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Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for November 19, 2010:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Seabird's morphing wings inspire design for robots that can both fly and swim- Futuristic Taiwan tower to have floating observatories
- Scientists build world's smallest 'water bottle'
- Deep-sea algae may be 'living fossils'
- Designing more effective anti-HIV antibodies
- Perceptual changes - a key to our consciousness
- Paleovirology expanded: Non-retroviral virus fragments found in animal genomes
- Seizing control of South American parasite
- Study finds potential for significant energy savings through user-controlled efficient lighting systems
- New path for colon cancer drug discovery
- Physicists study behavior of enzyme linked to Alzheimer's, cancer
- Review: Samsung Galaxy Tab vs. Apple iPad
- One way sound: A new material will allow for improved ultrasound imaging
- Stanford students fly in zero gravity to protect satellites from tiny meteoroids (w/ Video)
- All viruses 'can be DNA stowaways'
Space & Earth news
Lockheed Martin submits bid for Space Fence
Lockheed Martin submitted its proposal today for the next phase of Space Fence, a program that will revamp the way the U.S. Air Force identifies and tracks objects in space.
Meteosat Third Generation development to start
Marking a significant milestone for Europe's next fleet of meteorological satellites, ESA has given the go-ahead to Thales Alenia Space in France to start work on developing the Meteosat Third Generation.
Image: Earth from space -- wind-inspired design
The pastel colours and soft, flowing shapes in this Envisat radar image of the Tanezrouft Basin in the Algerian Sahara contradict the harshness of the terrain that has led to it being commonly referred to as the 'Land of Terror'.
Discovery launch 'no earlier than' December 3
The final launch of the space shuttle Discovery has been delayed until at least December 3 so that repairs can be carried out on a hydrogen leak, the US space agency said Thursday.
Japan to develop cheap satellite for emerging markets
Japan is developing a low-cost surveillance satellite to aid disaster relief and other purposes as it looks to expand its reach into emerging markets, government and corporate officials said Friday.
Mars Rover images honor Apollo 12
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has visited and photographed two craters informally named for the spacecraft that carried men to the moon 41 years ago this week.
Gigantic gravity 'Lenses' magnify galaxies far, far away
A chance alignment of galaxies, recently observed by a space observatory, presents the perfect opportunity for studying star-forming galaxies billions of light-years away.
Stanford students fly in zero gravity to protect satellites from tiny meteoroids (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- Stanford researchers have completed the first successful tests in zero gravity of a canopy for CubeSats – the tiny satellites that hitch rides on rockets sending larger satellites into orbit. The goal is to gather data on what happens when micrometeoroids slam into a satellite. Such impacts often knock out electronic equipment on satellites. The encounters are poorly understood, but the canopies could be a first step in eventually building "black boxes" for satellites similar to airplane flight recorders.
Busy microbial world discovered in deepest ocean crust ever explored
The first study to ever explore biological activity in the deepest layer of ocean crust has found bacteria with a remarkable range of capabilities, including eating hydrocarbons and natural gas, and "fixing" or storing carbon.
Technology news
3 California men plead guilty in ticket scam case
(AP) -- Three California men who made more than $25 million reselling illegally purchased tickets to concerts and sporting events have pleaded guilty in federal court in New Jersey.
Turning waste into profit
About 2.6 billion people lack access to adequate sanitation, including more than 10 million in Kenya’s densely populated urban slums. Given the lack of critical infrastructure, slum dwellers go to the bathroom in holes in the ground surrounded by primitive sheds that are shared by up to 150 people. These "pit latrines" are typically constructed with foreign aid, but funding to maintain them is lacking, and so they often fall into disrepair. As a result, many people resort to open defecation, which contaminates drinking water.
Angry Taiwan hackers attack taekwondo website
Taiwanese hackers launched cyber-attacks on Asia's top taekwondo body as anger mounted on the island over the controversial disqualification of a female fighter in the Asian Games, reports said Friday.
Yahoo! Connected TV store to start selling widgets
Yahoo! on Thursday said it will let software makers sell programs known as widgets at a Connected TV store for televisions imbedded with the firm's Internet technology.
Cable company Cox launches cell service
(AP) -- Cox Communications, the country's third-largest cable company, is launching its long-planned cellular network in three scattered areas on Friday, taking on cell phone companies on its home turf.
Facebook founder's first website sold at auction
The FaceMash.com Web address that landed Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in trouble as a Harvard University student has sold at auction for slightly more than 30,000 dollars.
Warner Bros scrambles to pull online Harry Potter clip
Warner Brothers said Thursday it was "working actively" to remove a section of the latest Harry Potter movie which has been "stolen" and illegally posted online, even before the film opens.
Samsung to create new office for group affairs
(AP) -- Samsung will create a new organization to coordinate the group's sprawling businesses after a previous one was closed in 2008 amid a corruption scandal that rocked the massive conglomerate.
Reducing faults created by vegetation contact on utility lines
It’s the last play of the big game, only seconds left and the quarterback throws toward the end zone and … blackness.
IBM's new architecture can double analytics processing speed
At the Supercomputing 2010 conference, IBM today unveiled details of a new storage architecture design, created by IBM scientists, that will convert terabytes of pure information into actionable insights twice as fast as previously possible.
Google agrees to delete Street View data in Britain
Google has agreed to delete private emails and passwords mistakenly picked up from wireless networks in Britain by its Street View cars, the British information commissioner said Friday.
Cleaning up slum life with sewage cycle
Pedal power may hold the answer to cheap and efficient sewage removal in some of the world’s poorest slums – if the work of a Cambridge University researcher can be taken into large-scale production.
Study finds potential for significant energy savings through user-controlled efficient lighting systems
These days, in newer buildings it’s often hard even to find a plain old-fashioned light switch. Often, the only controls are automatic motion-detector switches that turn off lights when people have left a room — or when they sit too still — or else daunting control panels with arrays of sliders and buttons. But some researchers at the MIT Media Lab are aiming to put the controls back in people’s hands, in a way that provides sophisticated and continuous control and could slash lighting bills by more than half.
Futuristic Taiwan tower to have floating observatories
(PhysOrg.com) -- A futuristic tower called "Floating Observatories," which resembles a tree trunk with eight floating elevator observatories shaped like leaves, will soon become a major landmark in Taichung, Taiwan's third largest city.
Seabird's morphing wings inspire design for robots that can both fly and swim
(PhysOrg.com) -- There are robots that can fly, and there are robots that can swim, but so far a robot that can both fly and swim does not exist. With the goal to design an aerial/aquatic robotic vehicle, a team of researchers is investigating how nature achieves both aerial and aquatic motion in a single entity, particularly in a seabird called the common guillemot. They plan to use their calculations, models, and simulations to design a robotic vehicle with a morphing wing similar to the one used by the seabird.
Medicine & Health news
Researchers find new target for stopping tumors developing their own blood supply
Researchers have found that a newly developed drug, which is aimed at a particular receptor involved in the development of blood vessels that sustain tumour growth, is active in patients with advanced cancers and, in some cases, has halted the progress of the disease. The drug, ACE-041, targets a different molecular pathway to other anti-angiogenesis drugs and may provide a new option to treat cancer.
Pomegranate juice: Beyond antioxidants, potential benefits for dialysis patients
Studies in recent years have claimed multiple health benefits of pomegranate juice, including that it is a good source of antioxidants and lowers both cholesterol and blood pressure, especially in diabetic and hypertensive patients. A preliminary study now suggests that it can ward off a number of complications in kidney disease patients on dialysis, including the high morbidity rate due to infections and cardiovascular events, according to a paper being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 43rd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in Denver, CO.
Weekend hospital stays worse for kidney patients
Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who are admitted to the hospital during the weekend are at increased risk of death, according to a study presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 43rd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition.
Cough medicine could help doctors identify how breast cancer patients metabolize tamoxifen
Cough medicine could be used as way of predicting how well individual patients metabolise tamoxifen used in the treatment of their breast cancer, according to new research presented at the 22nd EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Berlin today (Friday).
Eating a variety of fruit cuts lung cancer risk
Eating five portions of fruit and vegetables per day is one of the means that experts most frequently recommend for preventing cancer. Now, the European EPIC study carried out by researchers from 10 countries has shown that, in the case of lung cancer, the important thing is not just the quantity but also the variety of fruit consumed, which can reduce the risk by up to 23%.
Online map of maternal health to inform and influence world leaders
Researchers from the University of Southampton have helped construct an online interactive world map which gives stark facts and figures about the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth and following the birth of their child.
Bedbugs can hitch a ride on just about anything
You might want to think twice before combing the alleyways and resale stores for a bargain because one man’s trash may turn into a treasure trove of bedbugs.
Wide genetic testing for Lynch Syndrome cost effective
Widespread genetic testing for Lynch Syndrome appears to be a cost-effective strategy for identifying those at risk for colorectal and endometrial cancer, according to a report in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Childhood obesity linked to increased risk of adult cardiovascular and metabolic disorders
Mounting evidence linking childhood obesity to an increasing risk of obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other cardiovascular and metabolic disorders in adulthood is clearly presented in a comprehensive review article in the current issue of Childhood Obesity, published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
Earlier specialist care associated with lower incidence of ESRD and better patient outcomes
Among kidney disease patients, earlier care from a nephrologist is associated with a decreased likelihood of developing end-stage renal disease and a lower risk of death during the first year of dialysis, according to a study presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 43rd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition.
I-SPY 2 study speeds up treatment for breast cancer
A clinical trial that aims to speed up the study of new treatments for certain subtypes of breast cancer now has a designated study site at the Diane O'Connor Thompson Breast Center at the University of Colorado Hospital.
9/11 rescuers agree 625 million dollars damages: insurer
More than 10,000 rescue workers sickened by toxic dust and other debris after the September 11 attacks in New York on Friday accepted a 625-million-dollar compensation payout, the government insurer said.
Reduce the VAT on alcohol sold in pubs, says expert
Alcoholic drinks served in pubs should be taxed at a lower level than drinks bought from shops, says an expert in this week's BMJ.
Care for prisoners will improve public health
In a comprehensive global survey, researchers in Texas and England have concluded that improving the mental and physical health of inmates will improve public health.
Reports claiming ALS caused by head trauma lacks scientific validation
A recent study1 suggesting that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may be attributed to "repetitive head trauma experienced in collision sports" lacks scientific epidemiological evidence to support this claim. In a review of the 12-patient study, several experts specializing in motor neuron diseases challenge the findings as entirely pathological and without clinical merit. Their editorial, which aims to dispel doubts of Lou Gehrig's ALS diagnosis, is now available online in the peer-reviewed journal Muscle & Nerve.
Global economic woes make universal access to aids drugs unlikely, analysis shows
Universal access to lifesaving AIDS drugs — a United Nations' Millennium Development Goal that officials hoped to accomplish by 2010 — would require a staggering $15 billion annual investment from the international community at a time when the economic downturn is challenging continued funding for relief efforts, according to a new analysis by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Facebook peeks spark asthma attacks in dumped boy
Beware unhappy asthmatics: Italian doctors warn that Facebook could trigger an attack in some susceptible users.
Shoppers shrug off fears about toxic reusable bags
(AP) -- So you care about the environment, and you take a reusable shopping bag with you to the grocery store to avoid polluting the planet with countless plastic sacks. Now you find out your bag is made with potentially harmful lead. What's an environmentalist to do?
New approach finds success in teaching youth with autism
As the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders continues to increase, the one thing that won't change is the need for those children to develop social skills. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri are developing an effective social competence curriculum, with a virtual classroom component, that could help educators meet the demand of this growing population.
Probing Question: Why is it so hard to lose weight?
If you're an adult American, chances are pretty good that at one time or another you've tried to diet. Chances also are good that, despite your efforts, you've found yourself standing on a scale and looking at a certain number with frustration and disbelief. It’s the same number as last week, and the week before, even though you’ve been cutting back on sweets and going to the gym an extra day. Why won’t that bulge budge?
Fire fighters, medics at greater risk of MRSA exposure than general public
Firefighters and medics may be, perhaps not surprisingly, at a higher risk for carrying methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) than the average person, according to results from a new study conducted by Marilyn Roberts, a University of Washington professor of environmental and occupational health sciences. Roberts, a microbiologist, recently conducted the first-ever environmental health study on MRSA in Northwest fire stations and on fire personnel to determine the extent of related contamination.
Gene links to anorexia found
Scientists at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have identified both common and rare gene variants associated with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. In the largest genetic study of this psychiatric disorder, the researchers found intriguing clues to genes they are subjecting to further investigation, including genes active in neuronal signaling and in shaping interconnections among brain cells.
Invention helps students learn surgical techniques before operating on patients
In the last 50 years, modern medicine has made astounding advances in surgery, yet many of today's veterinary and human medicine students still hone basic surgical and suturing skills on carpet pads and pig's feet before transitioning to a live patient. An invention by Colorado State University veterinarians provides students with artificial body parts that look, feel, behave, and even bleed just like real skin, muscles and vessels.
COPD could be a problem with autoimmunity
Moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may be an auto-immunity problem, according to researchers in Spain, who studied the presence of auto-antibodies in patients with COPD and compared them to levels of control subjects. They found that a significant number of patients with COPD had significant levels of auto-antibodies circulating in their blood, about 5 to 10 times the level in controls.
Food choices can affect antibiotic's effectiveness
When your child needs antibiotics, dietary choices can get complicated. Food can help support the body nutritionally and hinder the effectiveness of the medication, depending on what your child eats and when.
Hormone therapy may prevent -- or contribute to -- dementia risk
Hormone therapy appears to affect the brain differently depending on the age of the woman when she receives it, researchers reported Thursday.
CT screening reduces lung-cancer deaths in heavy smokers
(PhysOrg.com) -- Studying heavy smokers, the National Cancer Institute’s 33-center National Lung Screening Trial found that significantly fewer who were screened with low-dose CT scans died from lung cancer than heavy smokers screened with standard chest X-rays.
Omega-3: Food for (happy) thought
As you do your Thanksgiving shopping this year, notice how many products on the supermarket shelves say “omega-3 fortified” on the label. Foods ranging from pasta to eggs to peanut butter are now enriched with this fatty acid. A stroll down the supplement aisle reveals rows of bottles containing omega-3-rich fish oil capsules.
Chromosome key to later fertility
(PhysOrg.com) -- New research at Oxford University has shed light on how mammalian egg cells divide. The findings may lead to improvements in women’s chances of giving birth to healthy babies as they get older.
New study into bladder regeneration heralds organ replacement treatment
Researchers in the United States have developed a medical model for regenerating bladders using stem cells harvested from a patient's own bone marrow. The research, published in STEM CELLS, is especially relevant for paediatric patients suffering from abnormally developed bladders, but also represents another step towards new organ replacement therapies.
One in five Americans had mental illness last year: survey
Nearly one in five Americans, or 45 million adults, experienced some form of mental illness last year, according to a major US government survey published on Friday.
E coli infection linked to long-term health problems
People who contract gastroenteritis from drinking water contaminated with E coli are at an increased risk of developing high blood pressure, kidney problems and heart disease in later life, finds a study published online in the British Medical Journal.
Discovery in how HIV thwarts the body's natural defense opens up new target for drug therapies
Natural killer cells are major weapons in the body's immune system. They keep the body healthy by knocking off tumors and cells infected with viruses, bombarding them with tiny lethal pellets. But natural killer cells are powerless against HIV, a fact that has bedeviled science for over 20 years.
'Sugar high' is bitter-sweet for aggressive people: study
Drinking a sweet beverage may either help or hinder people with aggressive personalities depending on the social setting, a new study has found.
Seizing control of South American parasite
Scientists battling Leishmania, a parasite second only to malaria in the number of deaths it causes, have identified an important vulnerability in the genetic code of one major parasite strain.
Perceptual changes - a key to our consciousness
(PhysOrg.com) -- With his coat billowing behind him and his right eye tightly closed, Captain Blackbeard watches the endless sea with his telescope. Suddenly the sea disappears as the pirate opens his right eye. The only thing he sees is his hand holding the telescope. Then, a moment later, the sea is back again. What happened was a change in perception. Our brain usually combines the two slightly divergent images of our eyes into a single consistent perception.
Biology news
Wildlife group targets Myanmar-China tiger trade
(AP) -- Wildlife trafficking officials say they have reached a preliminary agreement with an ethnic minority group in Myanmar to close down markets where hundreds of poached tigers from across Asia are sold for use in purported medicines and aphrodisiacs in China.
Paw prints and feces offer new hope for saving tigers
As experts gather in St Petersburg, Russia for next week's Tiger Summit, fewer than 3,200 tigers survive in the wild worldwide. More than half live in India, where they are spread over a vast area (100,000 sq km) of forest.
'Asian unicorn' and scaly anteater make endangered list
A miniature sloth, the "Asian unicorn" and a bushbaby known as the rondo dwarf galago were Friday added to the Zoological Society of London's list of genetically distinct and endangered mammals.
Hornless rhino carcasses found in S.Africa
South African wildlife officials have found 18 rhino carcasses dumped by poachers in a remote area with their horns removed, a spokesman for the northern province of Limpopo said Friday.
Copycat protein finds a perfect match
As proteins are synthesized during messenger RNA translation, fresh amino acids are delivered to the ribosome of the cell by nucleic acid molecules known as transfer RNAs (tRNAs). Each amino acid has a cognate tRNA, and the two are joined by specialized enzymes known as aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRS).
Urging evolutionary biologists into the fray
A Harvard botanist is citing climate change lessons learned at Walden Pond and urging evolutionary biologists into the global warming fray, where their knowledge of species’ genetic relationships can inform climate change predictions and guide mitigation efforts.
It's a boy, US zoo says of baby panda
It's a boy! The giant panda cub born earlier this month at the Atlanta Zoo is a little fellow with a big belly who is already showing his black and white markings, a zoo spokeswoman said Friday.
The benefits of being bitter: How the cranberry's evolution made it a Thanksgiving staple
In the early days of the American Republic, one tiny, red fruit would become a fixture of the fall harvest and a mainstay of holiday meals. The cranberry -- one of only a few commercial fruits native to North America -- might have even sat beside a roast turkey at the first Thanksgiving feast.
Paleovirology expanded: Non-retroviral virus fragments found in animal genomes
Understanding the evolution of life-threatening viruses like influenza, Ebola and dengue fever, could help us to minimize their impact. New research points the way to a fossil record of viruses that have insinuated themselves into the genomes of insects and other animals, providing clues about their evolutionary history.
Trained bacteria convert bio-wastes into plastic
Dutch researcher Jean-Paul Meijnen has 'trained' bacteria to convert all the main sugars in vegetable, fruit and garden waste efficiently into high-quality environmentally friendly products such as bioplastics.
Walk in the park yields biological treasure
A newly identified relationship between a fly and a weedy mustard-type plant promises to answer many long-standing questions surrounding the evolutionary arms race between plant-eating insects and their host plants.
Designing more effective anti-HIV antibodies
Although people infected with HIV produce many antibodies against the protein encapsulating the virus, most of these antibodies are strangely ineffective at fighting the disease. A new study suggests why some of the most common of these antibodies don't work: they target the protein in a form it takes after the virus has already invaded the cell, when it's too late, report researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and their colleagues.
All viruses 'can be DNA stowaways'
(PhysOrg.com) -- 'Fossil viruses' preserved inside the DNA of mammals and insects suggest that all viruses, including relatives of HIV and Ebola, could potentially be ‘stowaways’ transmitted from generation to generation for millions of years, according to new research.
Reprogrammed amniotic fluid cells can generate all types of body cells
(PhysOrg.com) -- High hopes rest on stem cells: one day, they may be used to treat many diseases. To date, embryos are the main source of these cells, but this raises ethical problems. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin have now managed to convert amniotic fluid cells into pluripotent stem cells. These amniotic fluid-derived iPS cells are hardly distinguishable from embryonic stem cells - however, they "remember" where they came from. (PLoS One, October 29, 2010)
Deep-sea algae may be 'living fossils'
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers in the US and Belgium say two types of deep-sea seaweed may be representatives of ancient forms of algae previously unrecognized.
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