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Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for November 25, 2010:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Researchers image atomic structural changes that control properties of sapphires- Researchers identify a molecular switch that controls neuronal migration in the developing brain
- Size of mammals exploded after dinosaur extinction
- Chevy Volt's official mileage: 93 mpg on electric
- Robotic arm shaped like an elephant's trunk (w/ Video)
- A high-yield biomass alternative to petroleum for industrial chemicals
- Jupiter gets its stripe back
- Giants among us: Paper explores evolution of the world's largest mammals
- Young-star discovery hints magnetism common to all cosmic jets
- Review: Paper wins over e-books for travel guides
- Gender gap in physics exams reduced by simple writing exercises, study says
- Developing countries can cut greenhouse gas emissions and help the poor: study
- Firms see tidal energy as wave of future
- Europe bans baby bottles with Bisphenol-A
- Planetary magnetic fields: The hunt for better models
Space & Earth news
Cassini back to normal, ready for Enceladus
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Cassini spacecraft resumed normal operations today, Nov. 24. All science instruments have been turned back on, the spacecraft is properly configured and Cassini is in good health. Mission managers expect to get a full stream of data during next week's flyby of the Saturnian moon Enceladus.
US closes shrimping near oil spill as 'precaution'
US authorities Wednesday closed to shrimping a section of the Gulf of Mexico near the area of a massive oil spill this year as a precautionary measure after a commercial shrimper found tar balls in his net.
Deficit hit men target NASA's post-shuttle plans
(AP) -- NASA's effort to farm out astronauts' space station trips to private companies over the next decade is under fire again, this time by federal deficit hit men.
Planetary magnetic fields: The hunt for better models
Some three thousand kilometers below the surface of the Earth and with temperatures reaching those at the surface of the sun, the core of our home planet is no more within our physical reach today than it was back when Jules Verne undertook his fictional journey to the center of the Earth. Yet the mysteries still hidden there -- such as how the liquid core regenerates Earth's magnetic life force -- are of far greater interest to scientists today than to any science fiction writers past or present. With the help of increasingly sophisticated computer simulations, Earth scientists have created numerical models over the last decades which, in many respects, are remarkably successful at reproducing key aspects of the magnetic field.
Young-star discovery hints magnetism common to all cosmic jets
Astronomers have found the first evidence of a magnetic field in a jet of material ejected from a young star, a discovery that points toward future breakthroughs in understanding the nature of all types of cosmic jets and of the role of magnetic fields in star formation.
Jupiter gets its stripe back
(PhysOrg.com) -- Astronomers using three telescopes atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii have recorded the return of a unique belt on Jupiter that periodically fades from dark brown to white. It's most recent fade-out started earlier this year, but November observations with the Keck, Gemini and Infrared Telescope Facility show the brown returning. It appears that reflected sunlight off high elevation clouds of ammonia ice have been blocking our view of the darker clouds below.
Technology news
'Fallout: New Vegas' ups the ante with downloads
Bethesda Softworks is building on the rock star debut of "Fallout: New Vegas" with the December release of a new chapter of the epic videogame exclusively for play on Xbox 360 consoles.
YouTube, French authors, filmmakers reach deal
(AP) -- YouTube and top associations of French authors, filmmakers and other creative artists say they have struck an agreement to put more TV shows and movies online in France.
Weight loss for healthier cars
(PhysOrg.com) -- A Swinburne research team has developed a joining system that overcomes obstacles to the wider use of magnesium in the automotive industry.
Black Friday's best deals may be in your mobile phone
At Toys "R" Us, you can forget the ol'-fashioned, paper and pencil holiday wish list - go high-tech with the toy retailer's app designed for the iPad.
Feds pledge 'smart' permitting process for offshore wind projects
Obama administration officials announced Tuesday they are taking steps to speed development of wind energy projects along the Atlantic coast, and hope to be able to issue federal leases for putting huge power-generating turbines off Ocean City, Md., within the next year.
How to use your phone to maximize holiday shopping
If you want to be a smart shopper during the holidays, don't leave home without your smart phone.
Apple's familiar domination elusive in China
Apple is learning to speak Chinese. The Cupertino, Calif., company is on a store-building binge in hopes of creating a massive new market for its products. With two stores already in the capital city, and another two in Shanghai, Apple plans to have 25 stores open in China by the end of next year. And it just revamped its iTunes and App store, allowing locals for the first time to shop online in Chinese.
Firms see tidal energy as wave of future
Moored in the channel, the little gray barge strains against a raging morning tide. The torrent soon will drain nearby rocky inlets and fishing harbors by 20 feet - as high as a two-story house - only to flood them again six hours later.
Chinese dairy harnesses cow-pat power
A Chinese dairy farm is installing the world's largest system to turn steaming cow pats into enough electricity to power thousands of homes.
Chevy Volt's official mileage: 93 mpg on electric
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) official mileage ratings of the Chevrolet Volt have been released and show the car will be capable of 93 "miles per gallon equivalent" when running on electric for combined city/highway driving, and will have a range of 35 miles on the battery. Its total range is 379 miles. When running on gasoline, the car will achieve 37 miles per gallon (mpg), giving a total combined estimate of 60 mpg over the long term, which is 10 mpg better than Toyota's Prius and puts the Volt at the top of the compact car category in fuel economy.
Robotic arm shaped like an elephant's trunk (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- A German automation company has come up with a new design for a flexible robotic arm, taking inspiration from the trunk of an elephant.
Medicine & Health news
Each 5-degree temperature rise boosts kids' hospital admissions for serious injury by 10 percent
Every 5°C rise in maximum temperature pushes up the rate of hospital admissions for serious injuries among children, reveals one of the largest studies of its kind published online in Emergency Medicine Journal.
WHO official welcomes Pope's statement on condoms
(AP) -- The World Health Organization on Thursday welcomed a statement by Pope Benedict XVI that condoms can help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Study: Sports beverage with half carbs, fewer calories boosts endurance
(PhysOrg.com) -- Compared to a carbohydrate-only supplement, a low-carb beverage with added protein increases endurance times in cyclists, according to a study out of The University of Texas at Austin's Department of Kinesiology and Health Education.
Growth-factor gel shows promise as hearing-loss treatment
A new treatment has been developed for sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL), a condition that causes deafness in 40,000 Americans each year, usually in early middle-age. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Medicine describe the positive results of a preliminary trial of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), applied as a topical gel.
Go for turkey, not stuffing to keep the weight off
(AP) -- More turkey, less white bread and mashed potatoes. Just in time for holiday feasting, a large study found that diets higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates can help overweight adults who managed to drop some weight keep it off.
Workplace asthma costs UK at least $158 million a year
Workplace asthma costs the UK at least £100 million a year, and may be as high as £135 million, reveals research published online in Thorax.
Researchers discover genetic markers that identify people at risk of clot formation and heart attack
An international team led by researchers from the Universities of Leicester and Cambridge has announced a breakthrough in identifying people at risk of developing potentially fatal blood clots that can lead to heart attack.
New study reveals how cannabis suppresses immune functions
An international team of immunologists studying the effects of cannabis have discovered how smoking marijuana can trigger a suppression of the body's immune functions. The research, published in the European Journal of Immunology, reveals why cannabis users are more susceptible to certain types of cancers and infections.
Europe bans baby bottles with Bisphenol-A
Europe on Thursday banned baby bottles containing the chemical Bisphenol-A as of early next year over fears it may harm the health of children throughout the EU's half a billion population.
Researchers identify a molecular switch that controls neuronal migration in the developing brain
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators have identified key components of a signaling pathway that controls the departure of neurons from the brain niche where they form and allows these cells to start migrating to their final destination. Defects in this system affect the architecture of the brain and are associated with epilepsy, mental retardation and perhaps malignant brain tumors.
Biology news
Australia moves to protect bluefin tuna
Australian has announced new measures to protect stocks of southern bluefin tuna, whose numbers are being threatened by the rising global popularity of sushi food.
Record keeping can help South Dakota dairies improve production and reduce emissions
(PhysOrg.com) -- Good record-keeping can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from dairy farms and improve per-cow productivity.
US designates 'critical' polar bear habitat in Arctic
The US government designated "critical habitat" for polar bears who live on Alaska's disappearing sea ice, a move that could impact new oil and gas drilling projects in the Arctic.
Ohio zoo acquires daughter of late longest snake
(AP) -- An Ohio zoo says a new resident has big snakeskin shoes to fill.
Whale sharks do the math to avoid that sinking feeling
They are the largest fish species in the ocean, but the majestic gliding motion of the whale shark is, scientists argue, an astonishing feat of mathematics and energy conservation. In new research published today in the British Ecological Society's journal Functional Ecology marine scientists reveal how these massive sharks use geometry to enhance their natural negative buoyancy and stay afloat.
Getting a tighter grip on cell division
(PhysOrg.com) -- The dance of cell division is carefully choreographed and has little room for error. Paired genetic information is lined up in the middle of the cell in the form of chromosomes. The chromosomes must then be carefully pulled apart so that the resulting daughter cells each have an identical copy of the mother cell's DNA.
Scientists develop new DNA technique to aid crops and trees at risk from deadly 'honey fungus'
(PhysOrg.com) -- An international team of scientists has developed a new technique to aid crops at risk from a devastating agricultural parasite commonly known as the 'honey fungus', one of the most serious diseases of trees and shrubs across the northern hemisphere. The development allows crop to be screened for natural resistance by adding DNA with fluorescent genes to the fungus before being planted out.
Giants among us: Paper explores evolution of the world's largest mammals
The largest mammal that ever walked the Earth -- Indricotherium transouralicum, a hornless rhinoceros-like herbivore that weighed approximately seventeen tons and stood about eighteen feet high at the shoulder -- lived in Eurasia almost 34 million years ago. In a paper just published in the journal Science, an international team of researchers has compiled and analyzed an enormous database of information about the largest mammals across time and around the globe, revealing striking patterns in their evolution.
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