Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for January 6, 2012:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Cognitive decline can begin as early as age 45: study- RNA editing responsible for colder water survival in octopus
- Apple patent sends password secrets to adapters
- Implanted biofuel cell converts bug's chemistry into electricity: Scientists take step toward cyborgs
- Clever math could enable a high-quality 3-D camera for cellphones
- Ramnit's heist bags 45,000 Facebook passwords
- Supersoldier ants created in the lab by reactivating ancestral genes
- New e-cigarettes affect users' airways
- Hopes for reversing age-associated effects in MS patients
- Study shows girls believe HPV vaccine protects from other STDs
- Mathematicians use computer to solve minimum Sudoku solution problem
- Tiny roundworm points to big promise
- Scientists map the frontiers of vision
- Platform safety on the radar for researchers
- New research on newly formed plants could lead to improved crop fertility
Space & Earth news
Beijing to issue new smog data after online outcry
Beijing's government on Friday bowed to a vocal online campaign for a change in the way air quality is measured in the Chinese capital, one of the world's most polluted cities.
Space Image: It was 40 years ago today
(PhysOrg.com) -- On Jan. 5, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Dr. James C. Fletcher, NASA Administrator, discussed the proposed Space Shuttle vehicle in San Clemente, Calif.
Krawczynski group receives NASA grant to spy on black holes
(PhysOrg.com) -- Henric Krawczynski, PhD, professor of physics in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, is a big-game hunter of the astrophysical variety — he hunts celestial beasts, not beasts of the forest. The more exotic and wilier the prey, the keener he becomes, and the more his eyes light up.
Another outbreak of coral disease hits reefs of Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii
The disease called acute Montipora White Syndrome (MWS) has reappeared and is again killing corals in Kaneohe Bay, Oʻahu.
Revolutionary tool will methodically track ocean populations
Oceanographer Chuck Greene envisions a day when he will be able to observe the ocean the way a meteorologist observes the weather -- with continuous streams of data that allow him to see changes as they happen and predict future impacts on marine animal populations and ecosystems.
New research casts doubt on the late heavy bombardment
Was the early solar system bombarded with lots of big impacts? This is a question that has puzzled scientists for over 35 years. And it’s not just an academic one. We know from rocks on Earth that life began to evolve very early on, at least 3.8 billion years ago. If the Earth was being pummeled by large impacts at this time, this would certainly have affected the evolution of life. So, did the solar system go through what is known as the Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB)? Exciting new research, using data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) may cast some doubt on the popular LHB theory.
New research suggests North American continent is a slow eroder
(PhysOrg.com) -- When looking at the great expanse of the whole of North America, it’s difficult to not see it all as a relatively permanent plot of land between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. It doesn’t seem to change all that much, except for what we people do to it. Thus, it likely won’t come as much of a surprise to most that live here on this big continent, that new research shows that what we take for granted, does appear to be true, that is, the North American continent erodes very slowly. So slowly, writes Terrence Blackburn and his team of researchers from MIT, that not much has changed over the past billion and a half years. The team has come to this conclusion after studying volcanic rocks found in the mountains of Montana, and as they describe in their paper published, in Science, it doesn’t look like much change is coming in the future either.
Four new exoplanets to start off the new year!
It’s only a few days into 2012 and already some new exoplanet discoveries have been announced. As 2011 ended, there were a total of 716 confirmed exoplanets and 2,326 planetary candidates, found by both orbiting space telescopes like Kepler and ground-based observatories. The pace of new discoveries has accelerated enormously in the past few years. Now there are four more confirmed exoplanets to add to the list.
Lowell Randall, rocket scientist, dies at 96 in NM
(AP) -- Lowell Randall, a pioneer rocket scientist who helped launched the U.S. space program and tested intercontinental ballistic missiles, has died. He was 96.
Depleted gas reservoirs can double as geologic carbon storage sites
(PhysOrg.com) -- A demonstration project on the southeastern tip of Australia has helped to verify that depleted natural gas reservoirs can be repurposed for geologic carbon sequestration, which is a climate change mitigation strategy that involves pumping CO2 deep underground for permanent storage.
NASA questions Apollo 13 commander's sale of list
NASA is questioning whether Apollo 13 commander James Lovell has the right to sell a 70-page checklist from the flight that includes his handwritten calculations that were crucial in guiding the damaged spacecraft back to Earth.
New data finds regions of North America have remained extremely stable for more than one billion years
Like lines in a deeply weathered face, the cracks and fissures in the Earth’s crust reveal a long and tumultuous lifetime. Massive continent-bearing plates have come together and broken apart, setting off earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that have fragmented underlying rock, changing the face of the planet over billions of years.
Wanted: Habitable moons
As the Kepler space telescope continues to search for potentially habitable planets, it also may reveal moons that could host life. Three new simulations will help astronomers identify rocky satellites that could hold water on their surface, if the parent planet circles close enough to its sun.
'Greeley Haven' is winter workplace for Mars rover
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity will spend the next several months at a site informally named "Greeley Haven." The name is a tribute to planetary geologist Ronald Greeley (1939-2011), who was a member of the science team for the Mars rovers and many other interplanetary missions.
Technology news
Belarus imposes tough new Internet curbs
Ex-Soviet Belarus unveiled tough new Internet restrictions on Friday that limit public access to opposition websites and impose fines on providers for failing to monitor their clients.
Developers of film recorder to receive Oscar
(AP) -- The first Oscar recipients of the new year were announced Thursday by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Hackers hit ArcelorMittal's Belgian website
The online piracy group Anonymous hacked into the Belgian website of industrial giant ArcelorMittal on Friday, posting a video to protest the closure of two blast furnaces in Belgium.
The nuclear, biological and climate threat - 2011 reviewed
In this special issue of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, published by SAGE, experts reflect on 2011 and highlight what to look out for in 2012 in the areas of nuclear energy, nuclear weapons, biosecurity, and climate change. Topics that have made the headlines during the previous 12 months, including the increased tension surrounding Iran's nuclear programme, the aftermath of the Fukushima incident, and the state of US policy on climate change, are analyzed in detail in this special issue.
PayPal tests in-store payment system at Home Depot
(AP) -- EBay's PayPal service is testing out a payments system in brick-and-mortar Home Depot stores.
US explains foreign policy to Twitter followers
The US State Department on Friday launched a new high-tech form of outreach to the international community when it took questions on foreign policy from Twitter followers in different languages.
Ford to open Silicon Valley lab
Ford Motor Co. is the latest automaker to open a research lab in Silicon Valley, where it hopes to scout out new technology and keep ahead of trends.
Survival app aims to help drivers in winter storms
When a powerful blizzard ripped through North Dakota last winter, hundreds of drivers were stranded as white-out conditions shuttered interstates spanning the state. Snow whipped up by wind marred the lines between pavement and grassy drop-offs, leaving some scared motorists unsure what to do.
Samsung tips record Q4 operating profit of $4.5bn
Samsung Electronics said Friday it expects a record operating profit in the fourth quarter of 5.2 trillion won ($4.5 billion), 73 percent up year-on-year thanks mainly to strong smartphone sales.
Hackers expose more Israeli credit card details
A group of Saudi hackers calling themselves group-xp published details of more than 6,000 Israeli credit cards online in the second such incident in three days, army radio reported on Friday.
Weakening Video Privacy Protection Act a dangerous attack on intellectual privacy
Most people would rather not have their video viewing habits easily available to the public — no need for co-workers to know about your love of reality TV.
Warner Bros. to impose 56-day delay on DVD rentals
Prepare to have your patience tested if you prefer to rent DVDs rather than buy them.
Platform safety on the radar for researchers
Systems used to detect aircraft and ships could soon be fitted in train stations to quickly identify objects – or even people – that have fallen on the tracks, preventing serious accidents and reducing delays that are frequently caused by these mishaps.
Mathematicians use computer to solve minimum Sudoku solution problem
(PhysOrg.com) -- Over the past several years, Sudoku, as most people know, has become wildly popular. Where once mainstream newspapers carried only crossword puzzles, they now also carry a Sudoku puzzle as well. But along with that popularity, has come increased scrutiny and competition between people to see if certain properties of the puzzle can be found. For example, in any given Sudoku puzzle, how many clues must be given in order to have just one unique solution to the problem? Most Sudoku enthusiasts will answer 17, because nobody has ever been able to find one with 16 or less; which is fine, except that people as a general rule like some sort of proof of such things. Thus, it should not come as much of a surprise to anyone that a team of mathematicians have not only set out to prove what everyone thinks they know, but have succeeded in their endeavor.
Review: Everybody's streaming Netflix, but what?
Netflix's streaming-video audience of more than 20 million subscribers has led many to label it a kind of digital TV network, and one that may grow into an HBO rival - if it's not already.
Ramnit's heist bags 45,000 Facebook passwords
(PhysOrg.com) -- Ramnit, the bank-thieving worm, is at it again, this time scoffing up Facebook accounts. The latest oh-look-another-threat is one that security watchers say could get ugly. Ramnit has grown up since it was first discovered as a virus in the wild in 2010. Security company Seculert has posted a January 5 blog saying that Ramnit has stolen 45,000 Facebook login credentials. The accounts are mostly in the UK and France. The security firm, which has been tracking Ramnit, discovered the stolen Facebook cache in its Seculert labs. Seculert in turn passed on to Facebook the stolen credentials that it found on Ramnit servers.
Clever math could enable a high-quality 3-D camera for cellphones
When Microsoft’s Kinect -- a device that lets Xbox users control games with physical gestures -- hit the market, computer scientists immediately began hacking it. A black plastic bar about 11 inches wide with an infrared rangefinder and a camera built in, the Kinect produces a visual map of the scene before it, with information about the distance to individual objects. At MIT alone, researchers have used the Kinect to create a “Minority Report”-style computer interface, a navigation system for miniature robotic helicopters and a holographic-video transmitter, among other things.
Apple patent sends password secrets to adapters
(PhysOrg.com) -- First-time computer users in the early days, pre-hacking security traumas, were confronted with a new life requirement: creating and remembering system passwords. Not too easy, users were warned, to protect their privacy against snooping brothers and sisters, but not too tough, so they can easily remember it all times. This is no longer good advice, and Apple has filed a patent that says, no, make your password as tough as you want.
Medicine & Health news
2 more dead birds in HK test positive for H5N1
Hong Kong authorities say two more dead birds have tested positive for a dangerous strain of bird flu, adding to health worries in the city.
Educational program lowers incidence of back pain in soldiers: study
A program of core strengthening exercises was no better than traditional sit-ups for preventing back pain in soldiers, according to a new University of Florida study. But combining both exercise programs with a brief educational session on back pain strategies did lower the incidence of treatment for back pain.
Beer belly is biggest body issue for men
(Medical Xpress) -- New research shows that men have serious issues and that talking about your body is no longer confined to women.
Vietnamese man 'stable' after giant tumour removed
A Vietnamese man was in a stable condition in hospital Friday after doctors removed a giant tumour from his right leg that weighed more than the rest of his body, hospital officials said.
Abiraterone: Indication of considerable added benefit in certain patients
Abiraterone (trade name: Zytiga) has been approved since September 2011 for men with metastatic prostate cancer that is no longer responsive to hormone therapy and progresses further during or after therapy with the cytostatic drug docetaxel. In an early benefit assessment pursuant to the "Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products" (AMNOG), the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) examined whether abiraterone offers an added benefit compared with the present standard therapy.
Added benefit of linagliptin is not proven
Linagliptin (trade name: Trajenta) has been approved since August 2011 to improve blood glucose control ("glycaemic control") in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus whose elevated blood glucose levels are inadequately controlled by diet and exercise. It is an option for patients who do not tolerate or should not take the usual treatment with the drug metformin. Moreover, linagliptin can be added if treatment with metformin alone is not sufficient.
Radical surgery saves life of young mom
A team led by Dr. Alan Hemming, transplant surgeon at UC San Diego Health System, has successfully performed the West Coast's first ex-vivo liver resection, a radical procedure to completely remove and reconstruct a diseased liver and re-implant it without any tumors. The procedure saved the life of a 27-year-old mother whose liver had been invaded by a painful tumor that crushed the organ and entangled its blood supply.
5 Questions: Ioannidis on the need to test medical 'truths'
(Medical Xpress) -- How many established standards of medical care are wrong? Disturbingly, no one knows for sure, but one study suggests that it could be almost half, according to a commentary published in the Jan. 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. In many instances, physicians are prescribing treatments or therapies for which there is little or no evidence to support their use. And when evidence emerges that the harms posed by an established treatment may outweigh its benefits for certain patients, some physicians are reluctant to change the way they’ve practiced medicine during their careers.
Researchers find malignancy-risk gene signature for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer
A malignancy-risk gene signature developed for breast cancer has been found to have predictive and prognostic value for patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer. The advancement was made by researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., who published their study results in a recent issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
French breast implant scare reaches around the world
Hundreds of thousands of women in more than 65 countries, mainly in South America and western Europe, have received breast implants that are at the centre of a health scare.
Uninsured receive same quantity, value of imaging services as insured in hospital, in-patient setting
Insurance status doesn't affect the quantity (or value) of imaging services received by patients in a hospital, in-patient setting, according to a study in the January issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.
Prospective surveillance model emerges as standard of care for breast cancer treatment
Early diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer-related lymphedema by a physical therapist can significantly reduce costs and the need for intensive rehabilitation, according to an article published in the January issue of Physical Therapy (PTJ), the scientific journal of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).
Germans, Czechs warn on French breasts implants
Germany and the Czech Republic advised women Friday to have potentially faulty breast implants made by French firm PIP removed, but Britain said it was not convinced of the need.
How poor maternal diet can increase risk of diabetes -- new mechanism discovered
Researchers have shown one way in which poor nutrition in the womb can put a person at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other age-related diseases in later life. This finding could lead to new ways of identifying people who are at a higher risk of developing these diseases and might open up targets for treatment.
A large subgroup of mild-to-moderate asthma is persistently non-eosinophilic
A large percentage of patients with mild-to-moderate asthma have persistently non-eosinophilic disease which may not respond to currently available anti-inflammatory treatments, according to a new study.
Statins may increase risk of interstitial lung abnormalities in smokers
Use of statins may influence susceptibility to or the progression of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in smokers, according to a new study.
Increase in motorway speed limit poses risks to health
Government plans to increase the motorway speed limit in England and Wales will have adverse effects on health, outweighing any economic benefits, claims an editorial published in the British Medical Journal today.
200 million use illegal drugs: Lancet estimate
About 200 million people around the world use illicit drugs, according to a study published on Friday in The Lancet.
Common antimicrobial inhibits immune cell function
(Medical Xpress) -- Triclosan, a common antibacterial agent found in many hand soaps and other products, is known to have the added benefit of alleviating allergic skin conditions such as eczema. In a study recently published in the journal Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, University of Maine researchers Julie Gosse and Rachel Palmer find that this anti-inflammatory effect may be caused by triclosan’s inhibitory effect on mast cells, which are implicated in allergies and asthma but which also are key components of a healthy immune system.
Latest global study provides snapshot of drug-related harm
(Medical Xpress) -- A new Australian drug study published today in The Lancet has found that cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug globally, while opioid use is a major cause of death.
Family support motivates Mexican-Americans to adopt healthy habits
Encouragement from family members helps motivate Mexican-American adults to eat more fruits and vegetables and to engage in regular exercise, according to a new study in the current issue of American Journal of Health Promotion. However, about 40 percent of study participants reported receiving no encouragement at all from their social networks for adopting healthy habits.
Team lotteries motivate employees to participate in wellness programs
Corporate wellness programs are one way that employers can help improve the health of their employees and decrease spiraling health care costs. However, getting employees to participate in such programs can be challenging. Now a new study in the American Journal of Health Promotion suggests that group lotteries might increase employee participation in one component of wellness programs—filling out health risk assessment questionnaires.
Better research is needed to understand why elders are happier
(Medical Xpress) -- Older people tend to be happier. But why? Some psychologists believe that cognitive processes are responsible—in particular, focusing on and remembering positive events and leaving behind negative ones; those processes, they think, help older people regulate their emotions, letting them view life in a sunnier light. “There is a lot of good theory about this age difference in happiness,” says psychologist Derek M. Isaacowitz of Northeastern University, “but much of the research does not provide direct evidence” of the links between such phenomena and actual happiness. In a new article in Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal published by the Association for Psychological Science, Isaacowitz and the late Fredda Blanchard-Fields of Georgia Institute of Technology argue for more rigorous research.
Unearthing a path leading to diabetes
A molecular mechanism that links diet, obesity and diabetes involves depletion of specialized ‘transporter proteins’, a Japanese–American team has found. Transporter proteins deliver glucose to so-called ‘beta cells’ of the pancreas, which produce the hormone insulin to help the body regulate its sugar levels. The work opens the way to new treatments for diabetes since ensuring sufficient numbers of glucose transporter (Glut) proteins on their outer surface could improve beta cell function.
Moderate red wine drinking may help cut women's breast cancer risk, study shows
Drinking red wine in moderation may reduce one of the risk factors for breast cancer, providing a natural weapon to combat a major cause of death among U.S. women, new research from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center shows.
Diet supplemented with specific probiotic bacterial strain increases mice lifespan
The mammalian gut is home to hundreds of bacterial species that contribute to food digestion and, in some cases, inflammatory gut diseases. Probiotics, beneficial bacterial species, can enhance gut health by keeping the resident bacteria in check. Now, a team of researchers at the RIKEN Innovation Center in Wako, including Mitsuharu Matsumoto, report that administration of the probiotic bacterial strain Bifidobacterium animalis subspecies lactis LKM512 to mice can lengthen their lifespan.
Scientists identify lung cancer stem cells and new drug targets
Singapore scientists, headed by Dr. Bing Lim, Associate Director of Cancer Stem Cell Biology at the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), a research institute under the umbrella of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and Dr Elaine Lim, medical oncologist affiliated with Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) and National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS), have, for the first time, identified a gene responsible for lung cancer. The finding, reported in the advanced online issue of Cell on 5 January 2012, is a huge step towards finding a cure for the disease.
Beware of germs lurking on your desk
The public health message about getting a flu shot is drilled into us at this point, and this far into the season, everyone should have already have fulfilled their duty and received one.
Neglected tropical diseases: A new handle on old problems
‘Neglected tropical diseases’ is a new name for old diseases that cause long-term suffering among the world’s poorest people. The Wellcome Trust and others have funded research into these diseases for decades, but the fruits of this research have not always reached the people most in need. Michael Regnier spoke to some of the scientists who coined the new phrase to raise awareness of the continuing burden of these diseases, and to Trust-funded researchers whose work is helping to develop better solutions for tackling them.
Whooping cough returns as vaccine modified to reduce side-effects
Hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. - mostly babies and toddlers - were coming down with whooping cough each year when vaccines against "this menace," as one newspaper called it, were introduced in the 1930s and 1940s.
Skip the gym? You'll pay
If, in New Years past, a steadfast resolution to get your butt to the gym has resulted in your butt remaining steadfastly planted on your couch, it may be time to introduce your butt to hyperbolic discounting.
Experts offer pointers for optimizing radiation dose in pediatric CT
An article in the January issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology summarizes methods for radiation dose optimization in pediatric computed tomography (CT) scans. Approximately seven to eight million CT examinations are performed for various pediatric clinical indications per year in the United States.
Haiti cholera death toll nears 7,000: expert
Nearly 7,000 people have now died from cholera in Haiti in an epidemic which has become one of the worst of recent decades, a top health official said Friday.
Add some spice to your food and boost your disease-prevention power
The holidays are over, January has arrived, and many of us enter the New Year determined to live our lives a little healthier than last.
Tobacco company misrepresented danger from cigarettes: study
A new UCSF analysis of tobacco industry documents shows that Philip Morris USA manipulated data on the effects of additives in cigarettes, including menthol, obscuring actual toxicity levels and increasing the risk of heart, cancer and other diseases for smokers.
A decade of research proves PET effectively detects dementia
In a new review of imaging studies spanning more than ten years, scientists find that a method of positron emission tomography (PET) safely and accurately detects dementia, including the most common and devastating form among the elderly, Alzheimer's disease. This research is featured in the January issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
New e-cigarettes affect users' airways
(Medical Xpress) -- E-cigarettes, or electronic cigarettes, are promoted as a safer alternative to smoking. However, a new study published in the journal Chest, shows that these e-cigarettes cause immediate changes in the airways and may not be a as safe as they are promoted to be.
Hopes for reversing age-associated effects in MS patients
New research highlights the possibility of reversing ageing in the central nervous system for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The study is published today, 06 January, in the journal Cell Stem Cell.
Study shows girls believe HPV vaccine protects from other STDs
(Medical Xpress) -- A new study published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine shows that almost a quarter of girls surveyed believe that the HPV vaccine will also help prevent other STDs. This new information is sparking a demand for better education when the vaccine is administered.
Scientists map the frontiers of vision
There's a 3-D world in our brains. It's a landscape that mimics the outside world, where the objects we see exist as collections of neural circuits and electrical impulses.
Mass prostate cancer screening doesn't reduce deaths: study
There's new evidence that annual prostate cancer screening does not reduce deaths from the disease, even among men in their 50s and 60s and those with underlying health conditions, according to new research led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Cognitive decline can begin as early as age 45: study
The brain's capacity for memory, reasoning and comprehension skills (cognitive function) can start to deteriorate from age 45, finds research published in the British Medical Journal today.
Biology news
Singapore supermarket to stop selling shark fin
Singapore's largest supermarket chain will stop selling shark fin products from April after an inflammatory comment by one of its suppliers triggered calls for a boycott from activists and the public.
Technology tracks birds visiting feeders
To study bird feeding and breeding behavior, ornithologists used to tag birds with colored bands and then painstakingly track the birds' activity. But now, an existing technology repurposed for tracking birds by researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology automates such data-collecting, requiring scientists to spend only a few hours a week tending to feeders wired with tracking technology.
Anti-freeze poses threat to pets, experts warn
Ethylene glycol, a major component of anti-freeze used in car radiators to prevent freezing during winter, has been identified by UCD veterinary pathologists as the cause of a recent outbreak of cat deaths.
Scientists aiding fishermen in butterfish conundrum
Butterfish may sound delicious, but local fishermen would rather keep them out of their nets. The small, silvery fish are protected by fishing limits yet frequently surface in tows when fishermen are trawling for squid. Too much of this unintended butterfish "bycatch" can get a fishery shut down by regulators for the year – before the squid allocation is caught.
Philippines seizes butchered pangolins
Philippine wildlife authorities seized a huge shipment of meat and scales from up to a hundred slaughtered pangolins, also known as scaly anteaters, officials said on Friday.
Scientists refute Greenpeace claim that genetically modified corn caused new insect pest
An article in the forthcoming issue of the Journal of Integrated Pest Management (JIPM) refutes claims by Greenpeace Germany that the western bean cutworm (WBC), Striacosta albicosta (Smith), is "a new plant pest" that was "caused by genetically engineered corn." The Greenpeace Germany report, which was written by author Richard Then of Testbiotech, offers a "surprisingly simplistic conclusion" regarding the spread of western bean cutworm over the last decade, according to the JIPM authors.
A new wild ginger discovered from the evergreen forest of Western Ghats of South India
Intensive botanical explorations for taxonomic studies on the members of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae) in India by V.P. Thomas and M. Sabu of the University of Calicut, have resulted in the discovery of an interesting species of Amomum (Cardamom) from Silent Valley National Park on the Western Ghats of Kerala.
Decoding corn defenses for improved pest resistance
(PhysOrg.com) -- A clearer picture of corn's biochemical responses to insect and fungal attacks is emerging, thanks to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) studies in Gainesville, Fla.
Tiny roundworm points to big promise
Two related studies from Northwestern University offer new strategies for tackling the challenges of preventing and treating diseases of protein folding, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), cancer, cystic fibrosis and type 2 diabetes.
New research on newly formed plants could lead to improved crop fertility
A new University of Florida study shows genomes of a recently formed plant species to be highly unstable, a phenomenon that may have far-reaching evolutionary consequences.
Supersoldier ants created in the lab by reactivating ancestral genes
(PhysOrg.com) -- There are over 1100 species of Pheidole genus ants, and most individual ants belong to either the worker or soldier caste. In only eight of the Pheidole species, some individuals can belong to a "supersoldier" subcaste instead, and these ants fight off predatory army ant species and bar their way by blocking off the entrances to the nest using their over-sized heads. Now, scientists have managed to create supersoldiers in other species by reactivating ancestral genes.
RNA editing responsible for colder water survival in octopus
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers have discovered that when it comes to the survival of an octopus living in frigid waters, the reasoning is not a difference in the gene DNA but rather a difference in the RNA editing.
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