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Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for October 13, 2011:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Insoluble dust particles can form cloud droplets affecting global and regional climates- Adobe shows off new 'undo photo blur' feature
- Toothed pterosaur: Tiny fossil fragment reveals giant-but-ugly-truth
- Building crystalline materials from nanoparticles and DNA
- Simple genetic circuit forms stripes: Synthetic biology helps scientists sort out pattern formation
- Scientists reveal surprising picture of how powerful antibody neutralizes HIV
- Carbon nanotube muscles generate giant twist for novel motors
- Earthquakes generate big heat in super-small areas: study
- New technologies challenge old ideas about early hominid diets
- Humans like to work together in solving tasks, chimps don't
- Understanding the beginnings of embryonic stem cells helps predict the future
- Drunk, powerful, and in the dark: The paradox of the disinhibited
- Researchers block morphine's itchy side effect
- Siri gives iPhone 4S sass
- Researchers explore plankton's shifting role in deep sea carbon storage
Space & Earth news
BP, Transocean, Halliburton cited for violations
The US government slapped BP, Transocean and Halliburton with citations for violating oil industry regulations in what is expected to lead to massive fines for the deadly 2010 oil spill.
Giant Webb space telescope model to 'Land' in Baltimore
(PhysOrg.com) -- Baltimore's Maryland Science Center is going to be the "landing site" for the full-scale model of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, and it's free for all to see.
Amateur skywatchers help space hazards team
For the first time, observations coordinated by ESA's space hazards team have found an asteroid that comes close enough to Earth to pose an impact threat. The space rock was found by amateur astronomers, highlighting the value of 'crowd-sourcing' to science and planetary defence.
Salvage crew lands on 'creaking' N.Z. oil slick ship
A salvage crew on Thursday made a daring landing on a crippled container ship leaking oil off New Zealand, as the vessel's owners apologised for the country's worst sea pollution crisis.
Pesticides pollute European waterbodies more than previously thought
Pesticides are a bigger problem than had long been assumed. This is the conclusion of a study in which scientists analysed data on 500 organic substances in the basins of four major European rivers. It was revealed that 38 per cent of these chemicals are present in concentrations which could potentially have an effect on organisms. According to scientists writing in the journal Science of the Total Environment, this conclusion clearly shows that contamination by organic chemicals is a problem throughout Europe. Most of the substances classified as a risk to the environment in the study were pesticides; the majority of these are not on the European list of priority substances which have to be monitored regularly. They therefore believe that the list of chemicals specified by the EU Water Framework Directive as having to be monitored by national authorities urgently needs to be revised.
Energy, food security to dominate Rio+20: envoy
Boosting energy efficiency and renewables and providing food for a future world of eight billion will dominate next year's UN Rio+20 conference, the talks' co-coordinator said on Thursday.
Environmentalists call for toilets on Everest
An environmental group is asking the Nepal government to consider installing portable toilets on Mount Everest for climbers caught short at the roof of the world.
New Zealand braces for oil slick ship to break up
Salvage crews reboarded a stricken ship at the centre of New Zealand's worst sea pollution disaster on Thursday as authorities ordered people off oil-blackened beaches.
Radiation hotspot detected in Tokyo: reports
A radiation hotspot has been detected in Tokyo, reports said Thursday as researchers carry out stringent tests to map how far contamination has spread from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.
NASA's Dawn science team presents early science results
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists with NASA's Dawn mission are sharing with other scientists and the public their early information about the southern hemisphere of the giant asteroid Vesta. The findings were presented today at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in Minneapolis, Minn.
NASA readies new type of Earth-observing satellite for launch
NASA is planning an Oct. 27 launch of the first Earth-observing satellite to measure both global climate changes and key weather variables.
Student unlocks secrets of mercury
More than one billion people around the world depend upon fish for protein in their diet. But the threat of mercury poisoning, especially in children, has raised concerns about the safety of eating fish.
Iceland's Katla volcano is getting restless
(AP) -- If Iceland's air-traffic paralyzing volcanic eruption last year seemed catastrophic, just wait for the sequel. That's what some experts are saying as they nervously watch rumblings beneath a much more powerful Icelandic volcano - Katla - which could spew an ash cloud dwarfing the 2010 eruption that cost airlines $2 billion and drove home how vulnerable modern society is to the whims of nature.
Can indigenous peoples be relied on to gather reliable environmental data?
No one is in a better position to monitor environmental conditions in remote areas of the natural world than the people living there. But many scientists believe the cultural and educational gulf between trained scientists and indigenous cultures is simply too great to bridge -- that native peoples cannot be relied on to collect reliable data.
Method of studying roots rarely used in wetlands improves ecosystem research
A method of monitoring roots rarely used in wetlands will help Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers effectively study the response of a high-carbon ecosystem to elevated temperatures and levels of carbon dioxide.
NASA continues critical survey of Antarctica's changing ice
Scientists with NASA's Operation IceBridge airborne research campaign began the mission's third year of surveys this week over the changing ice of Antarctica.
Satellites view three dying tropical systems in eastern Pacific
Three tropical systems in the eastern Pacific Ocean: Tropical Depression Irwin, Post-tropical cyclone Jova, and the remnants of Tropical Depression 12E all appeared to be fading on NASA satellite imagery today.
The hazy history of Titan's air
What rocky moon has a nitrogen-rich atmosphere, Earth-like weather patterns and geology, liquid hydrocarbon seas and a relatively good chance to support life? The answer is Titan, the fascinating moon of Saturn.
G299.2-2.9, a middle-aged supernova remnant
(PhysOrg.com) -- G299.2-2.9 is an intriguing supernova remnant found about 16,000 light years away in the Milky Way galaxy. Evidence points to G299.2-2.9 being the remains of a Type Ia supernova, where a white dwarf has grown sufficiently massive to cause a thermonuclear explosion.
And the microbes shall inherit the Earth
(PhysOrg.com) -- Global warming is not a novel phenomenon, and by studying what happened to the planet during a period of global warming about 250 million years ago, one USC Dornsife scientist hopes to discover what could happen to us this time around.
Hubble survey carries out a dark matter census
(PhysOrg.com) -- The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has been used to make an image of galaxy cluster MACS J1206.2-0847. The apparently distorted shapes of distant galaxies in the background is caused by an invisible substance called dark matter, whose gravity bends and distorts their light rays. MACS 1206 has been observed as part of a new survey of galaxy clusters using Hubble.
Future forests may soak up more carbon dioxide than previously believed
North American forests appear to have a greater capacity to soak up heat-trapping carbon dioxide gas than researchers had previously anticipated.
Researchers explore plankton's shifting role in deep sea carbon storage
The tiny phytoplankton Emiliania huxleyi, invisible to the naked eye, plays an outsized role in drawing carbon from the atmosphere and sequestering it deep in the seas. But this role may change as ocean water becomes warmer and more acidic, according to a San Francisco State University research team.
Insoluble dust particles can form cloud droplets affecting global and regional climates
New information on the role of insoluble dust particles in forming cloud droplets could improve the accuracy of regional climate models, especially in areas of the world that have significant amounts of mineral aerosols in the atmosphere. A more accurate accounting for the role of these particles could also have implications for global climate models.
Earthquakes generate big heat in super-small areas: study
Most earthquakes that are seen, heard, and felt around the world are caused by fast slip on faults. While the earthquake rupture itself can travel on a fault as fast as the speed of sound or better, the fault surfaces behind the rupture are sliding against each other at about a meter per second.
Technology news
Standard for first consumer label ready for companies to buy clean power
The technical standard for the first global consumer label for companies to buy wind power and other clean renewable energy has been launched today.
China vendors 'riot' online over Taobao fee hike
Tens of thousands of frustrated small Chinese vendors are "online rioting" in protest at a decision by the nation's top web retailer Taobao to raise service fees, state media said on Thursday.
Moody's downgrades LG's outlook to negative
Credit ratings agency Moody's on Thursday downgraded its outlook on South Korea's LG Electronics to negative, saying its position in the mobile phone business has weakened considerably.
Knowledge mining resource accelerates science, technology education, research
Interdisciplinary collaborations bring vitality and success to the nation's research enterprise. Such interactions among disciplines also provide robust, real-life experiences for university students.
Brazilian president's blog hacked
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's official blog website was hacked briefly Thursday by someone who posted an anti-corruption message, officials said.
New ultra-high speed network connection for researchers and educators
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced the activation of an ultra-high speed network connection for scientists, researchers and educators at universities and National Laboratories that is at least ten times faster than commercial Internet providers. The project – funded with $62 million from the 2009 economic stimulus law – is intended for research use but could pave the way for widespread commercial use of similar technology.
Dennis Ritchie, computer-programming pioneer, dies
(AP) -- Dennis Ritchie, a pioneer in computer programming, has died at age 70, according to his longtime employer.
Taiwan's Foxconn mulls Brazil touch screen factories
Brazil is in negotiations with Taiwan IT giant Foxconn to open two factories to manufacture touch screens in a multi-billion dollar project, a top Brazilian official said Thursday.
UK lawmakers vote to allow Twitter in Commons
(AP) -- Things will still be Twittering in the Houses of Parliament.
BlackBerry maker says service fully restored
BlackBerry services buzzed back to life across the world Thursday, after a three-day outage that interrupted email messages and Internet services for millions of customers.
PC market grows in 3Q, but sluggishly, firms say
Personal computer shipments continued to grow in the third quarter but at a sluggish pace, intensifying concerns about the industry's dimming prospects going into the all-important holiday shopping season.
EBay to add image recognition to mobile offerings
EBay plans to add image-recognition technology to its mobile offerings, allowing shoppers to snap photos of items they covet - such as a cute dress a friend is wearing - that an eBay app will match up with similar items for sale on eBay.com.
World needs joint nuclear safety approach
The global upsurge in the use of nuclear power in countries such as China, Russia and Britain must be accompanied by a greater focus on security and the management of nuclear waste, a report said Thursday.
US Air Force calls drone fleet virus a 'nuisance'
A computer virus that hit the US drone fleet last month created a "nuisance" but no serious threat to flight operations for the unmanned aircraft, the US Air Force said Wednesday.
Seven auto manufacturers collaborate on harmonized electric vehicle fast charging solution
Recognizing the importance of a single international approach for DC fast charging, Audi, BMW, Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Porsche and Volkswagen have agreed on the combined charging system as an international standardized approach to charge electric vehicles (EV) in Europe and the United States.
Spark joins Chevrolet's U.S. small car lineup in 2012
Chevrolet hopes to excite first-time buyers and city residents when the Spark mini car joins the brand’s small car family next year in the United States and Canada. The Spark is a five-door, four-passenger hatch that is on sale in Chevrolet markets around the world.
IBM and EKZ make electric vehicle charging more convenient with new smartphone application
IBM Research today announced that it has teamed with EKZ, the electricity utility provider of the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland, on a new pilot project that will allow consumers to conveniently charge electric vehicles and monitor their energy costs, using mobile devices. This near real-time information will also help utility providers better manage power grid loads during peak charging times – a challenge that is set to grow as more electric vehicles are on the road.
Does converting cow manure to electricity pay off?
Studies have estimated that converting manure from the 95 million animal units in the United States would produce renewable energy equal to 8 billion gallons of gasoline, or 1% of the total energy consumption in the nation. Because more and more farmers and communities are interested in generating renewable energy from farm waste, there is a growing need for information on the economic feasibility and sustainability of such programs.
Digital piracy casts shadow over ebook world
With electronic books growing in popularity, the publishing world focuses on fighting the threat of digital book pirates, much as the music industry once did with illegal downloading.
Packaging expert sees a social revolution in the evolving barcode
What if you could trace the history of everything you buy back to its origins? Using your smart phone camera, you could learn what factory made the ingredients in your heart medication, what country grew the corn in your breakfast cereal, or even how to recycle the phone. You could follow the whole life cycle of a product and everyone who handled it along the way to ensure that the medicine you're taking isn't counterfeit and the food you're eating is safe.
Spray-on protective coating wins 'R&D 100' Award
R&D Magazine honored Office of Naval Research scientist Dr. Roshdy George S. Barsoum with a 2011 "R&D 100" award on Oct. 13 for the development of a revolutionary coating material that is blast-and fire-resistant.
Jobs painted as romantic teen in 'Rolling Stone'
(AP) -- Many people know Apple co-founder Steve Jobs as an exacting tech visionary. Fewer know him as a romantic, a poet or a costumed "Alice in Wonderland" character at a California shopping mall.
Apple in talks for iCloud for movies
Apple is in talks with Hollywood studios about offering its new iCloud services for movies. That would allow people to buy movies on iTunes and then watch them on any Apple-made device without needing to transfer or save files.
Google 3Q earnings rise 26 pct, top analyst views
Mounting worries over another global recession haven't shaken Google.
Post-Jobs, Apple to unleash new iPhone
Apple fans in Sydney and Tokyo will on Friday aim to beat the rest of the world to the latest iPhone, as the US technology giant unleashes its first device since the death of co-founder Steve Jobs.
SU professor uncovers potential issues with apps built for Android systems
Wenliang Du, professor of computer science in the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science (LCS), has had his paper accepted to be presented at the 27th Annual Computer Security Applications Conference, on potential issues with mobile applications (commonly referred to as apps) written for the Android system using the WebView platform.
Australian court bans sales of Samsung Galaxy tab
A court has temporarily banned Samsung from selling its new Galaxy tablet computer in Australia, another setback for the South Korean electronics giant in a global patent battle with Apple Inc. that accuses it of slavishly copying the iPad and iPhone.A court has temporarily banned Samsung from selling its new Galaxy tablet computer in Australia, another setback for the South Korean electronics giant in a global patent battle with Apple Inc. that accuses it of slavishly copying the iPad and iPhone.
Silevo solar cell makers reveal product with best-ever claims
(PhysOrg.com) -- Silevo, the Fremont, California, photovoltaic solar module manufacturers, yesterday stepped forward to talk all about their technology for the first time and to say that it offers the best performance-to-cost ratio for solar modules in the industry, thanks to their groundbreaking new design.
'Thinking machines' will run future power grids
(PhysOrg.com) -- Plans to develop the "smart" grid - a system that uses intelligent computer networks to manage electric power - cannot succeed without the creation of new "thinking machines" that can learn and adapt to new situations, from power outages along the grid to fluctuations in the power supply. So says Dr. Ganesh Kumar Venayagamoorthy, a power engineering expert at Missouri University of Science and Technology, in an article published Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011.
Improving the physics of grocery store display cases to save energy
Shoppers don't usually give a second thought as they reach into a cooler to grab milk, cheese or prepackaged lunches. Open-front refrigerated display cases, which make up roughly 60 percent of the refrigerated cases in grocery stores and supermarkets, provide quick access to chilled products such as dairy, meat, fish and produce. While they are popular with shoppers and grocery stores, they're less popular with electric utilities and others concerned with energy efficiency.
France launches vast solar panel array
France on Thursday launched its largest-ever solar energy farm, with an array of panels spread over about 200 hectares (500 acres) in the mountainous southern Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region.
Siri gives iPhone 4S sass
A quick-witted robotic "personal assistant" built into iPhone 4S promises to be an entertaining new feature of the Apple gadget being released Friday.
Robot biologist solves complex problem from scratch
First it was chess. Then it was Jeopardy. Now computers are at it again, but this time they are trying to automate the scientific process itself.
Adobe shows off new 'undo photo blur' feature
(PhysOrg.com) -- Despite all the advances in digital photography, most people are still plagued by the problem of blurry photos, a problem compounded by the use of cameras embedded in cell phones due to their small size. Problems of blurring generally can be divided into two types. The first is problems with focusing, which can usually be avoided if the camera operator will simply wait for the automatic focusing feature of their camera to do its job. The second type is much more difficult to solve as it involves camera movement while the image is being shot. It’s this second problem that Adobe has been working on as part of its Photoshop imaging software package. And based on a video shot by someone identified only as peterelst who posted it on Youtube, a recent demo of a new feature, or "sneak" as Adobe calls it, seems to indicate that they have made significant progress.
Medicine & Health news
Direct access to physical therapists associated with lower costs and fewer visits, new study says
A new study suggesting that "the role of the physician gatekeeper in regard to physical therapy may be unnecessary in many cases" could have significant implications for the US health care system, says the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).
UK doctors still undertreating atrial fibrillation - major risk factor for stroke
Despite significant improvements in stroke prevention over the past decade, and a fall in incidence and deaths, UK doctors are still undertreating one of the major risk factors - atrial fibrillation - reveals research published in BMJ Open.
Can a short leg cause knee or hip pain?
If one of your legs is shorter than the other, that may increase your risk of pain in your knees or hips, some researchers suspect. UNC’s Yvonne Golightly, PT, PhD, explains what researchers do and don’t know about this surprisingly common condition.
Natural products for dementia
Kew pharmacist, Melanie-Jayne Howes, has been collaborating in research and reviews assessing the role of natural products in the treatment and prevention of dementia.
Undergraduate students publish their clinical research in major scientific journal
A novel course offering in the University of Notre Dame’s College of Science has enabled a group of undergraduate students to have their research on a rare disease published in a leading scientific journal.
World's largest blind symbol unveiled in Vienna
The world's largest blind symbol -- a yellow banner with three black spots -- was unveiled Thursday at Vienna's St. Stephen's cathedral on the occasion of World Sight Day.
Terry Fox Research Institute aims to change diagnosis and management of ovarian cancer worldwide
Women throughout the world will benefit from a new, pan-Canadian Terry Fox Research Institute (TFRI) initiative that aims to change the way in which ovarian cancer is diagnosed and managed. TFRI and the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer are providing a total of $5-million in funding for a five-year, multi-site Ovarian Cancer Pan-Canadian Program called COEUR. The program will identify new biomarkers to predict and treat this relatively rare but deadly form of cancer, which will result in the use and application of current and new drugs more effectively for patients.
Autism Speaks and BGI to complete whole genome sequencing on 10,000 with autism
Autism Speaks, the world's largest autism science and advocacy organization, and BGI, the largest genomic organization in the world and a global leader in whole genome sequencing, jointly announce their partnership to create the world's largest library of sequenced genomes of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Using the Autism Speaks Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE), this collaboration will perform whole genome sequencing on more than 2,000 participating families who have two or more children on the autism spectrum. The data from the 10,000 AGRE participants will enable new research in the genomics of ASD, and significantly enhance the science and technology networks of both Autism Speaks and BGI. In addition, Autism Speaks and BGI will collect and sequence genome samples from individuals in China.
Public reporting hasn't improved transplant centers' care
When transplant clinics must publicly report their success rates, this should provide an incentive to improve care for patients. But a recent study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN) found that such public reporting has not had any effect on the care that transplant patients receive.
Preventing dangerous nonsense in human gene expression
Human genes are preferentially encoded by codons that are less likely to be mistranscribed (or "misread") into a STOP codon. This finding by Brian Cusack and colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin and the CNRS in Lyon and Paris is published in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics on October 13th, 2011.
Hospital superbug debugged
An international team of scientists led by Monash University researchers has uncovered how a common hospital bacterium becomes a deadly superbug that kills increasing numbers of hospital patients worldwide and accounts for an estimated $3.2 billion each year in health care costs in the US alone. Their findings appear October 13th in the Open Access journal PLoS Pathogens.
World prone to food-borne disease outbreaks: WHO
The world has become more vulnerable to outbreaks of disease caused by contaminated food because of growing global trade, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday.
Certain mouth bacteria signal pancreatic cancer
Particular types of mouth bacteria, some of which are found in gum disease, are associated with the development of pancreatic cancer, indicates a small study published online in the journal Gut.
Earlier autism diagnosis could mean earlier interventions
(Medical Xpress) -- Autism is normally diagnosed between the ages of 2 and 3. But new research is finding symptoms of autism spectrum disorders in babies as young as 12 months. If children could be diagnosed earlier, it might be possible to help them earlier—and maybe even stop them from developing autism, according to the author of a new paper published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
Man with spinal cord injury uses brain computer interface to move prosthetic arm with his thoughts
(Medical Xpress) -- Seven years after a motorcycle accident damaged his spinal cord and left him paralyzed, 30-year-old Tim Hemmes reached up to touch hands with his girlfriend in a painstaking and tender high-five.
USC scientist targets genetic cause of infant mortality
The disease is heartbreaking. It turns babies into ragdolls and extinguishes lives just as they are getting started. But one USC Dornsife scientist is working to unravel the mystery behind the leading genetic cause of infant mortality, uncovering how Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) disconnects muscles from the mind.
Children taught to read at seven still learn at same pace as a four year old
(Medical Xpress) -- Research from the University of Warwick has found children who attend schools that opt out of the national curriculum and are not taught to read until they are seven years old still learn at the same pace as a four year old.
Stem cells from cord blood could help repair damaged heart muscle
(Medical Xpress) -- New research has found that stem cells derived from human cord blood could be an effective alternative in repairing heart attacks.
Social media is mixed blessing in epidemics: WHO
Facebook, Twitter and other social media websites boost public awareness of disease outbreaks but also make it more difficult to separate fact from fiction, world health officials said Thursday.
When the economy is down, alcohol consumption goes up
Previous studies have found that health outcomes improve during an economic downturn. Job loss means less money available for potentially unhealthy behaviors such as excessive drinking, according to existing literature on employment and alcohol consumption. A new study by health economist Michael T. French from the University of Miami and his collaborators has concluded just the opposite--heavy drinking and alcohol abuse/dependence significantly increase as macroeconomic conditions deteriorate.
UK says Britons need to cut 5 billion calories
(AP) -- British health officials say the country needs to slash 5 billion calories from its collective daily diet to slow the obesity epidemic.
Worried about vitamin safety? Experts offer advice
Two studies this week raised gnawing worries about the safety of vitamin supplements and a host of questions. Should anyone be taking them? Which ones are most risky? And if you do take them, how can you pick the safest ones?
Permanently dismal economy could prompt men to seek more sex partners
Grim economic times could cause men to seek more sexual partners, giving them more chances to reproduce, according to research by Omri Gillath, a social psychology professor at the University of Kansas.
Researchers discover hidden genetic influence on cancer
In findings with major implications for the genetics of cancer and human health, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and two other science teams in New York City and Rome have uncovered evidence of powerful new genetic networks and showed how it may work to drive cancer and normal development.
Controlling cell death prevents skin inflammation
The outer layer of the skin, called the epidermis, forms a critical physical and immunological wall that serves as the body's first line of defense against potentially harmful microorganisms. Most of the epidermis consists of cells called keratinocytes that build a mechanical barrier but also perform immune functions. Now, a new study published by Cell Press in the October issue of the journal Immunity provides evidence that stopping of a type of regulated cell death called "necroptosis" in keratinocytes is critical for the prevention of skin inflammation.
Eating green veggies improves immune defenses
Researchers reporting online in the journal Cell on October 13th have found another good reason to eat your green vegetables, although it may or may not win any arguments with kids at the dinner table.
In teen drinking it's not who you know, it's who knows who you know
Teenage alcohol consumption may be influenced more by a date's friends than his or her own friends, according to Penn State and Ohio State criminologists.
Reversing smoke-induced damage and disease in the lung
By studying mice exposed to tobacco smoke for a period of months, researchers have new insight into how emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) develops. In the October 14th issue of Cell they also report a promising new way to reverse the lung damage underlying these conditions.
US heart disease on decline: study
Cases of heart disease in the United States have declined in the last several years, down to six percent of the population in 2010 compared to 6.7 percent in 2006, health authorities said Thursday.
Ultrasound being used to treat fractures
(Medical Xpress) -- Ultrasound, the diagnostic tool first developed at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary in the 1950s to scan the body, is now being used in its fracture clinic to help heal fractured bones and speed up the recovery time.
Association between menopause, obesity and cognitive impairment
Obesity has been associated with cognitive decline, characterized by a deterioration of mental abilities that involve memory, language, and thought-processing speed. But in a study of 300 post-menopausal women included in the Cardiovascular Prevention Program "Corazón Sano," in Argentina, obese participants in the study performed better on three cognitive tests than participants of normal weight, leading researchers to speculate about the role of sex hormones and cognition.
Gut bacteria may affect whether a statin drug lowers cholesterol
Statins can be effective at lowering cholesterol, but they have a perplexing tendency to work for some people and not others. Gut bacteria may be the reason.
Scientists battle against superbugs by targeting toxin released by virtually all strains of MRSA
Targeting a toxin released by virtually all strains of MRSA could help scientists develop new drugs that can fight the superbug, research suggests.
Lower income dads active in their kids' health
Lower-income, urban dads are involved in their children's health and encourage them to exercise and eat healthy foods, reports a new study from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. But these same dads may also give their kids the wrong dose of medicine and may be uncomfortable handling emergency medical care for their children.
Three steps to unbreakable bones on World Osteoporosis Day
For this year's World Osteoporosis Day (October 20), the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) is releasing a 24-page report promoting a three-step strategy for healthy bones and strong muscles.
Nasal congestion: More than physical obstruction
Nose feel congested and stuffed up? Scientists from the Monell Center report that the annoying feeling of nasal obstruction is related to the temperature and humidity of inhaled air. The findings suggest that sensory feedback from nasal airflow contributes to the sensation of congestion. This knowledge may help researchers design and test more effective treatments for this familiar symptom of nasal sinus disease.
Twitter data used to track vaccination rates and attitudes
A unique and innovative analysis of how social media can affect the spread of a disease has been designed and implemented by a scientist at Penn State University studying attitudes toward the H1N1 vaccine. Marcel Salathé, an assistant professor of biology, studied how users of Twitter -- a popular microblogging and social-networking service -- expressed their sentiments about a new vaccine. He then tracked how the users' attitudes correlated with vaccination rates and how microbloggers with the same negative or positive feelings seemed to influence others in their social circles. The research is considered the first case study in how social-media sites affect and reflect disease networks, and the method is expected to be repeated in the study of other diseases. The results will be published in the journal PLoS Computational Biology.
Understanding human transmembrane signalling
(Medical Xpress) -- New international collaborative research led by Stanford University, the University of Michigan and involving Trinity College Dublin recently published in Nature, increases our understanding of how a human transmembrane protein known as β2-adrenergic receptor, a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), works at a molecular level.
Scientists herald significant breakthrough in study of chlamydia
(Medical Xpress) -- A breakthrough in the study of chlamydia genetics could open the way to new treatments and the development of a vaccine for this sexually transmitted disease.
Researchers find first physical evidence bilingualism delays onset of Alzheimer's symptoms
Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital have found that people who speak more than one language have twice as much brain damage as unilingual people before they exhibit symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. It's the first physical evidence that bilingualism delays the onset of the disease.
Precision with stem cells a step forward for treating MS, other diseases
Scientists have improved upon their own previous world-best efforts to pluck out just the right stem cells to address the brain problem at the core of multiple sclerosis and a large number of rare, fatal children's diseases.
Drunk, powerful, and in the dark: The paradox of the disinhibited
Power can lead to great acts of altruism, but also corruptive, unethical behavior. Being intoxicated can lead to a first date, or a bar brawl. And the mask of anonymity can encourage one individual to let a stranger know they have toilet paper stuck to their shoe, while another may post salacious photos online. What is the common thread between these three disparate states?
Scientists reverse sickle cell anemia by turning on fetal hemoglobin
Not long after birth, human babies transition from producing blood containing oxygen-rich fetal hemoglobin to blood bearing the adult hemoglobin protein. For children with sickle cell disease, the transition from the fetal to adult form of hemoglobin – the oxygen-carrying protein in blood -- marks the onset of anemia and painful symptoms of the disorder.
Developing world stoves contribute to two million deaths per year: study
An international effort to replace smoky, inefficient household stoves that people commonly use in lower and middle income countries with clean, affordable, fuel efficient stoves could save nearly 2 million lives each year, according to experts from the National Institutes of Health.
Scientists reveal surprising picture of how powerful antibody neutralizes HIV
Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute have uncovered the surprising details of how a powerful anti-HIV antibody grabs hold of the virus. The findings, published in Science Express on October 13, 2011, highlight a major vulnerability of HIV and suggest a new target for vaccine development.
Biology news
Researcher offers toil-free tip to plant tulips
Just till and fill, and toil no more when planting tulip bulbs. A Cornell study shows that a much easier method of planting tulip bulbs is just as effective as digging the traditional 6 to 8 inch holes for each bulb.
Polar bears ill from accumulated environmental toxins
New doctoral thesis documents that industrial chemicals are transported from the industrialized world to the Arctic via air and sea currents. Here, the cocktail of environmental toxins is absorbed by the sea's food chains which are so rich in fats and of which the polar bear is the top predator.
USDA research demonstrates new breeds of broccoli remain packed with health benefits
Research performed by scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and published recently in the journal Crop Science has demonstrated that mineral levels in new varieties of broccoli have not declined since 1975, and that the broccoli contains the same levels of calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium and other minerals that have made the vegetable a healthy staple of American diets for decades.
Cloud computing and Argonne program help decode German E. coli strain
When a nasty strain of E. coli flooded hospitals in Germany this summer, it struck its victims with life-threatening complications far more often than most strains—and the search for explanation began.
Generating microbes with useful properties is quicker, easier if multiple genes are modified at the same time
Genetically engineered microorganisms with improved properties are of vital interest in the advancement of modern medicine, as well as the agriculture and food industry. Biotechnology enables modification of specific genes in an organism to produce desirable properties—for example, the ability to withstand extreme environmental conditions or to catalyze a chemical reaction—but modifying complex traits can be time-consuming and expensive due to the large number of genes involved.
The Murcian flower has been 'revived' after 100 years
The species of legume known as 'Tallante's chickpea', which has not been seen for nearly a century, has finally been studied in detail. The species is thought to be in critical danger of extinction given that the only known population in the whole world is in Tallante, Murcia (Spain).
Severe drought, other changes can cause permanent ecosystem disruption
(PhysOrg.com) -- An eight-year study has concluded that increasingly frequent and severe drought, dropping water tables and dried-up springs have pushed some aquatic desert ecosystems into “catastrophic regime change,” from which many species will not recover.
A step towards new vaccines for most important chicken parasite
Researchers funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), among others, have taken the first step in developing a new type of vaccine to protect chickens against coccidiosis, the most important parasite of poultry globally.
Agricultural pest management program efficiency challenged by information diffusion barriers among farmers
While international pest management programs have long relied on farmer cooperation to spread pest control information at larger scales, a study by French researchers published in the open-access journal PLoS Computational Biology on Thursday 13th October 2011 reveals that slow information diffusion within farmer communities gives rise to significant lags in implementation of pest management procedures.
Aggressive piranhas bark to say buzz off
Thanks to Hollywood, piranhas have a bad reputation and it would be a brave scientist that chose to plunge their hand into a tank of them. But that didn't deter Sandie Millot, Pierre Vandewalle and Eric Parmentier from the University of Liège, Belgium. 'You just have to pick them up and they make sounds,' says Parmentier. However, it wasn't clear when and why piranhas produce sounds naturally. Intrigued by fish acoustic communication and the mechanisms that they use to generate sound, the team monitored the behaviour of small groups of captive red-bellied piranhas and publish their discovery that the fearsome fish have a repertoire of three combative sounds in The Journal of Experimental Biology.
Microdots spot on for wasp study
(PhysOrg.com) -- New research by scientists at The Australian National University will see wasps being tracked in the same way as stolen cars – using specialist microdot technology.
Scientists first to characterize barley plant-stem rust spore 'communication'
Traditional thought has held that disease had to penetrate a plant to initiate resistance; however, two Washington State University scientists have established that a barley plant recognizes an invader and begins to marshal its defenses within five minutes of an attack.
Meerkats have ability to distinguish different voices
(PhysOrg.com) -- Vocal recognition is widespread in primates but a new study, published in Biology Letters, provides evidence that it may not be limited to humans and primates. The ability to recognize the voice of another may be more widespread in the animal community than previously thought.
Differences in jet lag severity could be rooted in how circadian clock sets itself
It's no secret that long-distance, west-to-east air travel – Seattle to Paris, for example – can raise havoc with a person's sleep and waking patterns, and that the effects are substantially less pronounced when traveling in the opposite direction.
Humans like to work together in solving tasks, chimps don't
Recent studies have shown that chimpanzees possess many of the cognitive prerequisites necessary for humanlike collaboration. Cognitive abilities, however, might not be all that differs between chimpanzees and humans when it comes to cooperation. Researchers from the MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig and the MPI for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen have now discovered that when all else is equal, human children prefer to work together in solving a problem, rather than solve it on their own. Chimpanzees, on the other hand, show no such preference according to a study of 3-year-old German kindergarteners and semi-free ranging chimpanzees, in which the children and chimps could choose between a collaborative and a non-collaboration problem-solving approach.
Understanding the beginnings of embryonic stem cells helps predict the future
Ordinarily, embryonic stem cells exist only a day or two as they begin the formation of the embryo itself. Then they are gone.
From blue whales to earthworms, a common mechanism gives shape to living beings
Why don't our arms grow from the middle of our bodies? The question isn't as trivial as it appears. Vertebrae, limbs, ribs, tailbone ... in only two days, all these elements take their place in the embryo, in the right spot and with the precision of a Swiss watch. Intrigued by the extraordinary reliability of this mechanism, biologists have long wondered how it works. Now, researchers at EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) and the University of Geneva (Unige) have solved the mystery. Their discovery will be published October 13, 2011 in the journal Science.
Simple genetic circuit forms stripes: Synthetic biology helps scientists sort out pattern formation
Many living things have stripes, but the developmental processes that create these and other patterns are complex and difficult to untangle. Now a team of scientists has designed a simple genetic circuit that creates a striped pattern that they can control by tweaking a single gene.
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