eurekalert.com
Study shows vitamin C is essential for plant growth
Scientists from the University of Exeter and Shimane University in Japan have proved for the first time that vitamin C is essential for plant growth. This discovery could have implications for agriculture and for the production of vitamin C dietary supplements.[see more details in eurekalert.com]
fox news
California Officials to Poison Lake to Kill Fish Predators
California wildlife officials will risk the ire of many in a fisihing community with plans to pour large poison into the Sierra reservoir to kill a species of predatory fish.[see more details in fox news]
national geographic
Belching British Bogs Fueled Ancient Global Warming
 | Bogs that "burped" methane contributed to climate 55 million years ago, a new study says. Will wetlands play a similar role today? |
[see more details in national geographic]
Climate Change Spurring Dengue Rise, Experts Say
 | Changes in temperature and rainfall in the Americas and worldwide may be rolling out the welcome mat for disease-spreading mosquitoes, experts say. |
[see more details in national geographic]
"Jurassic Park" Raptors Had Feathers, Fossil Suggests
 | The sleek reptilian predator of the big screen actually looked more like a feathered bird that was not much bigger than a turkey. |
[see more details in national geographic]
Mars Close-Up Casts Doubts on Signs of Recent Water
 | New high-resolution images of the red planet are throwing a wet blanket over previous geologic signs of liquid water near the Martian surface. |
[see more details in national geographic]
Meteor Crash in Peru Caused Mysterious Illness
 | An object that struck the high plains of Peru on Saturday, causing a mysterious illness among local residents, was a rare kind of meteorite, scientists announced today. |
[see more details in national geographic]
Odd Fossil Skeletons Show Both Apelike and Human Traits
 | Fossils of human ancestors found in the republic of Georgia suggest we evolved from a patchwork species that had both apelike and more advanced features, scientists report. |
[see more details in national geographic]
Video: Yale Agrees to Return Machu Picchu Artifacts
 | Yale University has agreed to return thousands of Machu Picchu relics to the government of Peru in what many officials are hailing as a landmark deal. |
[see more details in national geographic]
nature.com
Africa aims to halt brain drain of crop experts
Ghana centre will train plant breeders on their own turf.[see more details in nature.com]
Arctic sea ice at record low
Open waters in northern ocean highlight massive melting.[see more details in nature.com]
Bug sexual warfare drives gender bender
African bat bugs have two types of female genitalia.[see more details in nature.com]
Cooler weather favours Chinese locusts
Thousand-year record suggests global warming could temper swarms.[see more details in nature.com]
Debt collectors channel cash to corals
National debt excused for reef protection[see more details in nature.com]
Drill often, drill deep
Splice the mainbrace: the greatest scientific ocean-drilling vessel ever built is going to sea.[see more details in nature.com]
Fish in space help studies of balance disorders
Scientists seek answers to how the inner ears develop in microgravity.[see more details in nature.com]
Florida courts German life-sciences institute
Max Planck lab goes Stateside[see more details in nature.com]
Fusion project faces axe
Princeton stellarator threatened with closure[see more details in nature.com]
Regulatory failures
Outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease have revealed unacceptable shortcomings in UK regulation.[see more details in nature.com]
Snapshot: Beneath the skin
[see more details in nature.com]
The shipping forecast
Although cargo vessels are currently spared emissions restrictions, the industry is planning ahead. Kurt Kleiner looks at the ideas being floated to improve energy efficiency on the high seas.[see more details in nature.com]
Treasure trove of Homo erectus found
Dozens of fossils reveal four primative humans.[see more details in nature.com]
Worse quake to come, Indonesia warned
A series of earthquakes might not have reached its peak[see more details in nature.com]
Wrist bones bolster hobbit status
Ape-like wrists suggest that Homo floresiensis was a distinct species.[see more details in nature.com]
New York Times
King Algorithm: An Oracle for Our Time, Part Man, Part Machine
When the human brain mates with the computer?s, we get the automation of judgment.[see more details in New York Times]
King Algorithm: An Oracle Part Man, Part Machine
When the human brain mates with the computer?s, we get the automation of judgment.[see more details in New York Times]
Nations Agree to Speed Up Climate Goal
Delegates at a U.N. conference in Montreal agreed to eliminate ozone-depleting substances 10 years ahead of schedule.[see more details in New York Times]
U.S. Report Shows Decline in Loggerhead Sea Turtles
After encouraging gains in the 1990s, a federal report now shows populations of loggerhead sea turtles dropping, possibly as a result of commercial fishing.[see more details in New York Times]
sciencedaily.com
Air Pollutants Linked Blood Clotting In Mice, Mechanism Identified
Air pollution is caused by any particulate matter, chemical or biological agent that changes the natural characteristics of the atmosphere. Exposure to particulate matter has been linked to an increased risk of heart problems, including increased risk of heart attack. A new study in mice has now identified a mechanism by which exposure to particulate matter leads to accelerated blood clotting and thrombosis, something that can precipitate heart attacks and stroke.[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Bouncing Breasts Spark New Bra Challenge
Breasts move far more than ordinary bras are designed to cope with, according to a new study. And they also bounce more during exercise -- up to 21cm rather than the maximum 16cm bounce measured in past studies. Bras are designed to stop breasts bouncing but this study shows that breasts also move side to side and in and out. It is estimated that more than 50 percent of women experience breast pain when exercising.[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Brain Atrophy In Elderly Leads To Unintended Racism, Depression And Problem Gambling
As we age, our brains slowly shrink in volume and weight. This includes significant atrophy within the frontal lobes, the seat of executive functioning. Executive functions include planning, controlling, and inhibiting thought and behavior. In the aging population, an inability to inhibit unwanted thoughts and behavior causes several social behaviors and cognitions to go awry. Age-related inhibitory losses have also been implicated in social appropriateness.[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Genetic Variation Affects Smoking Cessation Treatment
Mark Twain boasted that it was easy to quit smoking because he did it every day. We now may have the beginnings of understanding why some people find it so difficult to stop smoking even when they are in treatment for this problem. A new study reports that genetic variation in a particular enzyme affects the success rates of treatment with bupropion, an antismoking drug.[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
How Nutrition Affects The Breakdown Of Fats
Scientists have shown that when either lean or obese individuals exercise after eating a high fat meal, their fats are broken down and oxidized in skeletal muscle, making them healthier. These results show for the first time how a high fat diet and exercise stimulate the breakdown of fats and may help design ways to reduce excessive fat in the body. Fat is broken down inside fat cells to generate energy by a process called lipolysis. The resulting fatty acids are released into the bloodstream and carried to tissues that require energy.[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Hundreds Of Genes Controlling Female Fertility Identified
Researchers have found nearly 350 genes related to female fertility. Their research may open the door to much wider study in the poorly understood field of infertility. These discoveries might lead the way to eventually allowing clinicians to test whether an infertile woman has problems with a specific gene, allowing for improved diagnostic tests and tailored therapy in the future, according to researchers.[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Invasion Of New Beach Grass Could Weaken Shoreline Protection
An invasion of American beach grass is under way along the Oregon coast, threatening to change dune ecology and reduce the ability of dunes to protect roads, property and towns from coastal storms. Scientists have documented a slow but steady takeover by this beach grass, an invasive species. They found that protective "foredunes" covered by the new grass species are only about half as high as those created by the European species of grass that were formerly dominant.[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Most Patients Who Have Male-to-female Sex-change Surgery Are Happy, Despite Complications
There are high satisfaction rates among male to female sex-change patients. They found that 88 per cent of patients were happy with their surgery at their first post-operative clinic visit, seven per cent were unhappy and five per cent made no comment.[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
New Strategy To Create Genetically-modified Animals Developed
A new strategy for genetic modification of large animals by employing a virus that transfers genetic modifications to male reproductive cells, which passes naturally to offspring has been developed. Scientists introduced adeno-associated virus to germline stem cells in goats and mice. AAV stably transduced male germ line stem cells and led to transgene transmission through the male germ line.[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Palladium And Platinum An Easier Find With New Detection Method
Finding uses for palladium and platinum--rare precious metals coveted by the automobile, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries as catalysts in chemical reactions-proves easier than finding the scarce materials themselves. Detection involves expensive instruments operated by highly trained chemists that take days to return results. But chemists have now unearthed a fast, easy, and inexpensive method that could help in the discovery of palladium and platinum deposits and streamline the production of pharmaceuticals.[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Recycling Wind Turbines
Wind power could become one of the greenest alternative energy resources we have, but only if replacement and recycling of windturbines is taken into account in assessing their environmental impact, say researchers. The removal and recycling phase of wind turbines has been identified as a blind spot in assessing their overall environmental impact.[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Robot For Lunar Prospecting Under Development
A robotic prospector is being built for NASA that can creep over rocky slopes and then anchor itself as a stable platform for drilling deep into extraterrestrial soils. Called "Scarab," this four-wheeled robot will never leave the Earth. But it will demonstrate technologies that a lunar rover will need to find concentrations of hydrogen, possibly water and other volatile chemicals on the moon that could be mined to produce fuel, water and air that are essential for supporting lunar outposts.[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Simulating Kernel Production Influences Maize Model Accuracy
By combining two approaches to model maize productivity, researchers have increased the accuracy of maize yield predictions. These findings may help to improve yield predictions throughout the world. Researchers are also predicting pollen movement from GM crops with this new model.[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Tracing Your Ancestry: Computer Program Accurately Analyzes Anonymous DNA Samples
A group of computer scientists, mathematicians, and biologists from around the world have developed a computer algorithm that can help trace the genetic ancestry of thousands of individuals in minutes, without any prior knowledge of their background. in initial testing, the program was more than 99 percent accurate and correctly identified the ancestry of hundreds of individuals.[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Vitamin C Is Essential For Plant Growth
Scientists have proved for the first time that vitamin C is essential for plant growth. This discovery could have implications for agriculture and for the production of vitamin C dietary supplements.[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
You Can Teach An Old Dog New Tricks -- With The Right Diet
Nutritional supplements have successfully been used to improve the memory, ability to learn and cognitive function of old dogs -- and might be able to do the same thing with humans. These supplements (acetyl-l-carnitine and alpha lipoic acid) are continuing to be studied in work with humans, and scientists believe they may provide a new approach to the neurodegeneration and cognitive decline common with aging.[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
sciencemag.org
[NEWS] CLIMATE CHANGE: Panel Gives U.S. Program Mixed Grades
An expert panel says the Bush Administration deserves "a pat on the back" for advancing the science of climate change. But the scientists assembled by the National Research Council have serious concerns about the management, funding, and emphasis of the $1.7-billion-a-year Climate Change Science Program.Author: Richard A. Kerr
[see more details in sciencemag.org]
[NEWS FOCUS] GENETICS: Europe Going to the Dogs
Researchers from more than 20 European institutions are poised to make a champion showing in the field of dog genetics, thanks to a pending European Union award for about $16 million.
Author: Elizabeth Pennisi
[see more details in sciencemag.org]
[NEWS FOCUS] LINGUISTICS: Read My Slips: Speech Errors Show How Language Is Processed
Researchers are analyzing spoonerisms and other slips of the tongue to help understand how humans--and even apes--can comprehend and use language.Author: Michael Erard
[see more details in sciencemag.org]
[NEWS] GENE THERAPY: Questions Remain on Cause of Death in Arthritis Trial
An investigation into the death of a 36-year-old woman in a gene therapy trial has revealed a complex tragedy but reached no firm conclusion on whether the experiment was to blame.Author: Jocelyn Kaiser
[see more details in sciencemag.org]
[NEWS] SEISMOLOGY: Continuing Indonesian Quakes Putting Seismologists on Edge
The recent run of large quakes off the Indonesian island of Sumatra is providing fodder for both sides in the debate over whether earthquakes behave consistently enough to be reliably anticipated.Author: Richard A. Kerr
[see more details in sciencemag.org]
[NEWS] SEISMOLOGY: Tsunami Warning System Shows Agility--and Gaps in Indian Ocean Network
The latest earthquake to rattle South Asia provided a drill for the nascent tsunami warning system being launched by Indian Ocean nations in response to the December 2004 tsunami.Author: Dennis Normile
[see more details in sciencemag.org]
sciencenow
A Climate Bomb Defused?
Increased plant growth might cancel out effects of Arctic melting[see more details in sciencenow]
Cancer Cells Chill Out to Survive
Protein that protects stressed-out cells also aids tumors[see more details in sciencenow]
CIRM Snags Australian Heavyweight
Alan Trounson to become president of California stem cell agency[see more details in sciencenow]
Fish Quick to Recover From Mercury
Experiments suggest that the toxic pollutant rapidly disappears from aquatic ecosystems[see more details in sciencenow]
Getting a Handle on the Mantle
Intense pressures in the deep Earth affect materials at the subatomic level[see more details in sciencenow]
Honey Bee Defense Leaves Hornets Breathless
Social insects suffocate their enemies by swarming them[see more details in sciencenow]
No Easy Answers in Gene Therapy Death
NIH committee reviews case of woman who died after arthritis clinical trial[see more details in sciencenow]
Putting the Brakes on Cell Death
Protein involved in necrosis could have applications for human disease[see more details in sciencenow]
Rein in DNA Fingerprinting, Report Urges
Advisory group recommends U.K. police maintain genetic profiles of only convicted criminals[see more details in sciencenow]
Salamander Hybrids Have a Leg Up on Mom and Dad
Finding poses tough questions for species conservation[see more details in sciencenow]
Speech Gene Gone Batty
What does the evolution of human speech have to do with bat sonar?[see more details in sciencenow]
yahoo news
Braced for storm, N.O. gets clouds (AP)
AP - An hour after city officials opened shelters, warned of possible power outages and urged calm ahead of a threatening tropical depression, the system moved inland hundreds of miles away, and forecasters canceled the tropical storm warning that had authorities on alert.
[see more details in yahoo news]
Deal will speed cuts in greenhouse gas (AP)
AP - Governments of almost 200 countries have agreed to speed the elimination of a major greenhouse gas that depletes ozone, U.N. and Canadian officials said Saturday, describing a deal they said was a significant step toward fighting global warming.[see more details in yahoo news]
Leaders to convene for climate summit (AP)
AP - Arnold Schwarzenegger, Al Gore and the leaders of some 80 nations converge on the U.N. on Monday for a summit on the warming Earth and what to do about it.
[see more details in yahoo news]
Man dies months after Kansas tornado hit (AP)
AP - A man who was struck by debris and suffered brain damage when a tornado destroyed this town in May has died, making him the 12th victim of the storm, his family said.[see more details in yahoo news]
Rising seas likely to flood U.S. history (AP)
AP - Ultimately, rising seas will likely swamp the first American settlement in Jamestown, Va., as well as the Florida launch pad that sent the first American into orbit, many climate scientists are predicting.
[see more details in yahoo news]
Scientists hopeful despite climate signs (AP)
AP - Climate scientist Michael Mann runs down the list of bad global warming news: The world is spewing greenhouse gases at a faster rate. Summer Arctic sea ice is at record lows. The ice sheets in Greenland and West Antarctica are melting quicker than expected.
[see more details in yahoo news]
Subtropical storm forms in open Atlantic (AP)
AP - Subtropical Storm Jerry formed Sunday in the Atlantic Ocean but posed no immediate threat to land, the National Hurricane Center said.
[see more details in yahoo news]
Tropical depression nears Mexico (AP)
AP - Ivo was downgraded from a tropical storm to a depression early Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said.
[see more details in yahoo news]
U.N. summit to push climate talks (AP)
AP - Arnold Schwarzenegger, Al Gore and the leaders of some 80 nations converge on the U.N. on Monday for a summit on the warming Earth and what to do about it.
[see more details in yahoo news]
0 comments:
Post a Comment