Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for October 18, 2011:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Seeing clearly: 2D nanoscopy achieves direct imaging of nanoscale coherence- Magnetic sensors can measure distances between vehicles
- Robotic bug gets wings, sheds light on evolution of flight (w/ video)
- Scientists create computing building blocks from bacteria and DNA
- Turning iPhone into spiPhone: Smartphones' accelerometer can track strokes on nearby keyboards
- Forgetting is part of remembering
- Smoking linked to early menopause in women
- Research group finds ancient deep sea mud volcano as possible site for origin of life
- Study shows 'mind-blowing sex' is a reality
- Optimal modulation of ion channels rescues neurons associated with epilepsy
- Cells are crawling all over our bodies, but how?
- Two new bee species are mysterious pieces in the Panama puzzle
- Motorola brings back 'Razr' name for smartphone
- Researchers demonstrate efficacy of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma vaccine
- How hemp got high: Canadian scientists map the cannabis genome
Space & Earth news
Sick US South Pole scientist flown to New Zealand
A US scientist stranded in Antarctica for almost two months following a suspected stroke has been evacuated from the South Pole to New Zealand in a hazardous airlift.
Sea Life sharks help scientists probe mysteries of ancient seas
Sea Life Centre sharks are set to help University of Birmingham scientists unravel the mysteries of ancient seas. That will be the goal of a major research project announced as the centres prepare to host special Shark Weeks in October, to promote shark conservation.
How close is too close? Hydrofracking to access natural gas reservoirs poses risks to surface water
Natural gas mining has drawn fire recently after claims that hydraulic fracturing, an increasingly popular technique for tapping hard-to-reach reservoirs, contaminates groundwater. Surface lakes, rivers and streams may also be at risk.
More oil spills from stricken New Zealand ship
Fresh oil leaked from a container ship stuck on a New Zealand reef Tuesday, as bad weather halted both salvage work on the vessel and a massive pollution clean up on the coast.
Pentagon, NASA open space launch missions to private ventures
The U.S. government has taken the first steps toward allowing commercial space companies to launch its national security satellites into outer space.
NASA, Japan Release Improved Topographic Map of Earth
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA and Japan released a significantly improved version of the most complete digital topographic map of Earth on Monday, produced with detailed measurements from NASA's Terra spacecraft.
CryoSat rocking and rolling
(PhysOrg.com) -- ESA’s ice satellite is rolling left and right in orbit to help it continue its precise measurements of the vast ice sheets that blanket Greenland and Antarctica.
Glaciers make way for new stream habitat in Alaska
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers from the University of Birmingham and other UK universities describe the evolution and assembly of a stream ecosystem in South East Alaska in new de-glaciated terrain, from early insect and crustacean invaders to the arrival of migrating salmon from the ocean, in a paper published in the journal Ecology this month (October).
Russia blames scientists for rocket crashes
Russia's chief prosecutor on Tuesday blamed a recent spate of disasters threatening the future of the International Space Station (ISS) on negligence by the country's underpaid rocket scientists.
CSI-style investigation of meteorite hits on Earth
Volcanologists from the Universities of Leicester and Durham have forensically reconstructed the impact of a meteorite on Earth and how debris was hurled from the crater to devastate the surrounding region.
Research group finds ancient deep sea mud volcano as possible site for origin of life
(PhysOrg.com) -- An international consortium of scientists and researchers has been studying some ancient rocks found on the southwestern coast of Greenland. They believe the rocks were once part of a deep sea mud volcano, similar to those found today near the Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean and that they were likely part of an environment conducive to the synthesis of amino acids, which are believed to be necessary for life. What’s most intriguing about them though is that their age indicates that they are from roughly the same time period as what is thought by many scientists to be when the first living creatures appeared here on Earth; i.e. some four billion years ago.
Technology news
China closed to outside Internet firms: eBay chief
The head of global online auction powerhouse eBay said that China has essentially put up a wall when it comes to non-Chinese Internet firms.
China's Alibaba delays fee hike after web protest
Chinese Internet giant Alibaba said it will delay a fee hike for some sellers on its popular online shopping site after a storm of protest over the planned rise.
India's HCL profit soars 50 pct but shares dive
India's fourth-biggest software services firm HCL said Tuesday quarterly net profit leapt 50 percent but its shares slid on fears about the global downturn crimping the sector's future growth.
India's TCS slides near 8% as earnings disappoint
Shares in India's biggest software exporter TCS plunged nearly eight percent on Tuesday, a day after the firm posted earnings figures that fell short of market expectations.
Malaysian Buddhists hold apple ritual for Jobs
A Buddhist temple on Malaysia's island resort of Penang has held a religious ritual in which mourners bit an apple to hasten Apple visionary Steve Jobs' reincarnation, a report said Tuesday.
Magnifying research: Scientists team together to upgrade supercomputer
A group of Kansas State University scientists is boosting research across campus by making the largest supercomputer in the state even larger. The project also will benefit researchers at other schools in Kansas.
Electromobile, together
Not buying cars but sharing them -- car-sharing is practiced in many major cities. And in the electromobile future, city dwellers will use lots of vehicles and infrastructure together -- that is the idea of Fraunhofer researchers. In the project "eMobility Together: Vehicles, Data and Infrastructure" or "GeMo" for short, researchers are working to make this vision a reality.
Actress sues Amazon for revealing her age on IMDb
(AP) -- An actress is suing Amazon.com in federal court in Seattle for more than $1 million for revealing her age on its Internet Movie Database website and refusing to remove the reference when asked.
BlackBerry maker co-CEO calls outages unfortunate
(AP) -- The co-CEO of BlackBerry maker Research in Motion is making only a brief reference to last week's outages as he opened a conference for software programmers in San Francisco.
Audio systems pioneer Villchur dies at 94 in NY
(AP) -- Edgar Villchur, who went from repairing radios in his New York City shop to inventing groundbreaking audio equipment and hearing aids, has died. He was 94.
Woman floored by an off-the-hook $200,000 phone bill
A higher than usual phone bill can leave anyone stunned. And when Celina Aarons got a jaw-dropper for more than $200,000, it was no mistake.
Yahoo ad exec deflects talk about becoming CEO
(AP) -- The head of Yahoo's online advertising business in North America said Monday he has been too busy trying to bring in more revenue to consider whether he would be willing to become the struggling Internet company's next CEO.
BlackBerry maker tries to soothe angry customers
(AP) -- The maker of the struggling BlackBerry tried to soothe tens of millions of frustrated customers Monday, offering more than $100 worth of free software to each one and giving some a month of technical support as compensation for last week's massive outage.
USA Network taps Yap.TV for viewer chats
Cable television's USA Network said it has enlisted Internet startup Yap.TV to tap into the hot trend of people "chatting" online while viewing shows.
WikiLeaks not financially endangered: Assange
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange told Latin American media that his organization was far from financially endangered despite sanctions slapped on it by the United States.
Offshore wind turbine test center planned for Eastern Shore
A new international partnership of energy companies announced plans Wednesday to build a facility in Northampton County, Va., where offshore wind turbines can be tested on solid ground.
Japanese defense industry body target of cyberattack
A cyberattack was launched on an organization of Japanese defense contractors in an attempt to steal confidential information on the nation's defense industry, according to sources.
Web video poised for central role in 2012 election
When Texas Gov. Rick Perry launched an attack of Mitt Romney's health care plan last week, he did not call a news conference, give a big speech or take to the air waves.
Few Sparks: GM's underwhelming electric car program
For the first time since the late, lamented EV1 faded into oblivion in 2003, General Motors is back in the battery electric business, as it announces that it will roll out a plug-in version of the Spark minicar (it's also sold as the Beat on some markets) in the U.S. by 2013. Ho hum.
Moody's lowers Sony rating outlook
Ratings agency Moody's Tuesday lowered the outlook for Sony's A3 long-term debt rating to "negative" as the global electronics giant faces weakening demand for LCD televisions.
Are you a next generation user of the internet?
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new survey shows that nearly half of internet users in Britain are ‘Next Generation Users’, who routinely access the internet on the move using portable devices – more than double the proportion in 2007.
S. Korea police arrest two men for hacking
South Korean police said Tuesday two people have been arrested for infecting about 16,000 personal computers with hacking programmes which allowed them to secretly record video of their victims.
Lebanon tries to catch up on Internet
Boudy Nasrala runs a successful brand design company in Lebanon, but when it comes to communicating with clients around the globe using the Internet, he knows to arm himself with patience -- lots of it.
Apple supplier faces pollution complaints in China
(AP) -- A Taiwan-based company that supplies metal casings for Apple's Inc.'s MacBook series of laptops says it is shutting down some operations at its factory complex in eastern China following complaints of bad odors by residents.
RIM out to rev up BlackBerry with sexy new apps
Research In Motion (RIM) on Tuesday set out to rev up its BlackBerry and PlayBook lines with a tactic from Apple's winning playbook -- sexy, entertaining software applications.
Setback for Taiwan's HTC in Apple patent claim
Taiwan-based mobile handset manufacturer HTC has been dealt a setback in its patent infringement claim against Apple, after an initial ruling by a US trade authority sided with the California-based tech giant.
Computer virus did not target US drone fleet: general
A computer virus that affected the US military's drone fleet last month was not "specifically" aimed at the unmanned aircraft's network, the head of US Strategic Command said Tuesday.
Yahoo's 3Q shows company remains in financial funk
Yahoo's third-quarter results showed little evidence of ending the financial funk that got former CEO Carol Bartz fired last month.
Intel's 3Q sings but computer market out of tune
(AP) -- Intel Corp.'s third-quarter results offered some comfort for investors jittery about the weak state of the global computer market.
Facebook and eBay downplay Google threat
Silicon Valley star Sean Parker said Facebook would have to blunder in a big way for Google's social network to steal its crown.
New radar technology provides real-time video of what's going on behind solid walls
The ability to see through walls is no longer the stuff of science fiction, thanks to new radar technology developed at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory.
Piecing together the priceless 'Cairo Genizah'
A well-known collection of historical texts, the Cairo Genizah is one of the most valuable sources of primary documents for medieval historians and religious scholars. The 350,000 fragments found in the Genizah include not only religious texts, but also social and commercial documents, dating from the 9th to 19th century. But the collection is scattered among 70 institutions worldwide, including libraries in Cambridge, Jerusalem, and New York City, and scholars are hampered by both the wide dispersal of the collection as well as their fragmentary condition.
Viacom to NY court: Scrap YouTube copyright ruling
A lawyer for Viacom Inc. warned an appeals court panel Tuesday that there will be greater exploitation of copyright material on the Internet if the court lets YouTube get away with a business built on "rampant copyright infringement."
In rare miss, Apple 4Q earnings disappoint
Apple Inc. failed to set a new sales record in the last three months of founder and CEO Steve Jobs' life. Its financial results came in below expectations on Tuesday - a rare miss for the company.
Medicine & Health news
Virginia Tech biomedical engineers announce child football helmet study
Virginia Tech released today results from the first study ever to instrument child football helmets. Youth football helmets are currently designed to the same standards as adult helmets, even though little is known about how child football players impact their heads. This is the first study to investigate the head impact characteristics in youth football, and will greatly enhance the development of improved helmets specifically designed for children.
Scripps launches whole genome sequencing study to find root causes of idiopathic diseases
Scripps Health announced today it has launched an innovative clinical research study that is using whole genome sequencing to help determine the causes of idiopathic human diseases -- those serious, rare and perplexing health conditions that defy a diagnosis or are unresponsive to standard treatments.
Fruit and vegetable compound offers hope against gum disease
(Medical Xpress) -- Scientists at the University of Birmingham have found that supplementing the diet with a special combination of fruit and vegetable juice powder concentrates may help to combat chronic gum disease when combined with conventional dental therapy.
CHEO scientist advances biotherapeutics as published in Cancer Cell
Oncolytic virology uses live viruses to sense the genetic difference between a tumor and normal cell. Once the virus finds a tumor cell, it replicates inside that cell, kills it and then spreads to adjacent tumor cells to seed a therapeutic "chain reaction". As reported in today's issue of Cancer Cell, Dr. David Stojdl, a scientist from the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute at the University of Ottawa has found a way to trick resistant cancer cells into committing suicide following oncolytic virus therapy.
Swiss university creates cardiac issues detector
Swiss technological university EPFL said Tuesday it created an electronic system that detects cardiac problems instantly and passes on the data through a mobile phone to medical personnel.
More poor kids in more poor places, study finds
Persistent high poverty is most prevalent among children, with those living in rural America disproportionally impacted, according to researchers from the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire.
Breast cancer surgery preserves artery for future heart surgery
(Medical Xpress) -- Doctors at Johns Hopkins have shown that during an increasingly popular type of breast-reconstruction surgery, they can safely preserve the internal mammary artery, in case it is needed for future cardiac surgery.
Headaches take toll on soldiers
Troops evacuated from Iraq and Afghanistan with headaches unlikely to return to duty; heavy helmets a major factor Headaches, a virtually universal human complaint at one time or another, are among the top reasons for medical evacuation of military personnel from Iraq and Afghanistan, and for ongoing depletion of active-duty ranks in those countries, according to research led by Johns Hopkins specialists. Just one-third of soldiers sent home because of headaches return to duty in either place, the research shows.
21st century database of traditional Chinese medicine released
A comprehensive database developed by King's College London researchers that features the chemical components found in traditional Chinese medicines has been released to market this month, allowing researchers to explore age-old remedies in the search for tomorrow's new drugs.
Researchers pilot new acute hepatitis C screening strategy for HIV-infected patients
Researchers at The Miriam Hospital demonstrated a practical strategy for regularly screening HIV-infected patients for acute hepatitis C virus infection (HCV), a "silent epidemic" that is rising undetected in this population and can lead to serious health complications.
Internists address dual concerns of privacy and protection of health data
Fears about re-uses of personal data as well as re-uses of research data and samples are the focus of a policy paper released today by the American College of Physicians (ACP). The new document, which is an update of a paper produced by ACP two years ago, adds a policy position regarding research. It proposes a privacy rule that says researchers should maximize appropriate uses of information to achieve scientific advances without compromising ethical obligations to protect individual welfare and privacy.
African-Americans more likely to donate kidney to family member
Family matters, especially when it comes to African-Americans and living kidney donation. In a study conducted at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, researchers found that African-Americans donate almost exclusively to family members for living kidney transplants, as compared to Caucasians.
New U of M start-up may save lives of victims of massive blood loss and trauma
A new technology from the University of Minnesota has resulted in a startup that may help prolong the lives of victims suffering from massive blood loss or trauma. The university's Office for Technology Commercialization has signed a license agreement with Denver-based Ariel Pharmaceuticals authorizing the private company to develop and commercialize the therapy.
Hospitalization for heart failure among Medicare patients has declined substantially
Between 1998 and 2008, heart-failure related hospitalizations declined substantially among Medicare patients, but at a lower rate for black men, according to a study in the October 19 issue of JAMA. Also, 1-year mortality rates declined slightly during this period, but remain high.
Most hospital readmission prediction models perform poorly
A review and analysis of 26 validated hospital readmission risk prediction models finds that most, whether for hospital comparison or clinical purposes, have poor predictive ability, according to an article in the October 19 issue of JAMA.
Predictive model developed for polio
Using outbreak data from 2003-2010, Kathleen O'Reilly of Imperial College London, UK and colleagues develop a statistical model of the spread of wild polioviruses in Africa that can predict polio outbreaks six months in advance. The authors' findings, published in this week's PLoS Medicine, indicate that outbreaks of polio in Africa over the study period resulted mainly from continued transmission in Nigeria and other countries that reported polio cases, and from poor immunization status.
Babies and toddlers should learn from play, not screens
The temptation to rely on media screens to entertain babies and toddlers is more appealing than ever, with screens surrounding families at home, in the car, and even at the grocery store. And there is no shortage of media products and programming targeted to little ones. But a new policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says there are better ways to help children learn at this critical age.
Shift work in teens linked to increased multiple sclerosis risk
Researchers from Sweden have uncovered an association between shift work and increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). Those who engage in off-hour employment before the age of 20 may be at risk for MS due to a disruption in their circadian rhythm and sleep pattern. Findings of this novel study appear today in Annals of Neurology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society.
Going with the flow: Cardiovascular researchers create tiny, functional blood vessels
(Medical Xpress) -- Imagine being able to create a blood supply for engineered body tissue as a way to test experimental drugs, rather than having to try them out in actual humans.
Mind reading computer system may help people with locked-in syndrome
(Medical Xpress) -- Imagine living a life in which you are completely aware of the world around you but you're prevented from engaging in it because you are completely paralyzed. Even speaking is impossible. For an estimated 50,000 Americans, this is a harsh reality. It's called locked-in syndrome, a condition in which people with normal cognitive brain activity suffer severe paralysis, often from injuries or an illness such as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Protein key to curbing overeating and preventing obesity
(Medical Xpress) -- Including enough protein in our diets, rather than simply cutting calories, is the key to curbing appetites and preventing excessive consumption of fats and carbohydrates, a new study from the University of Sydney has found.
Researchers discover why steroid treatment for COPD is ineffective
(Medical Xpress) -- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) leads to persistent inflammation of the airways and is typically managed with corticosteroids, a class of anti-inflammatory medication. However, corticosteroids do not improve survival nor alter the progression of COPD and may reduce lung symptoms as little as 20 percent. A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, found why corticosteroids do not work well for COPD patients and how additional treatment with sulforaphane—an ingredient of broccoli and other vegetables—can improve the effectiveness of corticosteroids. The study was published online October 17, 2011, in advance of print in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Latest discovery in the fight against tuberculosis announced
New research from the Trudeau Institute may help in the ongoing fight against tuberculosis. Dr. Andrea Cooper's lab has discovered a connection between the development of new lymphoid tissue within the lung and protection against the disease. The new data will be published in the November 1 print issue of The Journal of Immunology (Vol. 187, Num. 10) and is available now online ahead of print.
Premature babies at risk of ill health in later life, research suggests
Young adults who were born prematurely show multiple biological signs of risks to future health, research from Imperial College London has found. The scientists, reporting their findings tomorrow in the journal Pediatric Research, say that the research indicates that urgent work is now needed to monitor preterm babies into adulthood to improve the detection of early signs of disease.
Nearly half of physician practices do not meet national standards for 'medical homes'
Many Americans do not have access to a "medical home"—a physician practice that is able to manage ongoing care for patients and coordinate care among specialists and other health care facilities, according to a University of Michigan Health System-led study.
Immune cell plays dual role in allergic skin disease
(Medical Xpress) -- An immune cell involved in initiating the symptoms of an allergic skin reaction may play an equally, or perhaps more important, role in suppressing the reaction once it becomes chronic. This finding in mice could have future implications for the treatment of atopic dermatitis, a chronic inflammatory skin disease that affects an estimated 10 to 20 percent of infants and young children. The research is by investigators at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), part of the National Institutes of Health.
Кesearcher says banned pregnancy drug impacts fetal immune system
(Medical Xpress) -- A synthetic estrogen—diethylstilbestrol (DES)—prescribed to women in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s to prevent miscarriages had serious, untoward effects in daughters of these women, including the development of a rare type of cancer of the uterus. There has been renewed interest in light of an Oct. 6 report in the New England Journal of Medicine documenting lifelong health complications facing daughters of women given DES.
A new use for statins?
Older patients who happened to have been taking cholesterol-lowering statin drugs when admitted to the hospital with serious head injuries were 76 percent more likely to survive than those not taking the drugs, according to results of a Johns Hopkins study.
'Stimulated' stem cells stop donor organ rejection
(Medical Xpress) -- Johns Hopkins researchers have developed a way to stimulate a rat’s stem cells after a liver transplant as a means of preventing rejection of the new organ without the need for lifelong immunosuppressant drugs. The need for anti-rejection medicines, which carry serious side effects, is a major obstacle to successful long-term transplant survival in people.
Technology targets genetic disorders linked to X chromosome
Geneticists at Emory University School of Medicine have demonstrated a method that enables the routine amplification of all the genes on the X chromosome. The technology allows the rapid and highly accurate sequencing and identification of novel genetic variants affecting X chromosome genes.
Fatal crashes in the US: Fewer Canadian drivers under the influence
A new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy and Columbia University finds alcohol-related fatal motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. are much lower among drivers with Canadian licenses than drivers with U.S. or Mexican licenses. The prevalence of alcohol involvement in fatal crashes was 27 percent for both U.S. and Mexican drivers, and 11 percent for Canadian drivers. Similarly, alcohol impairment was found in 23 percent of U.S. and Mexican drivers and 8 percent of Canadian drivers involved in a fatal crash. Research from other countries finds foreign drivers are at greater risk of crashes than native drivers. In contrast, this study shows that drivers licensed in Mexico and Canada who were involved in fatal crashes in the U.S. had the same or less alcohol impairment than U.S.-licensed drivers. The report is published in the October issue of Injury Prevention and is available on the journal's website.
Antineoplastic agents associated with thyroid dysfunction
Antineoplastic agents such as immunotherapies and targeted therapies that specifically target signaling pathways in cancer cells are associated with thyroid dysfunction in 20%-50% of cancer patients taking them, which can adversely affect patients' quality of life, according to a study published Oct. 18 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Alternating training improves motor learning
Learning from one's mistakes may be better than practicing to perfection, according to a study in the Oct. 19 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. The study found that forcing people to switch from a normal walking pattern to an unusual one -- and back again -- made them better able to adjust to the unusual pattern the following day. The findings may help improve therapy for people relearning how to walk following stroke or other injury.
Adult congenital heart patients with highest surgery costs more likely to die in hospital
Higher surgical costs for adult congenital heart patients is associated with higher rates of inpatient death compared to surgical admissions that incur lower costs, according to a study in Circulation: Quality and Outcomes, a journal of the American Heart Association.
Expanding HIV treatment for couples could significantly reduce global HIV epidemic
A new study uses a mathematical model to predict the potential impact of expanding treatment to discordant couples on controlling the global HIV epidemic-- in these couples one partner has HIV infection and the other does not. The research conducted at ICAP at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and the Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior at University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) is the first to predict the effect of the expansion of such treatment in couples on the HIV epidemic in certain African countries.
Commonwealth Fund Commission national health care scorecard: US scores 64 out of 100
The U.S. health care system scored 64 out of 100 on key measures of performance, according to the third national scorecard report from the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System, released today. The scorecard finds that—despite pockets of improvement—the U.S as a whole failed to improve when compared to best performers in this country, and among other nations. The report also finds significant erosion in access to care and affordability of care, as health care costs rose far faster than family incomes.
Timing for clinical trials for stem cell therapy in spinal cord injuries is right
Regenerative medicine in spinal cord injuries (SCI) is proving to help the human body create new cell and nerve connections that are severed during this type of injury. In a review of current scientific research for stem cell treatment in SCI published this month in the Springer journal Neurotheraputics, Dr. Michael Fehlings and Dr. Reaz Vawda from the Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto Western Hospital in Ontario, Canada, provide evidence that supports researchers moving beyond the lab to conduct human clinical trials for stem cells.
Steroids could help heal some corneal ulcers
A UCSF study gives hope to those suffering from severe cases of bacterial corneal ulcers, which can lead to blindness if left untreated. The use of topical corticosteroids in a randomized controlled trial was found to be neither beneficial nor harmful in the overall patient population in the study. However, it helped patients who had more serious forms of bacterial corneal ulcers, according to UCSF researchers.
Cough may warn of danger for patients with lung-scarring disease
A new analysis has found that coughing may signal trouble for patients with the lung-scarring disease known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The study, published in the journal Respirology, found that patients with the condition who also cough are more likely to develop advanced forms of the disease that may be life threatening.
Malaria vaccine candidate, RTS,S reduces the risk of malaria by half in African children
First results from a large-scale Phase III trial of RTS,S*, published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), show the malaria vaccine candidate to provide young African children with significant protection against clinical and severe malaria with an acceptable safety and tolerability profile. The results were announced today at the Malaria Forum hosted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, Washington.
New study finds gay and bisexual men have varied sexual repertoires
A new study by researchers at Indiana University and George Mason University found the sexual repertoire of gay men surprisingly diverse, suggesting that a broader, less disease-focused perspective might be warranted by public health and medical practitioners in addressing the sexual health of gay and bisexual men.
Sterilization method for hemodialysis dialyzer membrane linked with risk of low platelet counts
Patients who had undergone hemodialysis using dialyzers that had been sterilized with the use of electron beams were more likely to develop thrombocytopenia (an abnormally low platelet count in the blood, associated with increased risk of bleeding), according to a study in the October 19 issue of JAMA.
Better nutrition makes for better sperm
(Medical Xpress) -- A pair of studies presented today at the 67th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) show a link between dietary patterns and semen parameters in men: in short, better nutrition makes for better semen.
Whole communities in Africa could be protected from pneumococcus by immunising young children
A study led by the Medical Research Council in The Gambia in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and published in this week's PLoS Medicine shows for the first time in Africa, that vaccinating young children against the pneumococcus (a bacterium that can cause fatal infections) causes a herd effect in which the entire community is protected against this infection.
Cardiovascular disease linked to evolutionary changes that may have protected early mammals from trauma
(Medical Xpress) -- Can a bird have a heart attack? A recent paper published by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania suggests that cardiovascular disease may be an unfortunate consequence of mammalian evolution. The study, published in a recent issue of the journal Blood demonstrates that the same features of blood platelets that may have provided an evolutionary advantage to early mammals now predispose humans to cardiovascular disease.
Multiphoton endoscope could minimize biopsies
(Medical Xpress) -- From precancerous lesions in the bladder to polyps in the colon, pathologists are constantly examining tissue biopsies for diagnoses. Researchers at Cornell are pushing the limits of the well-established imaging technology called multiphoton microscopy by shrinking the microscopes so they can be inserted safely into a patient's body -- and minimizing the need for unnecessary biopsies.
Study breathes new life into fight against primary killer of premature infants
A discovery by scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies might explain why some premature infants fail to respond to existing treatments for a deadly respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and offers clues for new ways to treat the breathing disorder.
Smoking linked to early menopause in women
(Medical Xpress) -- A new study published in the journal Menopause adds one more reason for women to avoid or give up the smoking habit. The study results show that women who light up are more likely to start menopause a year earlier than non-smokers and are also at a higher risk of bone and heart diseases.
Forgetting is part of remembering
It's time for forgetting to get some respect, says Ben Storm, author of a new article on memory in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. "We need to rethink how we're talking about forgetting and realize that under some conditions it actually does play an important role in the function of memory," says Storm, who is a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Study shows 'mind-blowing sex' is a reality
(Medical Xpress) -- The term mind-blowing has been used to describe great sexual encounters for many generations, but for one 54-year-old woman, sex with her husband really was mind-blowing.
Researchers demonstrate efficacy of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma vaccine
An experimental vaccine developed by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's schools of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine is the first veterinary cancer vaccine of its kind that shows an increase in survival time for dogs with spontaneous non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The work shows for the first time the feasibility and therapeutic efficacy of this alternative cell-based vaccine, which could be employed in the treatment of a number of different cancer types.
More evidence that allergies may help in fighting brain tumors
A study published online Oct. 18 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute provides some new but qualified support for the idea that the immune system's response to allergies may reduce the risk of developing deadly brain tumors.
Biology news
Analyzing the sheep genome for parasite resistance
Genetic resistance to a parasitic nematode that infects sheep has been discovered by a team of scientists with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI).
Skill triumphs over fish scarcity and draws experienced anglers back to overfished lakes
Fishermen care about more than the quantity of fish in a pond. Access, beauty, distance from home and fishing regulations play into the choice of which lake to fish on a given Saturday. How deep into the woods will fishermen hike to find a lake brimming with fish? Do recreational fishermen avoid overfished lakes?
Far more bluefin sold than reported caught: report
More than twice as many tonnes of Atlantic bluefin tuna were sold last year compared with official catch records for this threatened species, according to a report released on Tuesday.
More than chance determines future for baby fish
(PhysOrg.com) -- Baby fish may be able to resist ocean currents and influence how and where they move, says a Victoria University researcher, although he is yet to work out how they do it.
Light dependency underlies beneficial jetlag in racehorses
A new study has shown that racehorses are extremely sensitive to changes in daily light and, contrary to humans, can adapt very quickly to sudden shifts in the 24-hour light-dark cycle, such as those resulting from a transmeridian flight, with unexpected benefits on their physical performance.
Unknown species and larval stages of extremely long-legged beetles discovered by DNA test
The unknown larval stages and a new species of the curious Spider Water Beetles were described after their assignment by DNA sequences. These taxonomic works are groundwork for the development of water quality bioindicator systems in the tropics. This study of the AQUA Palawana biodiversity program in the Philippines was published in the journal ZooKeys.
New, higher estimates of endangered humpback whales in the North Pacific
Scientists have increased the estimate on the number of humpback whales in the North Pacific Ocean in a paper published in the journal Marine Mammal Science. The increase follows a refined statistical analysis of data compiled in 2008 from the largest whale survey ever undertaken to assess humpback whale populations throughout the North Pacific.
Pioneering bio hacker group finds home
(PhysOrg.com) -- A garage lab for research in biotechnology seeking bigger digs for an open science lab has opened its doors in Sunnyvale, California. Instead of sponsorship from big corporations and government, the garage-spirited fundraisers turned to Kickstarter, where 239 supporters donated $35,319 to get Eri Gentry and her team out of the garage and into a well-equipped lab space of 2,400 square feet. The lab is called BioCurious and its creed is to celebrate the hacker ethic, the desire to tinker, deconstruct, and rebuild, applied to biotechnology.
Simple nerve cells regulate swimming depth of marine plankton
As planktonic organisms the larvae of the marine annelid Platynereis swim freely in the open water. They move by activity of their cilia, thousands of tiny hair-like structures forming a band along the larval body and beating coordinately. With changing environmental conditions the larvae swim upward and downward to their appropriate water depth. Scientists of the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen, Germany have now identified some signalling substances in the larval nervous system regulating swimming depth of the larvae. These substances influence the ciliary beating and thus hold the larvae in the preferred water depth. The scientists discovered a very simple circuitry of nerve cells underlying this regulation, reflecting an early evolutionary state of the nervous system.
Researchers believe giant pandas can survive on bamboo because of gut bacteria
(PhysOrg.com) -- Because of its cuteness factor, people tend to overlook the fact that giant panda’s are in fact bears, though very few likely forget that most other bears do eat meat. A lot of it. It’s hard to overlook those really big teeth designed to tear and eat flesh. Thus, it seems rather odd that a big bear living in the wild would forgo meat, even though it is still technically a carnivore, and subsist instead almost entirely on bamboo.
Study reveals for first time true diversity of life in soils across the globe, new species discovered
(PhysOrg.com) -- Microscopic animals that live in soils are as diverse in the tropical forests of Costa Rica as they are in the arid grasslands of Kenya or the tundra and boreal forests of Alaska and Sweden, according to a groundbreaking study appearing today in the Proceedings of the Natural Academy of Sciences.
EU court: No patents for some stem cell techniques (Update 2)
The European Union's top court ruled Tuesday that scientists cannot patent stem cell techniques that use human embryos for research, a decision some scientists said could threaten major medical advances if it prevents biotech companies from turning a profit.
Young human-specific genes correlated with human brain evolution
Young genes that appeared since the primate branch split from other mammal species are expressed in unique structures of the developing human brain, a new analysis finds.
Cells are crawling all over our bodies, but how?
(PhysOrg.com) -- For better and for worse, human health depends on a cell's motility -- the ability to crawl from place to place. In every human body, millions of cells –are crawling around doing mostly good deeds -- though if any of those crawlers are cancerous, watch out.
Two new bee species are mysterious pieces in the Panama puzzle
Smithsonian scientists have discovered two new, closely related bee species: one from Coiba Island in Panama and another from northern Colombia. Both descended from of a group of stingless bees that originated in the Amazon and moved into Central America, the ancestors of Mayan honeybees. The presence of one of these new species on Coiba and Rancheria Islands, and its absence from the nearby mainland, is a mystery that will ultimately shed light on Panama's history and abundant biodiversity.
How hemp got high: Canadian scientists map the cannabis genome
A team of Canadian researchers has sequenced the genome of Cannabis sativa, the plant that produces both industrial hemp and marijuana, and in the process revealed the genetic changes that led to the plant's drug-producing properties.
Scientists create computing building blocks from bacteria and DNA
Scientists have successfully demonstrated that they can build some of the basic components for digital devices out of bacteria and DNA, which could pave the way for a new generation of biological computing devices, in research published today in the journal Nature Communications.
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