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Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for October 7, 2011:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Astronomers find elusive planets in decade-old Hubble data- Scientists reveal Southern California's tectonic plates in detail
- Challenge theoretical models, Crab pulsar beams most energetic gamma rays ever detected from a pulsar
- Ionic liquid catalyst helps turn emissions into fuel
- Plant genomes may help next generation respond to climate change
- Clocking the mosh pit of interstellar space
- Nuclear receptors battle it out during metamorphosis in new fruit fly model
- Biochemists identify how tissue cells detect and perfect
- Expression of pluripotency-associated gene marks many types of adult stem cells
- Severe hypoglycemia cause identified
- More youth seeing their Facebook, email hacked
- Indian Ocean tsunami alert system to be tested on Oct 12
- Venus has an ozone layer too: probe finds
- Fish jump into picture of evolutionary land invasion
- Synthetic cells: Ion exchange leads to complex cell systems with inorganic membranes
Space & Earth news
NOAO telescopes played major role in Nobel-prize winning projects
The 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Saul Perlmutter, Brian Schmidt, and Adam Riess for their discovery of the acceleration of the Universe, one of the more surprising cosmological results in modern astronomy. The discovery was enabled in large part through use of National Science Foundation (NSF) facilities operated by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) with head quarters in Tucson, Arizona and telescopes in Arizona and Chile.
Climate talks eye revenue from shipping
With nations facing gaping shortfalls meeting pledges on climate change, several governments and activist groups are pushing to put a price on shipping emissions to fund aid to poor countries.
Barbie packaging to get earth-friendly makeover
US toy giant Mattel, maker of the world-famous Barbie doll, has decided to use more environmentally friendly materials in its packaging after months of criticism from Greenpeace.
Young and thin instead of old and bulky: Researchers report on changes in Arctic sea ice
In the central Arctic the proportion of old, thick sea ice has declined significantly. Instead, the ice cover now largely consists of thin, one-year-old floes. This is one of the results that scientists of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association brought back from the 26th Arctic expedition of the research vessel Polarstern.
ESA To Collaborate with NASA on Solar Science Mission
On October 4, 2011, the European Space Agency announced it's two next science missions, including Solar Orbiter, a spacecraft geared to study the powerful influence of the sun. Solar Orbiter will be an ESA-led mission, with strong NASA contributions managed from Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
Russia launches US telecoms satellite into orbit
Russian successfully launched a US Intelsat satellite into space late Wednesday, aboard a Zenit carrier rocket from the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan, a Russian space agency official said.
Dead birds found in N. Zealand oil slick
The first dead birds have been found in oil that leaked from a container ship stranded off New Zealand, authorities said Thursday.
Scientists to develop deep ocean seismic network
(AP) -- The Scripps Institution of Oceanography has been awarded a $1 million grant to develop a deep sea seismic network.
What will happen to soil carbon as the climate changes? A team of scientists seeks answers
(PhysOrg.com) -- The ground beneath your feet could hide a sleeping giant. Globally, soils store three times as much carbon as there is in the atmosphere or in living plants.
Mars Science Laboratory meets its match in Florida
(PhysOrg.com) -- In preparation for launch later this year, the "back shell powered descent vehicle" configuration containing NASA's Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, has been placed on the spacecraft's heat shield.
EU court backs bloc in airlines emissions fight
An EU decision to force foreign airlines to buy carbon permits "is compatible with international law," the advocate general of the European Union Court of Justice said Thursday.
Multibeam sonar can map undersea gas seeps
A technology commonly used to map the bottom of the deep ocean can also detect gas seeps in the water column with remarkably high fidelity, according to scientists from the University of New Hampshire and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This finding, made onboard the NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer in the Gulf of Mexico, will lead to more effective mapping of these gas seeps and, ultimately, enhanced understanding of our ocean environments.
Scientists search for moons around asteroids
(PhysOrg.com) -- Most people know that some planets have moons but would be surprised to know that some asteroids do, too. According to Joshua Emery, assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, about 20 percent of them do.
NASA's Aqua satellite sees birth of two tropical cyclones in Eastern Pacific
The tropics in the eastern Pacific were quiet for a couple of days after Hurricane Hilary dissipated, and today gave birth to Tropical Depression 10 and Tropical Storm Irwin. NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of both storms and saw the powerful convection in the center of Irwin that enabled the storm to go from a depression to a tropical storm in a short time.
A 3-D look at Philippe provided clues of transition into a hurricane
Tropical Storm Philippe took its time to strengthen into a hurricane because of wind shear problems. The wind shear lessened, and Philippe became a hurricane today, after 12 days of moving across the Atlantic Ocean. NASA's TRMM satellite saw towering thunderstorms and intense rainfall within Philippe yesterday, which provided forecasters with a clue that the storm was strengthening. Philippe reached hurricane status this morning, Oct. 6, 2011.
Clocking the mosh pit of interstellar space
(PhysOrg.com) -- The space between the stars in the Milky Way and all other galaxies is full of dust and gas, the raw materials from which stars and planets are made.
Molecular cloud Cepheus B is a hot spot for star formation
(PhysOrg.com) -- This composite image, created using data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Spitzer Space Telescope, shows the molecular cloud Cepheus B, located in our galaxy about 2,400 light years from the Earth. A molecular cloud is a region containing cool interstellar gas and dust left over from the formation of the galaxy and mostly contains molecular hydrogen. The Spitzer data, in red, green and blue shows the molecular cloud (in the bottom part of the image) plus young stars in and around Cepheus B, and the Chandra data in violet shows the young stars in the field.
The first detection of abundant carbon in the early universe
(PhysOrg.com) -- A research team of astronomers, mainly from Ehime University and Kyoto University in Japan, has successfully detected a carbon emission line (CIVλ1549) in the most distant radio galaxy known so far in the early universe. Using the Faint Object Camera and Spectrograph (FOCAS) on the Subaru Telescope, the team observed the radio galaxy TN J0924-2201, which is 12.5 billion light years away, and was able to measure its chemical composition for the first time. Their investigation of the detected carbon line showed that a significant amount of carbon existed as early as 12.5 billion years ago, less than a billion years after the Big Bang. This important finding contributes to our understanding of the chemical evolution of the universe and may provide clues about the chemical nature of humans, who are composed of various elements such as carbon and oxygen.
Why climate models underestimate Arctic sea ice retreat?
In recent decades, Arctic sea ice has suffered a dramatic decline that exceeds climate model predictions. The unexpected rate of ice shrinkage has now been explained by researchers at CNRS, Université Joseph Fourier and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They argue that climate models underestimate the rate of ice thinning, which is actually about four times faster than calculations. This model bias is due to the poor representation of the sea ice southward drift out of the Arctic basin through the Fram Strait. When this mechanism was taken into account to correct the discrepancy between simulations and observations, results from the new model suggested that there will be no Arctic sea ice in summer by the end of the century. This work was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research on 29 September 2011.
Indian Ocean tsunami alert system to be tested on Oct 12
Nearly two dozen countries next Wednesday will take part in a full-scale test of the Indian Ocean's tsunami alert system, using the 2004 Sumatra quake as the basis for the exercise, UNESCO said on Thursday.
Venus has an ozone layer too: probe finds
(PhysOrg.com) -- ESA's Venus Express spacecraft has discovered an ozone layer high in the atmosphere of Venus. Comparing its properties with those of the equivalent layers on Earth and Mars will help astronomers refine their searches for life on other planets.
Challenge theoretical models, Crab pulsar beams most energetic gamma rays ever detected from a pulsar
A thousand years ago, a brilliant beacon of light blazed in the sky, shining brightly enough to be seen even in daytime for almost a month. Native American and Chinese observers recorded the eye-catching event. We now know that they witnessed an exploding star, which left behind a gaseous remnant known as the Crab Nebula.
Scientists reveal Southern California's tectonic plates in detail
Rifting is one of the fundamental geological forces that have shaped our planet. Were it not for the stretching of continents and the oceans that filled those newly created basins, Earth would be a far different place. Yet because rifting involves areas deep below the Earth's surface, scientists have been unable to understand fully how it occurs.
Astronomers find elusive planets in decade-old Hubble data
(PhysOrg.com) -- In a painstaking re-analysis of Hubble Space Telescope images from 1998, astronomers have found visual evidence for two extrasolar planets that went undetected back then.
Technology news
Steve Jobs not always smooth-talking media star
Steve Jobs may have had newsmen eating out of his hand when presenting iconic Apple products in later life -- but he was not always so smooth a media performer, as some old TV footage shows.
Ellison vs. Benioff, the billionaire battle
(AP) -- It was billionaire versus billionaire Wednesday as technology's top provocateur and his one-time protege traded barbs in a public clash that was likely fueled by equal parts legitimate animosity and cheeky self-promotion.
10 products that defined Steve Jobs' career
(AP) -- Steve Jobs had no formal schooling in engineering, yet he's listed as the inventor or co-inventor on more than 300 U.S. patents. These are some of the significant products that were created under his direction:
7 products Steve Jobs got wrong
(AP) -- Steve Jobs pushed the envelope many times when it came to product design, and the results weren't always pretty. Here are seven products created under his direction that failed commercially or functionally:
Jobs tributes light up iPhones, Twitter worldwide
(AP) -- There was no makeshift memorial or candlelight vigil for Steve Jobs at the Apple Store in downtown Chicago. The news of his death, and then the tributes and condolences, were in news alerts, tweets and messages pulsing through the gadgets inside.
Loss of Steve Jobs makes world 'iSad'
The passing of Steve Jobs left people around the world "iSad" on Thursday, with countless mourners typing out their grief on the handheld Apple gadgets that have transformed modern life.
The World-Changer: Steve Jobs knew what we wanted
(AP) -- In dark suit and bowtie, he is a computing-era carnival barker - eyebrows bouncing, hands gesturing, smile seductive and coy and a bit annoying. It's as if he's on his first date with an entire generation of consumers. And, in a way, he is.
Apple co-founder Wozniak says he'll miss Jobs
(AP) -- Steve Wozniak, who started Apple in a Silicon Valley garage with Steve Jobs in 1976, said he'll miss his fellow co-founder "as much as everyone."
Jobs and his celebrity: A love-hate relationship
(AP) -- It was the 1980s, relatively early in his career, and Steve Jobs was traveling in Japan. In a hotel lobby, a gaggle of girls came up and asked for his autograph.
Warrior web to prevent injury, reduce effects of load
Today’s dismounted warfighters often carry 100 pounds or more of equipment as they patrol for hours across rugged or hilly terrain. This heavy load increases the risk of musculoskeletal injury, particularly on vulnerable areas such as knees, ankles and the spine. In addition, as loads increase, fatigue and exhaustion set in faster. DARPA seeks to develop an unobtrusive, lightweight under-suit embedded with a web of miniature sensors, functional structures and compliant actuation. The suit, for example, may automatically sense when to stiffen and relax at key body joints to help prevent injury, as well as augment the work done by muscles to help counter the negative impacts of fatigue on performance and injury.
Jobs death likely to smash Internet records
The death of Apple founder Steve Jobs provoked an online outpouring of grief likely to smash records, an Australian firm said Thursday as mourners took to the Internet to pay tribute to the tech guru.
Jobs said little about pancreatic cancer struggle
(AP) -- Steve Jobs managed to live more than seven years with a rare form of pancreatic cancer that grows more slowly than the common kind. But his need for a liver transplant two years ago was a bad sign that his troubles with the disease probably were not over.
Sprint to sell iPhone 4, 4S with unlimited data
(AP) -- Sprint says it will sell not just Apple's new iPhone 4S, but also the older iPhone 4. It plans to keep unlimited data plans for both models.
The Steve Jobs credo: 'Stay hungry, stay foolish'
Like most commencement addresses, the June 2005 speech delivered by Steve Jobs offered the college graduates pearls of wisdom as they finished their studies and prepared to embark on life's way.
Hold the phone for vital signs
An iPhone app that measures the user's heart rate is not only a popular feature with consumers, but it sparked an idea for a Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researcher who is now turning smart phones, and eventually tablet devices, into sophisticated medical monitors able to capture and transmit vital physiological data.
Publisher pushes up Jobs bio release to October 24
The release date for the first authorized biography of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has been pushed forward to October 24 following his death, publisher Simon & Schuster said Thursday.
Cook has deep shoes to fill at Jobs-less Apple
The death of visionary Steve Jobs has left huge shoes to fill at Apple, with agile competitors mounting a continuous assault on the company's hit iPhones, iPads and other groundbreaking products.
Flowers, letters, and gadgets at Apple store 'shrines'
Grateful fans flocked to Apple stores across the United States Thursday erecting makeshift shrines to deceased co-founder Steve Jobs to thank him for inventing the gadgets that revolutionized their lives.
Solar systems: Energy from sun can pay for panels in about 10 years
Ben Cuker lives what he teaches as a professor of marine and environmental science at Hampton University in Hampton, Va.
Reaction mixed to Sprint offering new iPhone 4S
Shane Adams can relax. A loyal Sprint Nextel customer and techie obsessive, the Internet marketing manager from Olathe, Kan., had verily drooled at the rumors of an iPhone coming to his hometown carrier.
Cyber-fraud tops $93 billion a year in Latin America
Fraud in online commerce and theft of confidential data, known as phishing, at banks in Latin America together top 93 billion dollars in yearly losses, an IT conference heard Wednesday.
World's highest webcam brings Everest to Internet
The world's highest webcam has been installed in the Nepalese Himalayas, beaming live images of Mount Everest back to scientists studying the effects of climate change on the planet's tallest peak.
Apple 'genius' Steve Jobs dies from cancer
Suddenly, the next version of the iPhone doesn't seem so important. It's time to mourn Steve Jobs, the Silicon Valley maestro who always seemed to hit the right note as he transformed Apple Inc. into technology's greatest hits factory.
More youth seeing their Facebook, email hacked
Young people are having a harder time keeping their profile pages and email accounts secure, especially from prankster friends. And although many treat hacking or spying as a joke, nearly half who have been victims were upset by it.
Google, Microsoft battle for cloud-computing customers
The pitched battle between Google and Microsoft to sell software applications that run on the Internet "cloud" is escalating.
Medicine & Health news
Older cancer survivor population to increase substantially
Over the next decade, the population of cancer survivors over 65 years of age will increase by approximately 42 percent.
The Medical Minute: Atrial Fibrillation -- What is It?
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common heart rhythm disturbance in the United States and affects 2 to 4 million Americans. It is usually a disease of aging, however it can affect people of all ages -- 1 percent of people under age 60 and 10 percent of all people over age 80 have AF.
Little progress on reducing pharmacare coverage disparities over past decade: research
Changes to provincial drug plans over the past decade did little to address the wide disparities among provinces in prescription drug coverage, according to an analysis by University of British Columbia researchers.
Understanding where health disparities begin
(Medical Xpress) -- The strongest solutions to health disparities lie outside the health care system — in the community and the policies that affect living conditions, according to a new article co-authored by a Virginia Commonwealth University expert.
Friends and family as responsible as health-care professionals for personal health, global survey
Globally, people believe that friends and family have as much responsibility for their personal health as do health care providers, according to the Edelman Health Barometer 2011. After "themselves," nearly half (43%) of respondents believe that their friends and family have the most impact on their lifestyle as it relates to health, and more than a third (36%) believe friends and family have the most impact on personal nutrition.
Extending the effective lifetime of stents
Implanted stents can reopen obstructed arteries, but regrowth of cells into the vessel wall can entail restenosis. Research at LMU now shows that an antimicrobial peptide inhibits restenosis and promotes vascular healing. Thus, coating stents with this peptide could increase their clinical efficacy.
Changes in brain function in early HIV infection: A reliable indicator of disease prognosis?
Measurable changes in brain function and communication between brain regions may be a consequence of virus-induced injury during the early stages of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. These abnormalities and their implications in disease prognosis are detailed in an article in the groundbreaking new neuroscience journal Brain Connectivity.
New method to diagnose sinusitis could reduce use of antibiotics
A new method of diagnosing sinusitis is presented in a new thesis from Lund University. The results offer the potential to reduce the use of antibiotics and the costs of the disease to society.
Researchers find race disparity in post-hospital arrival homicide deaths at trauma centers
New research based on post-hospital arrival data from U.S. trauma centers finds that even after adjusting for differences in injury severity, gun use, and other likely causes of race difference in death from assault, African-Americans have a significantly higher overall post-scene of injury mortality rate than whites. The study was conducted by Anthony R. Harris, emeritus professor of sociology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and colleagues and published in August by the Journal of Trauma, Injury, Infection and Critical Care.
Study finds liver cancer increasing in low risk countries, decreasing in high risk countries
A new study finds liver cancer incidence rates continue to increase in some low-risk parts of the world such as North America, and are decreasing in some of the highest risk countries of Asia. Despite this, the incidence rates in Asian countries remain twice as high as those in Africa and more than four times as high as rates in North America. The study will be published in an upcoming issue of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention and appears early online.
iPad research promising for children with cortical visual impairment
(Medical Xpress) -- A researcher at the University of Kansas believes the iPad could vastly improve the lives and prospects of children living with cortical visual impairment, a severe neurological disorder resulting from brain damage that prevents children from interpreting visual information.
Study suggests children's food choices are affected by direct advertising and parental influence
Directly advertising food items to children worries many parents and health care providers, and the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association have expressed concern about the negative impact of advertising on children's healthy food choices. A new study soon to be published in The Journal of Pediatrics explores the relationship between fast food advertisements, parental influence, and the food choices made by children.
It's official: Learning languages makes you smarter
New research has shown that learning a language may subtly change, and possibly improve, the way we think.
Studies examine diet's role in prostate cancer
(Medical Xpress) -- A team of nutrition researchers and urologic surgeons at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Siteman Cancer Center is conducting two studies to investigate a potential link between cancer and excess protein in the diet.
Bilingualism doesn?t hamper language abilities of children with autism: research
(Medical Xpress) -- Bilingual children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) acquire vocabularies just as rich as monolingual children with ASD, according to research by a bilingualism expert at the University of British Columbia.
Self-reported cognitive difficulties may indicate early signs of cerebrovascular disease, research shows
Middle-aged adults at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) can perceive and complain about related cognitive difficulties long before standard neuropsychological screening tools detect any problems, according to a recent study from The University of Texas at Austin.
Mouse experiments show fickle functions for folic acid
(Medical Xpress) -- Dietary folic acid helps prevent a subset of neurological birth defects in humans -- although the precise mechanism by which it prevents them is unclear. Now, researchers have found that certain genetic mutations in mice that mimic these birth defects do not respond to a diet enriched with folic acid. Even more surprising, some of these mouse mutants actually have an increased incidence of the birth defect related to spina bifida when fed a diet high in folic acid.
Everest expedition suggests nitric oxide benefits for intensive care patients
The latest results from an expedition to Mount Everest that looked at the body's response to low oxygen levels suggest that drugs or procedures that promote the body's production of a chemical compound called nitric oxide (NO) could improve the recovery of critically ill patients in intensive care.
Learning poems word for word stanza in good stead
(Medical Xpress) -- Research from the Universities of Reading and Oxford suggests that learning poems by heart makes people feel better and strengthens identity.
Not sleeping with parents linked to baby's stress in bath: Dutch study
Babies who do not sleep in their parents' bedroom, experience a higher stress level in the bath than children who do, concludes NWO researcher Carolina de Weerth from Radboud University Nijmegen. She published the results of her research on 30 September 2011 in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology.
Ultrasounds worsen Asia women shortage: UN
Increased access to technology that allows parents to know the sex of their foetus has left Asia short of 117 million women, mostly in China and India, the UN said Thursday.
Dioxin-like chemical messenger makes brain tumors more aggressive
A research alliance of Heidelberg University Hospital and the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ), jointly with colleagues of the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research in Leipzig, have discovered a new metabolic pathway which makes malignant brain tumors (gliomas) more aggressive and weakens patients' immune systems. Using drugs to inhibit this metabolic pathway is a new approach in cancer treatment. The group's results have been published in the prestigious specialist journal Nature.
Detecting glaucoma before it blinds
Early detection and diagnosis of open angle glaucoma important so that treatment can be used in the early stages of the disease developing to prevent or avoid further vision loss. Writing in a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Medical Engineering and Informatics, researchers in the US have analyzed and ranked the various risk factors for open angle glaucoma so that patients can be screened at an earlier stage if they are more likely to develop the condition.
New oral drug found to reduce relapses in multiple sclerosis patients
A new oral drug has been shown in a large international clinical trial to significantly reduce the relapse rate of people with multiple sclerosis and to slow the progression of the disease.
Chagas disease may be a threat in South Texas, says researcher
Chagas disease, a tropical parasitic disease that can lead to life-threatening heart and digestive disorders, may be more widespread in Texas than previously thought, according to research from The University of Texas at Austin.
Place, not race, may be a larger determinant of health disparities
Where you live could play a larger role in health disparities than originally thought, according to a new study by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. They examined a racially integrated, low-income neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland and found that, with the exception of smoking, nationally reported disparities in hypertension, diabetes, obesity among women and use of health services disappeared or narrowed. The results are featured in the October 2011 issue of Health Affairs.
How fair sanctions are orchestrated in the brain
Civilized human cohabitation requires us to respect elementary social norms. We guarantee compliance with these norms with our willingness to punish norm violations – often even at our own expense. This behavior goes against our own economic self-interest and requires us to control our egoistic impulses.
Marijuana component could ease pain from chemotherapy drugs
A chemical component of the marijuana plant could prevent the onset of pain associated with drugs used in chemo therapy, particularly in breast cancer patients, according to researchers at Temple University's School of Pharmacy.
Length of flanking repeat region and timing affect genetic material
In children with genomic disorders, often a gamete – egg or sperm – has gone disastrously awry with either a duplication or deletion of genetic material that results in physical and neurological problems for the subsequent child.
How cells sense nutrients and fuel cancer cell growth
In cancer, genes turn on and off at the wrong times, proteins aren't folded properly, and cellular growth and proliferation get out of control. Even a cancer cell's metabolism goes haywire, as it loses the ability to appropriately sense nutrients and use them to generate energy. One particular piece of cellular machinery that is known to malfunction in a number of cancers is a group of proteins called mTORC1. This master control center coordinates many cellular functions by sensing external signals such as nutrients and growth factors and telling cells how to respond.
Kids' ER concussion visits up 60 pct over decade
(AP) -- The number of athletic children going to hospitals with concussions is up 60 percent in the past decade, a finding that is likely due to parents and coaches being more careful about getting head injuries treated, according to a new federal study.
Earlier male circumcision may help to slow rates of HIV, HPV transmission in South Africa
According to Anna R. Giuliano, Ph.D., program leader in cancer epidemiology at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., and colleagues in the Netherlands, earlier circumcision of males in South Africa may be a positive step in slowing the spread of both HIV and the human papillomavirus (HPV). Their commentary and data were published in a recent issue of the British medical journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases (Vol. 11) 581-582.
Distinct AIDS viruses found in cerebrospinal fluid of people with HIV dementia
When the virus that causes AIDS infects the central nervous system, it can lead to the development of a severe neurological disease called HIV-associated dementia (HAD).
Transplant survival could be improved by altering present criteria for matching donors, recipients
Selecting better matched recipients and donors than is currently required for umbilical-cord blood transplantation could substantially reduce transplant-related deaths. The findings, published Online First in the Lancet Oncology should change standard practice for cord-blood donor selection and emphasize the need for greater investment in public cord blood banks because of the importance of HLA matching on survival.
Chlamydia utilizes Trojan horse tactics to infect cells
A novel mechanism has been identified in which Chlamydia trachomatis tricks host cells into taking up the bacteria. Researchers from University of California San Francisco, led by Joanne Engel, report their findings in the Open Access journal PLoS Pathogens on October 6th.
Ancient gene found to control potent antibody response to retroviruses
A researcher at MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer research has identified a gene that controls the process by which antibodies gain their ability to combat retroviruses. Edward Browne shows that the gene TLR7 allows the antibody generating B cells to detect the presence of a retrovirus and promotes a process by which antibodies gain strength and potency, called a germinal center reaction. The findings are published in the Open Access journal PLoS Pathogens on October 6th.
Incompatible assumptions common in biomedical research
Strong, incompatible views are common in biomedicine but are largely invisible to biomedical experts themselves, creating artificial barriers to effective modeling of complex biological phenomena. Researchers at the University of Chicago explored the diversity in views among scientists researching the process of cancer metastasis and found ubiquitous disagreement around assumptions in any model of the progression of cancer cells from their original location to other parts of the body. The researchers suggest that making often invisible assumptions explicit could significantly improve the modeling of biomedical processes.
Testosterone concentrations in men affected by genetic makeup
Genetics play an important role in the variation in, and risk of, low testosterone concentrations in men. A study by the CHARGE Sex Hormone Consortium, published in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics on Thursday, 6th October, is the first genome-wide association study to examine the effects of common genetic variants on serum testosterone concentrations in men.
Study first to link mitochondrial dysfunction and alpha-Synuclein multiplication in human fibroblasts
A new study in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease shows for the first time the effects of α-Synuclein (α-syn) gene multiplication on mitochondrial function and susceptibility to oxidative stress in human tissue. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been frequently implicated in the neurodegenerative process that underlies Parkinson's disease, but the basis for this has not been fully understood.
More insight into the secret life of the American teen
Andrew Fuligni and his colleagues want to understand the secret life of the American teenager. Their research has examined whether stress in the teen years affects kids' health as adults (it does), whether teens maintain their religious ties and beliefs as adults (they do) and if ethnic minority–based stigmatization affects how they perform in school (it does).
Mine-hunting software helping doctors to identify rare cells in human cancer
Medical researchers are demonstrating that Office of Naval Research (ONR)-funded software developed for finding and recognizing undersea mines can help doctors identify and classify cancer-related cells.
Pancreatic cancer declining, but among most deadly
(AP) -- There are almost as many deaths from it each year as there are new cases. The deaths this week of Apple founder Steve Jobs and Nobelist Ralph Steinman bring unusual attention to this less-well-known type of cancer that has actually been declining despite no big advances in treatment or finding it early.
Why does conflict arise when social identity is threatened?
Be it at school, office, the neighborhood or the community people live in, conflicting situations amongst various groups might arise on an almost day to day basis. Today, the prevalence of these intergroup conflicts is on the rise and has resulted in minor disagreements amongst friends to waging full scale wars between countries.
Marijuana use may double the risk of accidents for drivers
Over 10 million people age 12 or older are estimated to have driven under the influence of illicit drugs in the prior year, according to a 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. While marijuana is the most commonly detected non-alcohol drug in drivers, its role in causing crashes has remained in question. To examine the link between marijuana use by drivers and risk of a car accident, researchers at Columbia University did a meta-analysis of nine epidemiologic studies and found that drivers who test positive for marijuana or report driving within three hours of marijuana use are more than twice as likely as other drivers to be involved in motor vehicle crashes. The researchers also found evidence that crash risk increases with the concentration of marijuana-produced compounds in the urine and the frequency of self-reported marijuana use.
Ecstasy derivative targets blood cancers
(Medical Xpress) -- A team of UWA researchers have found they may be able to alter the club drug ‘ecstasy’ to kill certain types of blood cancers at the same time boosting the potency and reducing the psychoactivity.
Children find human-made objects more likely to be owned than natural objects
Children as young as 3 are likely to say that things made by humans have owners, but that natural objects, such as pine cones and sea shells, are not owned, according to a new study published by the American Psychological Association.
Small island nation to sequence genome of entire population
(Medical Xpress) -- The small island nation of the Faroe Islands is planning to offer free full genome sequencing to all of its 50,000 citizens. Though only partially sponsored as yet (by genome-sequencing company Illumina) the project is expected come to fruition and will eventually cost close to $50 million and take up to five years to complete. Its main purpose is to provide better medical care for the population, though such a project would undoubtedly provide a great deal of useful information for medical research studies as well. The project was announced at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory during a meeting of genome researchers this past week.
High testosterone levels and lower heart risks tied together
(Medical Xpress) -- A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reports that higher natural levels of testosterone in elderly men may reduce their risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Severe hypoglycemia cause identified
Cambridge scientists have identified the cause of a rare, life-threatening form of hypoglycaemia. Their findings, which have the potential to lead to pharmaceutical treatments for the disorder, were published today in the journal Science.
Decade of effort yields diabetes susceptibility gene: Tomosyn-2 regulates insulin secretion
Ten years of meticulous mouse breeding, screening, and record-keeping have finally paid off for Alan Attie and his lab members.
Body suit may soon enable the paralyzed to walk
In a busy lab at Duke University, Dr. Miguel Nicolelis is merging brain science with engineering in a bid to create something fantastical: a full-body prosthetic device that would allow those immobilized by injury to walk again.
Biology news
Rice insects not as 'boring' in Texas, Louisiana, researchers say
(PhysOrg.com) -- To defeat an enemy, know its lifestyle, where it works and its secret hiding places. That’s what researchers have done in a 10-year battle against two insects that bore into grassy crops such as rice, sugarcane, sorghum and corn.
The short goodbye: Weaning foals
It is widely believed that being born is about the most stressful thing that can happen to anybody. But being weaned cannot be too far behind it in the list of traumatic experiences. Most humans come to terms with it eventually and the situation in animals is probably no different. How weaning takes place, however, can have a dramatic effect on the length of time required to overcome the shock. That this is so, at least for horses, comes from the latest work of the team of Christine Aurich at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna. Weaning is least stressful if foals are given the company of familiar adult female horses, even if they are not related to them. The work is published in the current issue of the journal Stress.
Floods drown Asia's rice bowl
Massive floods have ravaged vast swathes of Asia's rice bowl, threatening to further drive up food prices and adding to the burden of farmers who are among the region's poorest, experts say.
Wild plants are good for pollinators
A new study has shown that encouraging strips of wild plants at the edges of fields is important for supporting bees and other important pollinators.
Proteins could offer novel antibiotic target
Bacteria are single-celled organisms that inhabit almost every environment on the planet, including the bodies of humans and animals. The cell wall maintains the structural integrity of the cell, and enables the bacteria to survive in its chosen environment. In disease-causing bacteria (pathogens) it also plays a role in the progression of the disease. A group of scientists from Newcastle University and the Nara Institute of Science and Technology in Japan have used Diamond to identify a group of proteins that enable certain bacteria to build effective cell walls. These proteins may provide a novel antibiotic target for a range of disease-causing bacteria.
Vectors of bluetongue get a name
Scientists of the Antwerp Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITG) have developed a molecular technique to easily and dependably identify the biting midges that spread bluetongue disease. Until know this identification was a problem. The technology helps to understand how the disease spreads, and how to control it. They report in the journal Medical and Veterinary Entomology.
Australia's endangered bettong reveals how weather effects species distribution
Australian scientists studying the reliability of species distribution models for revealing the response of animals to climate change have focused their research on the endangered marsupial, the Northern Bettong. The research, published in Ecography demonstrates that studying weather events, rather than the gradual changes of the climate, offers a clearer insight into the Bettong's movements, range boundaries and likely contact with competitors.
Smut fungus has found a new way to switch off plant immune defence
Pathogens causing plant diseases are an enormous threat in agriculture. They can spread rapidly and cause massive crop losses, particularly in today’s large-scale monocultures. To infect a plant successfully, pathogens must overcome the intricate defence systems of host plants.
Scientists reveal key barrier to reprogramming human zygotes
(Medical Xpress) -- New research from Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) scientists pinpoints a biological barrier that has thus far slowed progress in creating disease-specific stem cell lines using a technique known as nuclear transfer. Identifying the problem opens up new opportunities for scientists to address and possibly overcome it.
Biologists fish for reasons behind endangered grouper's comeback
In the waters along Florida's east and west coasts, Florida State University marine biologists are collecting new data on the once severely overfished Atlantic goliath grouper, a native species that is making a comeback in the southeastern United States after a 21-year moratorium on its capture while remaining critically endangered everywhere else in the world.
Scientists find stem cell reprogramming technique is safer than previously thought
Stem cells made by reprogramming patients' own cells might one day be used as therapies for a host of diseases, but scientists have feared that dangerous mutations within these cells might be caused by current reprogramming techniques. A sophisticated new analysis of stem cells' DNA finds that such fears may be unwarranted.
Among insects, 'chivalry' isn't dead (w/ video)
Some male crickets will apparently put the lives of their mating partners ahead of their own. When a mated pair is out together, a male will allow a female priority access to the safety of a burrow, even though it means a dramatic increase in his own risk of being eaten. That's according to infrared video observations of a wild population of field crickets (Gryllus campestris) reported online on October 6 the Cell Press journal Current Biology.
Expression of pluripotency-associated gene marks many types of adult stem cells
Investigators at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Center for Regenerative Medicine and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) have found that Sox2 – one of the transcription factors used in the conversion of adult stem cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) – is expressed in many adult tissues where it had not been previously observed. They also confirmed that Sox2-expressing cells found in the stomach, testes, cervix and other structures are true adult stem cells that can give rise to all mature cell types in those tissues. The study appears in the October issue of Cell Stem Cell.
Fish jump into picture of evolutionary land invasion
(PhysOrg.com) -- Research sometimes means looking for one thing and finding another. Such was the case when biology professor Alice Gibb and her research team at Northern Arizona University witnessed a small amphibious fish, the mangrove rivulus, jump with apparent skill and purpose out of a small net and back into the water.
Plant genomes may help next generation respond to climate change
In the face of climate change, animals have an advantage over plants: They can move. But a new study led by Brown University researchers shows that plants may have some tricks of their own.
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