Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for November 11, 2010:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- New probe memory could achieve user densities over 10 terabits per square inch- Study reveals the subtle dynamics underpinning how cats drink (w/ Video)
- Sugar and slice make graphene real nice
- Robots closer to performing bed baths (w/ Video)
- Newly identified self-cloning lizard found in Vietnam
- Graphene's strength lies in its defects
- Scottish rocks reveal key point in evolution occurred 400 million years earlier
- Study finds the mind is a frequent, but not happy, wanderer
- Controlling the flow of light with a novel optical transistor
- Fox joins broadcasters in blocking Google TV link
- Scientists identify key protein controlling blood vessel growth into brains of mice
- NASA's new space telescope costs shoot the moon (Update)
- New explanation for the origin of high species diversity
- Tropical forest diversity increased during ancient global warming event
- New analysis explains formation of bulge on farside of moon
Space & Earth news
Sunspot 1121 unleashes X-ray flare
Active sunspot 1121 has unleashed one of the brightest x-ray solar flares in years, an M5.4-class eruption at 15:36 UT on Nov. 6th.
Image: Tattooed Mars
Originally released Aug. 1, 2007, this image is of Mars' Russell Crater dune field, which is covered seasonally by carbon dioxide frost.
SERVIR launches Himalayan node in Nepal
SERVIR-Himalaya made its successful debut in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Oct. 5, taking the stage as the third global node in the SERVIR Regional Visualization and Monitoring System. SERVIR-Himalaya expands the collaboration between NASA, the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, and international partners to meet development challenges by "linking space to village."
Cracks found in shuttle fuel tank, not just foam (Update)
(AP) -- NASA discovered cracks in Discovery's fuel tank Wednesday, an added problem that will complicate trying to launch the space shuttle on its final voyage this year.
Blueprint to protect the future of Australia's oceans revealed
What is believed to be the first science-based blueprint for managing Australia's oceans has been developed to safeguard marine life and protect economic and social interests.
NASA test fires new rocket engine for commercial space vehicle
NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi conducted a successful test firing Wednesday of the liquid-fuel AJ26 engine that will power the first stage of Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Taurus II space launch vehicle. Orbital and its engine supplier, Aerojet, test-fired the engine on Stennis' E-1 test stand. The test directly supports NASA's partnerships to enable commercial cargo flights to the International Space Station.
African dust caused red soil in southern Europe
Spanish and American researchers have conducted a mineralogical and chemical analysis to ascertain the origin of "terra rossa" soil in the Mediterranean. The results of the study reveal that mineral dust from the African regions of the Sahara and Sahel, which emit between 600 and 700 tonnes of dust a year, brought about the reddish soil in Mediterranean regions such as Mallorca and Sardinia between 12,000 and 25,000 years ago.
EPA takes first step to cut industrial plant emissions
The Environmental Protection Agency Wednesday unveiled what new large industrial plants will have to do to minimize their greenhouse gas emissions starting in January.
Study shows brass devices in plumbing systems can create serious lead-in-water problems
A new research study co-spearheaded by Virginia Tech researchers highlights problems with some brass products in plumbing systems that can leach high levels of lead into drinking water, even in brand new buildings – and suggests that such problems may often go undetected.
NASA's new space telescope costs shoot the moon (Update)
The cost of NASA's replacement for the Hubble Space Telescope is giving new meaning to the word astronomical, growing another $1.5 billion, according to a new internal NASA study released Wednesday.
Polar ice caps studied on airborne science mission
In February 2010, NASA satellite ICESat-1 (Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite) was decommissioned. Designed as a three-year mission, it successfully met its goal of returning science data for five years. Its replacement, ICESat-2, is expected to launch in 2015. To bridge the missing satellite data gap, NASA launched its Operation Ice Bridge airborne campaign to survey the most sensitive and critical areas of sea ice, ice sheets and glaciers in the Arctic and the Antarctic.
Searching for life on Mars
The first and only attempts to search for life on Mars were the Viking missions launched in 1975. Now scientists are suggesting the next decade of robotic probes sent to the red planet should make the search for life the highest priority.
Leaking underground CO2 storage could contaminate drinking water
Leaks from carbon dioxide injected deep underground to help fight climate change could bubble up into drinking water aquifers near the surface, driving up levels of contaminants in the water tenfold or more in some places, according to a study by Duke University scientists.
Tropical forest diversity increased during ancient global warming event
The steamiest places on the planet are getting warmer. Conservative estimates suggest that tropical areas can expect temperature increases of 3 degrees Celsius by the end of this century. Does global warming spell doom for rainforests? Maybe not. Carlos Jaramillo, staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and colleagues report in the journal Science that nearly 60 million years ago rainforests prospered at temperatures that were 3-5 degrees higher and at atmospheric carbon dioxide levels 2.5 times today's levels.
New analysis explains formation of bulge on farside of moon
(PhysOrg.com) -- A bulge of elevated topography on the farside of the moon--known as the lunar farside highlands--has defied explanation for decades. But a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, shows that the highlands may be the result of tidal forces acting early in the moon's history when its solid outer crust floated on an ocean of liquid rock.
Scottish rocks reveal key point in evolution occurred 400 million years earlier
Evidence found in Scottish rocks has revealed that a critical point in evolution took place 1.2 billion years ago -- several hundred million years earlier than scientists had previously understood.
Technology news
Amazon sells book offering advice to pedophiles
(AP) -- Amazon.com Inc. is selling a self-published guide that offers advice to pedophiles, and that has generated outrage on the Internet and threats to boycott the retailer.
Helping airlines stay aloft with new simulator
A new simulator being developed at Swinburne University will help airline operations controllers make better decisions under pressure and get more planes and passengers to their destinations.
Developers of machines receive help from PC game technology
Siemens has used computer games technology in a development software that makes it quicker and easier to design new machines and to simulate their complex functions at an early stage.
Performing blood counts automatically
If a blood count is abnormal, the medical laboratory scientist has to manually perform a differential blood count analysis. This costs time and money. The computer-assisted blood cell analysis system HemaCAM by the company Horn has recently been launched on the market and does just this.
Amazon pulls pedophile book, offers no explanation
Amazon, after a deluge of criticism and boycott threats, withdrew a digital book called "The Pedophile's Guide to Love and Pleasure" from sale on Thursday but offered no explanation for the move.
New 'Call of Duty' blasts last year's sales record
(AP) -- "Call of Duty: Black Ops" shattered entertainment records this week when it raked in $360 million in its first 24 hours on sale, once again proving that video games have cemented their place in our lives as mainstream entertainment on par with movies and music.
Cisco's shortfall an omen for rest of tech world (Update)
(AP) -- A gloomy outlook from Cisco Systems Inc. is shaking some investors' faith in the strength of the technology industry's recovery.
Hulu to double revenue to $240M-plus this year
(AP) -- Online video site Hulu is on pace to generate more than $240 million in revenue this year, more than double the $108 million in 2009.
FCC investigating Google 'Street View' data harvest
US government telecom regulators said Wednesday they are investigating the collection of private wireless data by Google's "Street View" mapping service.
Hopes for Obama's wave of green jobs fades to gray
President Barack Obama has put the government's weight and dollars behind a push for green jobs, but in the US heartland there are doubts his drive can revive manufacturing's glory days.
Go-anywhere tracking of first responders with WIISARD radio-frequency system
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, are hoping that a device the size of a business card will one day reduce the toll of human lives in disaster situations.
HP to pay $16.25M to settle FCC, DOJ case
(AP) -- Hewlett-Packard Co. has agreed to pay $16.25 million to settle allegations that it showered Texas school officials with gifts to win contracts funded by a federal program that pays for Internet connections for schools and libraries.
Google errs -- twice -- over status of disputed isle
(AP) -- Google Inc. said Thursday its mapping service goofed twice by attributing a disputed islet off North Africa first to Morocco, and then to Spain, when the company's goal is to be neutral.
35 hours of video a minute uploaded to YouTube
YouTube said Thursday that 35 hours of video are being uploaded to the video-sharing site every minute, up from 24 hours per minute in March.
Military deploys virtual reality to train soldiers, staff
Seated in a tan leather couch, Petty Officer Sarax suddenly straightens his back and begins flailing his right arm.
Marketers scatter phone-friendly codes across ads
At first glance, a QR code looks like some sort of abstract art. The black and white squiggly lines don't look like the next big thing in marketing and advertising.
Companies yank cord on residential phone books
(AP) -- What's black and white and read all over? Not the white pages, which is why regulators have begun granting telecommunications companies the go-ahead to stop mass-printing residential phone books, a musty fixture of Americans' kitchen counters, refrigerator tops and junk drawers.
Twitter links up with Apple's Ping
Unveiling Apple's new music-focused social network Ping in September, chief executive Steve Jobs described it as "sort of like Facebook and Twitter meet iTunes."
Google's free Wi-Fi extends to the sky, on planes
Google is making its free Wi-Fi for travelers a holiday tradition. It started last year when the company announced free Wi-Fi at airports around the country.
News Corp. gadfly wins lunch with Rupert Murdoch
A group which is a persistent critic of media mogul Rupert Murdoch said Thursday that it had paid 86,000 dollars and won a charity auction to have lunch with the News Corp. chairman.
Lure kittens to play online with (computer) mice
(AP) -- A company that has developed technology for controlling remote robotic arms over the Internet has adapted the system so that people around the world can play remotely with kittens.
Motorola fires back against Microsoft in patent dispute
Motorola, the target of a patent lawsuit by Microsoft, fired back against the US software giant with a patent infringement complaint of its own on Wednesday.
Wi-Fi networks less private than ever
The local java joint or airport terminal might seem like the perfect location to log onto Facebook or troll Amazon for a deal. But for anyone who has accepted the convenience of unsecured Internet access, here's another reminder to be cautious about what information you share online.
New research provides effective battle planning for supercomputer war
New research from the University of Warwick, to be presented at the World's largest supercomputing conference next week, pits China's new No. 1 supercomputer against alternative US designs. The work provides crucial new analysis that will benefit the battle plans of both sides, in an escalating war between two competing technologies.
Fox joins broadcasters in blocking Google TV link
(AP) -- News Corp.'s Fox has joined broadcasters ABC, CBS and NBC in blocking access to full episodes of shows when searched from Google TV's Web browser, according to a person at Fox familiar with the matter.
Medicine & Health news
Colorectal cancer risk increases in prostate cancer patients on androgen deprivation therapy
Men taking androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer may have an increased risk of colorectal cancer, according to a study published online November 10 in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Putting the spotlight on membranous nephropathy
The Halpin Foundation and the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) proudly highlight the research advances in membranous nephropathy made possible by The Halpin Foundation-ASN Research Grant, created to help young faculty develop independent research careers. This award provides recipients transition funding toward successful application for an NIH RO1 grant.
Scientists unveil mechanisms of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome
Newly published research by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, sheds light on a poorly understood, acute illness called Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome (IRIS) that develops in some HIV-infected individuals soon after they begin antiretroviral therapy.
Battle rages in slum, this time against a disease
(AP) -- A wooden wheelbarrow is pushed to the high green gates of a slum hospital, carrying an unconscious woman, her lips white and cracked with dehydration. She is 22, and two days ago she was healthy.
The Medical Minute: November is diabetes month
About 24 million adults in the U.S. have Diabetes. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released new projections that the incidence of diabetes in the U.S. will triple by 2050, meaning that 1 in 3 adults will have the disease.
Diet and lifestyle choices lower the risk of cardiovascular disease in diabetics
Diabetics can face a five times increase in the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) than non-diabetics. This leads to a seven to ten year reduction in life expectancy and a higher probability of suffering a fatal heart attack. These sad statistics have prompted the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) to mark World Diabetes Day on 14 November 2010 by emphasising the simple measures that diabetes patients should adopt to slow-down the progression of CVD and greatly improve their quality of life.
Fortify HIT contracts with education and ethics to protect patient safety, say informatics experts
An original and progressive report on health information technology (HIT) vendors, their customers and patients, published online today, makes ground-breaking recommendations for new practices that target the reduction or elimination of tensions that currently mar relationships between many HIT vendors and their customers, specifically with regard to indemnity and error management of HIT systems. In light of the Obama Administration's $19 billion investment in HIT, paid out in ARRA stimulus funds, these recommendations are particularly significant in helping to foster greater use of electronic health records and other tools in the transition from paper records, largely understood to be a hindrance to quality patient care.
Campus-community interventions successful in reducing college drinking
Heavy drinking among college students results in over 1800 deaths each year, as well as 590,000 unintentional injuries, almost 700,000 assaults and more than 97,000 victims of sexual assaults. In a new study published in the December issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers report on the results of the Safer California Universities study, a successful community-wide prevention strategy targeted at off-campus settings. This is one of the first studies to focus on the total environment rather than on prevention aimed at individuals.
Yoga's ability to improve mood and lessen anxiety is linked to increased levels of a critical brain chemical
Yoga has a greater positive effect on a person's mood and anxiety level than walking and other forms of exercise, which may be due to higher levels of the brain chemical GABA according to an article in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
Screening colonoscopy rates are not increased when women are offered a female endoscopist
A new study from researchers in Colorado shows that women offered a female endoscopist were not more likely to undergo a screening colonoscopy than those who were not offered this choice. Past surveys have shown preferences for female endoscopists seem to be common among women. In this study, a patient outreach program failed to support the notion that rates of screening colonoscopy can be increased by offering women the option of a screening colonoscopy performed by a female endoscopist. The study appears in the November issue of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE).
4 essays look at the next generation of bioethics
To celebrate 40 years of pioneering bioethics publication, the Hastings Center Report, the world's first bioethics journal, looked to the future, asking young scholars to write about what the next generation of bioethicists should take up. Out of 195 compelling submissions, four of the best essays were selected for publication in the November-December issue.
Team colors on cans change perceptions of alcohol risks, study finds
Underage and heavy drinking on college campuses continue to be issues for college administrators. While some campuses, such as the University of Missouri, have made strides in efforts to reduce heavy drinking on campus, administrators are continually trying to educate students about the risks of excessive drinking. Now, two MU psychologists have found that students who viewed images of beer cans packaged and displayed in university colors believed that drinking beer was less dangerous than those students who saw images of regular beer cans.
US survey: 1 in 10 kids has ADHD, awareness cited
(AP) -- A government survey says 1 in 10 U.S. children has ADHD, a sizable increase from a few years earlier that researchers think might be explained by growing awareness and better screening.
Tell me where it hurts
(PhysOrg.com) -- A University of Connecticut study finds that the way a question is phrased is important when assessing pain.
Don't clamp umbilical cords straight after birth, urges expert
Obstetricians and midwives should wait a few minutes before clamping the umbilical cords of newborn infants so that babies are not harmed by the procedure, argues Dr David Hutchon in an article published in the British Medical Journal today.
Eat a carrot, hurt the economy? Sometimes
Eating a healthy diet may be good for you, but it may be unintentionally slimming for the economies of some developing countries, a new study says. British researchers modeled what could happen if people in Britain and Brazil adopted healthier diets as defined by the World Health Organization, including more fruits and vegetables and less meat and dairy products.
New drug for metastatic melanoma shows promising results in clinical trial
A clinical trial of a promising new experimental therapy for metastatic melanoma has shown positive results, including tumor shrinkage in the majority of patients. The positive results support previously reported positive data for the drug known as PLX4032 (RG7204) in a much larger patient population where all responses were confirmed by an independent review committee.
AIDS vaccine: Signs of progress after three years of disappointment
Just three years after the high-profile failure of an AIDS vaccine trial sent researchers back to the drawing board, optimism is again rising about the prospects of protecting humanity from a disease that ranks among the deadliest in history.
Notre dame psychologist studies how we get our bearings in buildings (w/ Video)
Most everyone has experienced getting lost in a building – hospitals, museums, libraries and shopping malls top the list of structures that leave us turned around and wondering where to go next.
Soft drink industry's focus should be on child nutrition in developing world
Soft drink companies are well-positioned to help combat child malnutrition in developing countries because of their expanding business and extensive distribution routes. UCSF experts are advocating for these companies to implement public health programs that exploit their access to remote markets by producing healthier products, such as bottled water fortified with essential nutrients.
Combating cancer's double whammy
It can be fatal if the clot breaks away and lodges in the lung (pulmonary embolism). The aim of this analysis of primary care data is to establish a clearer picture of the increased risk of venous thromboembolism in different cancers, and to help create bespoke guidelines for doctors in how to prevent the condition arising after a cancer diagnosis.
Alcohol damages much more than the liver
Alcohol does much more harm to the body than just damaging the liver. Drinking also can weaken the immune system, slow healing, impair bone formation, increase the risk of HIV transmission and hinder recovery from burns, trauma, bleeding and surgery.
Medical research and magic come together
The unorthodox research collaboration between two Barrow Neurological Institute scientists and some of the world's greatest magicians is detailed in a new book called Sleights of Mind.
Arsenic early in treatment improves survival for leukemia patients
Arsenic, a toxic compound with a reputation as a good tool for committing homicide, has a significant positive effect on the survival of patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), when administered after standard initial treatment, according to a new, multi-center study led by a researcher at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
Additional cardiac testing vital for patients with anxiety and depression
People affected by anxiety and depression should receive an additional cardiac test when undergoing diagnosis for potential heart problems, according to a new study from Concordia University, the Université du Quebec a Montreal and the Montreal Heart Institute.
Common diabetes drug may halt growth of cysts in polycystic kidney disease
Researchers report that a drug commonly used to treat diabetes may also retard the growth of fluid-filled cysts of the most common genetic disorder, polycystic kidney disease. PKD does not discriminate by gender or race and affects one in 1,000 adults worldwide.
Hurdles ahead for health care reform primary care model, study shows
Provisions of new federal health care reforms will move the country toward a primary care medical home for patients, but the nation may not have enough primary care doctors to handle the workload, according to a study by the University of Michigan Health System.
New urine test could diagnose acute kidney injury
The presence of certain markers in the urine might be a red flag for acute kidney injury (AKI), according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The results suggest that a simple urine test could help prevent cases of kidney failure.
Research reveals deaf adults see better than hearing people
Adults born deaf react more quickly to objects at the edge of their visual field than hearing people, according to groundbreaking new research by the University of Sheffield.
Modeling autism in a dish
A collaborative effort between researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the University of California, San Diego, successfully used human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells derived from patients with Rett syndrome to replicate autism in the lab and study the molecular pathogenesis of the disease.
Researchers create autistic neuron model
Using induced pluripotent stem cells from patients with Rett syndrome, scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have created functional neurons that provide the first human cellular model for studying the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and could be used as a tool for drug screening, diagnosis and personalized treatment.
Scientists identify key protein controlling blood vessel growth into brains of mice
One protein single-handedly controls the growth of blood vessels into the developing brains of mice embryos, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Understanding how the protein, a cellular receptor, functions could help clinicians battle brain tumors and stroke by choking off or supplementing vital blood-vessel development, and may enhance the delivery of drugs across the blood-brain barrier.
Contact among age groups key to understanding whooping cough spread and control
Strategies for preventing the spread of whooping cough -- on the rise in the United States and several other countries in recent years -- should take into account how often people in different age groups interact, research at the University of Michigan suggests.
New vaccine hope in fight against pneumonia and meningitis
A new breakthrough in the fight against pneumonia, meningitis and septicaemia has been announced today by scientists in Dublin and Leicester.
Study finds the mind is a frequent, but not happy, wanderer
People spend 46.9 percent of their waking hours thinking about something other than what they're doing, and this mind-wandering typically makes them unhappy. So says a study that used an iPhone web app to gather 250,000 data points on subjects' thoughts, feelings, and actions as they went about their lives.
Biology news
Growth of sole is sped up by selective breeding
Dutch doctoral researcher Robbert Blonk has found a way of speeding up the growth of North Sea sole considerably. This may make sole farming more viable.
Spanish scientists publish the world's largest video data bank of proteins
After four years of conducting intensive calculations in the supercomputer MareNostrum at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, scientists headed by Modesto Orozco at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona, Spain) have presented the world's largest data base on protein motions. Called MoDEL, this new database holds more than 1,700 proteins and is partially accessible through Internet to researchers worldwide. MoDEL has been developed to study the basic biology of proteins and to accelerate and facilitate the design of new pharmaceutical agents.
Keeping the daily clock ticking in a fluctuating environment: Hints from a green alga
Researchers in France have uncovered a mechanism which explains how biological clocks accurately synchronize to the day/night cycle despite large fluctuations in light intensity during the day and from day to day. Following the identification of two central "clock genes" of a green alga, Ostreococcus tauri, a mathematical model reproducing their daily activity profiles has revealed that their internal clock is influenced by the naturally varying light levels throughout the day only at periods when it needs resetting.
Endangered Finnish seal stock makes small recovery
The Saimaa ringed seal population in Finland, which has been on the brink of extinction for decades, increased slightly last year thanks to aggressive conservation efforts, experts said Thursday.
Invasive species -- the biggest threat to fish in the Mediterranean basin
An international team led by the Forest Technology Centre of Catalonia has carried out the first large-scale study of the threats facing freshwater fish in the Mediterranean basin. Invasive species, along with over-exploitation of water resources, are the most important pressures, and those that expose fish to the greatest risk of extinction.
Invading weed threatens devastation to western rangelands
A new field study confirms that an invasive weed called medusahead has growth advantages over most other grass species, suggesting it will continue to spread across much of the West, disrupt native ecosystems and make millions of acres of grazing land almost worthless.
This faster-growing E. coli strain's a good thing
A University of Illinois metabolic engineer has improved a strain of E. coli, making it grow faster. Don't worry, he believes his efforts will benefit human health, not decimate it.
Fruit flies lead scientists to new human pain gene
While it has become clear in recent years that susceptibility to pain has a strong inherited component, very little is known about actual "pain genes" and how they work. In the November 12th issue of Cell, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and their collaborators report on a novel human pain gene. People with minor variations in this gene showed clear differences in susceptibility to acute heat pain and chronic back pain. Corroborating mouse studies give some clues as to how the gene controls pain sensitivity. The gene was uncovered in a genome-wide hunt for pain genes in fruit flies, which revealed hundreds of other candidate pain genes that await further study.
Gene discovery suggests way to engineer fast-growing plants
Tinkering with a single gene may give perennial grasses more robust roots and speed up the timeline for creating biofuels, according to researchers at the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy (IGSP).
New explanation for the origin of high species diversity
An international team of scientists have reset the agenda for future research in the highly diverse Amazon region by showing that the extraordinary diversity found there is much older than generally thought.
Newly identified self-cloning lizard found in Vietnam
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have just discovered that a small lizard, long known as a restaurant food item in southeastern Vietnam, is an all-female species that reproduces through "cloning" itself.
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