking during pregnancy does not harm a young child's behavioural or intellectual development, reveals research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
Finasteride reduces symptoms and disease progression associated with enlarged prostates
When compared with placebo and other drugs, long-term use of finasteride improves urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia, and reduces disease progression. This conclusion comes from combining the findings of 23 randomized clinical trials that evaluated almost 21,000 men, and is published this month in The Cochrane Library.
Virulent skin germ grates on Maine lobstering isle
(AP) -- A strain of a drug-resistant skin disease that has afflicted sports teams, prisons and military units is now proving a persistent pest among lobstermen and their families on a Maine island.
Johnson & Johnson, Crucell biotech announce takeover
Pharmaceutical and health care giant Johnson & Johnson has reached a deal with Dutch biotechnology vaccine group Crucell to buy 82.5 percent of Crucell for about 1.75 billion euros, the two firms said on Wednesday.
Test tube laureates
Robert G. Edwards, the "father of the test tube baby," won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine yesterday for developing in vitro fertilization, a process involving the fertilization of human eggs outside a woman’s body. This technology was first used successfully in 1978, and since then an estimated four million babies have been born in this way.
Elucidating side effects of antineoplastic agent
Cisplatin, an anticancer drug widely used for treating various types of tumor, can induce side effects in the short term. A team of French scientists, mostly from CNRS and the Universite de Nice has provided first in vitro evidence that this antitumor agent modifies the sensitivity of cellular pressure sensors. This completely novel mechanism could help to elucidate certain neurological side effects of cisplatin hitherto unexplained. These results could open potential avenues for improving the chemotherapeutic efficacy of cisplatin-based compounds. The researchers now plan to test them on animal models. Their work was published on 1st October 2010 in the journal Cancer Research.
Ibuprofen provides relief for migraine headaches in many
For many people suffering from migraine headaches, over-the-counter ibuprofen – Advil and Motrin are well-known brands – might be enough to relieve the pain.
Telehealth keeps asthmatics out of hospitals
Health care delivered via telephone or Internet might not improve the quality of life for people with mild asthma, but it could keep those with severe asthma out of the hospital, a new evidence review finds.
A genetic view of ADHD
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common mental health problem that severely disrupts people’s lives. It is poorly understood and is often dismissed as bad behaviour or laziness. It has recently been discovered that children with ADHD are more likely to have pieces of their DNA duplicated or missing than other children. Penny Bailey spoke with Anita Thapar about the importance of showing that there is a genetic basis to ADHD, and how this might help us understand its biological causes.
Researchers advance understanding of structural change in cancer cells
(PhysOrg.com) -- A method developed by a University of Maine mathematician to get a much more detailed look at cellular morphology has the potential to aid in early cancer detection.
New study probes link between breast cancer and air pollution
Air pollution has already been linked to a range of health problems. Now, a ground-breaking new study suggests pollution from traffic may put women at risk for another deadly disease. The study, published in the prestigious journal Environmental Health Perspectives, by researchers from The Research Institute of the MUHC (RI MUHC; Dr. Mark Goldberg), McGill University (Drs. Goldberg, Dan Crouse and Nancy Ross), and Universite de Montreal (Dr. France Labreche), links the risk of breast cancer – the second leading cause of death from cancer in women – to traffic-related air pollution.
New cancer therapy appears promising in pre-clinical trails
A new method for treating breast cancer is showing early promise in pre-clinical trials.
Patients predisposed to blood clots present genetic markers
UCD researchers jointly led by Conway Fellow, Dr. Patricia Maguire and Professor Des Fitzgerald, Professor of Molecular Medicine & Vice-President for Research, have identified new genes that contribute to platelet function and promote blood clot formation. Their findings are described recently in a leading haematology journal, Blood.
Bones restored with dried plum in aging mice
A diet supplemented with powdered dried plum restored bone lost by mice during the course of normal aging, in a study led by a researcher at the San Francisco VA Medical Center.
Best diets to reduce heart disease investigated in new study
A new study at the University of Reading, in collaboration with the Medical Research Council, Cambridge, and three UK universities, has shed new light on dietary recommendations for good health.
Experts advocate realigning type 2 diabetes treatments with disease's natural history
A new consensus statement published in the September, 2010, issue of The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) finds that the increasing recognition that beta-cell failure occurs much earlier and severely than commonly believed suggests that regular glycemia screening, early identification of patients at metabolic risk and prompt and aggressive intervention deserves greater emphasis.
Drug that helps adults addicted to opioid drugs also relieves withdrawal symptoms in newborns
Thousands of infants each year have exposure to opioids before they are born. Over half of these infants are born with withdrawal symptoms severe enough to require opioid replacement treatment in the nursery. Such treatment is associated with long hospital stays which interferes with maternal/infant bonding. Now, a team of researchers at Thomas Jefferson University has tested a semi-synthetic opioid they say has the potential to improve the treatment of these newborns, which could save hundreds of millions in healthcare costs annually if future tests continue to show benefit.
Immune system linked with accumulation of toxic tau protein
Cells that help to protect the central nervous system may also contribute to pathological changes in the brain. New research, published by Cell Press in the October 7th issue of the journal Neuron, provides mechanistic insight into a link between the immune system and neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease that are associated with abnormal accumulation of tau protein.
Scientists develop novel test that identifies river blindness
October 6, 2010 – For Immediate Release – Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have developed the first screening method that rapidly identifies individuals with active river blindness, a parasitic disease that afflicts an estimated 37 million people. The test could change the current strategy of mass treatment in areas where river blindness, also known as onchocerciasis, is suspected.
Competing motivational brain responses predict costly helping
A new study reveals that brain signals elicited by the sight of someone suffering pain differ as a function of whether we identify positively or negatively with that person and that these differential brain signals predict a later decision to help or withdraw from helping. The research, published by Cell Press in the October 7th issue of the journal Neuron, provides fascinating insight into the neural mechanisms involved in decisions that benefit others, known as prosocial behavior, and how they are modulated by perceived group membership.
Vitamin D deficiency rampant in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery, damaging patient recovery
Almost 50 percent of patients undergoing orthopedic surgery have vitamin D deficiency that should be corrected before surgery to improve patient outcomes, based on a study by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City. Vitamin D is essential for bone healing and muscle function and is critical for a patient's recovery. The study appears in the October issue of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.
Is being a 'weekend warrior' bad for your health?
(PhysOrg.com) -- Work and family obligations keep many people from exercising on a regular basis. But working out only once a week or less puts you at risk of injury. Jeffrey Spang, MD, an expert at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, explains how you can develop a long-term, healthy approach to exercise.
Patient-provider language barriers linked to worse diabetes control
Patients who cannot discuss their diabetes with a doctor in their own language may have poorer health outcomes, even when interpreter services are available, according to a new study by researchers at UCSF and the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research.
Blood test could diagnose Alzheimer's disease
A set of proteins found in blood serum shows promise as a sensitive and accurate way to diagnose Alzheimer's disease, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found as part of a statewide study.
Microfluidic devices advance 3-D tissue engineering
A research team, co-headed by Dr. Woo Lee and Dr. Hongjun Wang of Stevens Institute of Technology, has published a paper describing a new method that generates three-dimensional (3D) tissue models for studying bacterial infection of orthopedic implants.
Researchers find the blind use visual brain area to improve other senses
People who have been blind from birth make use of the visual parts of their brain to refine their sensation of sound and touch, according to an international team of researchers led by neuroscientists at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC).
Number of synapses shown to vary between night and day in zebrafish study
With the help of tiny, see-through fish, Stanford University School of Medicine researchers are homing in on what happens in the brain while you sleep. In a new study, they show how the circadian clock and sleep affect the scope of neuron-to-neuron connections in a particular region of the brain, and they identified a gene that appears to regulate the number of these connections, called synapses.
From eye to brain: Researchers map functional connections between retinal neurons at single-cell resolution
By comparing a clearly defined visual input with the electrical output of the retina, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies were able to trace for the first time the neuronal circuitry that connects individual photoreceptors with retinal ganglion cells, the neurons that carry visuals signals from the eye to the brain.
Blood pressure breakthrough holds real hope for treatment of pre-eclampsia
Scientists have discovered a mechanism which raises blood pressure in pre-eclampsia, a potentially deadly condition which occurs during pregnancy.
In Parkinson's disease, brain cells abandon mitochondria
In a study that sheds new light on the causes of Parkinson's disease, researchers report that brain cells in Parkinson's patients abandon their energy-producing machinery, the mitochondria. A shutdown in fuel can have devastating effects on brain cells, which consume roughly 20 percent of the body's energy despite making up only 2 percent of body weight.
Combination vaccine developed for smallpox and anthrax
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new combination vaccine against both smallpox and anthrax has been tested in animal studies and found to be more effective against anthrax than the Emergent BioSolutions Inc. vaccine currently available.
Biology news
New fish feeds made from fish byproducts
Fish byproducts may be a new source of fish feed, thanks to research by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded scientists in Hawaii.
Wet, muddy conditions can lead to lameness and mastitis in dairy herds
(PhysOrg.com) -- Continuing autumn rains are producing conditions that can increase lameness and mastitis in dairy herds in South Dakota.
Dracula fish, bald bird among strange new species
Dracula fish, a bald songbird and a seven-metre (23 feet) tall carnivorous plant are among several unusual new species found in the Greater Mekong region last year, researchers said Wednesday.
Device reveals invisible world teeming with microscopic algae
It just got easier to pinpoint biological hot spots in the world's oceans where some inhabitants are smaller than, well, a pinpoint.
Female Cantabrian bears and their young do not hibernate
A team of Spanish scientists followed the brown bear population through the mountains of the Cantabrian Cordillera between 1998 and 2007 in order to find out about their hibernation habits, which had been questioned in historical documents. The results confirm that female bears with babies and independent young bears under the age of two do not usually hibernate, while the other bears follow normal hibernation patterns.
Family ties bind desert lizards in social groups
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have found that a species of lizard in the Mojave Desert lives in family groups and shows patterns of social behavior more commonly associated with mammals and birds. Their investigation of the formation and stability of family groups in desert night lizards (Xantusia vigilis) provides new insights into the evolution of cooperative behavior.
Study provides data that can inform Atlantic sturgeon recovery efforts
A first-of-its-kind study that tracked the oceanic migrations of adult Atlantic sturgeon that were caught and tagged in the Hudson River discovered that these fish move vast distances in the Atlantic Ocean, traveling as far south as Georgia and as far north as Nova Scotia, Canada. The findings indicate that recovery of Atlantic sturgeon fisheries will need to address long-range oceanic threats to the species in addition to local measures closer to spawning grounds.
Study: Fish near coal-fired power plants have lower levels of mercury
A new study from North Carolina State University finds that fish located near coal-fired power plants have lower levels of mercury than fish that live much further away. The surprising finding appears to be linked to high levels of another chemical, selenium, found near such facilities, which unfortunately poses problems of its own.
Scientists discover 200 new species in remote PNG
Scientists Wednesday unveiled a spectacular array of more than 200 new species discovered in the Pacific islands of Papua New Guinea, including a white-tailed mouse and a tiny, long-snouted frog.
Vultures use face flushing technique for instant status updates
Tech savvy humans who use social media sites to instantly update their 'statuses', may be behaving like vultures who use 'face flushing' as a visible way of instantly updating their own status when interacting with peers and rivals. Research, published in Ethology, reveals how the ability to rapidly change skin colour is a key form of interaction for vultures, especially for displays of dominance.
Unmasking the matriarchs of thoroughbred racehorses
Thoroughbred racehorses have typically been associated with the highly-prized breeds of the Arabian Peninsula; but according to new research, their origins may be far more cosmopolitan than previously thought.
A cleaner way to unlock energy: microbes for biofuel
Algae and photosynthetic bacteria hold a hidden treasure – fat molecules known as lipids – which can be converted to renewable biofuels. Such microorganisms offer an attractive alternative to the unsustainable use of petroleum-based fossil fuels, as well as biofuel sources requiring arable cropland.
Study says nocturnal ants have evolved night vision
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers studying the eyes of different Australian bull ants have found the first evidence of adaptation of visual structures within a single species to distinct light intensities.
Researchers discover new class of objects encoded within the genome
Despite progress in decoding the genome, scientists estimate that fully 95 percent of our DNA represents dark, unknown territory. In the October 1 issue of the journal Cell researchers at The Wistar Institute shed new light on the genetic unknown with the discovery of the ability of long non-coding RNA (ncRNA) to promote gene expression. The researchers believe these long ncRNA molecules may represent so-called gene enhancer elements—short regions of DNA that can increase gene transcription. While scientists have known about gene enhancers for decades, there has been no consensus about how these enhancers work.
One lock, many keys
German researchers discover how immune system B-cells can react to very different substances.
Long-extinct passenger pigeon finds a place in the family tree
With bits of DNA extracted from century-old museum specimens, researchers have found a place for the extinct passenger pigeon in the family tree of pigeons and doves, identifying for the first time this unique bird's closest living avian relatives.
This email is a free service of PhysOrg.com
You received this email because you subscribed to our list.
If you no longer want to receive this email use the link below to unsubscribe.
http://www.physorg.com/profile/nwletter/
You are subscribed as jmabs1@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment