13 Sep
BBC
Google backs private Moon landing
Google is backing private attempts to put a rover on the Moon with a $30m prize pot.
[see more details in BBC]
How older siblings stunt growth
Having an older sibling, particularly a brother, can stunt growth, work suggests.
[see more details in BBC]
Neanderthal climate link debated
A study challenges a theory that abrupt and catastrophic climate change extinguished the last Neanderthals.
[see more details in BBC]
Pirbright strain link to outbreak
Tests show that the latest foot-and-mouth outbreak in Surrey is the same strain found in the area last month.
[see more details in BBC]
eurekalert.com
Academy releases emergency preparedness tools to enable millions more people to shelter in place
Although the nation has invested billions of dollars preparing to respond to emergencies, current plans leave millions of Americans at risk because they do not account for critical problems people face when they actually try to protect themselves. To fix this fundamental flaw, the New York Academy of Medicine is today releasing a report and tools -- available online -- that will enable households, work places, schools and early childhood/youth programs, and governments to anticipate and address problems they would face in emergencies.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
Advanced technologies aim to transform the coaching of top athletes
Groundbreaking research now under way in the UK could help our leading athletics coaches deliver outstanding results in the years ahead.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
Chronic fatigue syndrome linked to stomach virus
Chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as ME, is linked to a stomach virus, suggests research published ahead of print in Journal of Clinical Pathology.The researchers base their findings on 165 patients with ME, all of whom were subjected to endoscopy because of longstanding gut complaints.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
Climate -- no smoking gun for Neanderthals
Questions remain unresolved as to whether the Neanderthals died out because of competition with modern people or because of deteriorating climatic conditions.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
Computer models help raise the bar for sporting achievement
Computer models now under development could enhance the design of sports equipment to help people of all abilities realise their sporting potential.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
Different HIV rates among gay men and straight people not fully explained by sexual behavior
Differences in sexual behaviours do not fully explain why the US HIV epidemic affects gay men so much more than straight men and women, claims research published ahead of print in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections.In 2005, over half of new HIV infections diagnosed in the US were among gay men, and up to one in five gay men living in cities is thought to be HIV positive.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
Good fences make good neighbors
In the last century, more than 100 million people have perished in violent conflict, very often because of local clashes between ethnically or culturally distinct groups. In a novel study this week in Science, researchers report on a mathematical model that can predict where ethnic conflict will erupt
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
Health psychologists discuss latest research findings
Common physical symptoms such as fatigue, chest pain and lower back pain are related to the perception of everyday smells, University of Nottingham researchers will tell delegates at a health psychology conference on campus.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
How dirty is your money?
Drug dealers found with bank notes contaminated with unusually high levels of drugs are now less likely to get away with their crimes, thanks to new evidence from a team led by the University of Bristol, UK. The research finds that geographical location has absolutely no influence on the distribution of drug contamination on bank notes.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
Leaderless movement proves illusive
A new study by University of Alberta researcher Paul Joosse cautions against any surety about the ideological motivations behind the Earth Liberation Front. The Earth Liberation Front uses an organizational strategy called "leaderless resistance," whereby small cells choose when, how, and against whom to act -- and then make a claim of responsibility on behalf of the mother group.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
Leading-edge body sensor could help produce sporting champions
A revolutionary unobtrusive sensor that collects and immediately transmits data from the human body could boost British sporting success in future.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
Less than 3 percent of UK 11-year-olds take enough exercise
Less than 3 percent of UK 11-year-olds are taking enough exercise, suggests research published ahead of print in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.It is recommended that kids spend at least an hour a day doing some form of moderate to vigorous physical activity, in a bid to promote good health and stave off the risks of subsequent obesity and diabetes.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
Metabolic syndrome heightens risk for development of uric-acid kidney stones
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that patients suffering from the metabolic syndrome -- a cluster of conditions that increases the risk for heart disease, stroke and diabetes -- also have a propensity to develop highly acidic urine, which increases the risk of developing kidney stones.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
MIT IDs binocular vision gene
In work that could lead to new treatments for sensory disorders in which people experience the strange phenomena of seeing better with one eye covered, MIT researchers report that they have identified the gene responsible for binocular vision.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
Our visual system may react more rapidly when visualising 2 objects which might collide
International research has put forward the hypothesis that the brain responds to the possibility that two objects might collide, in a different way to how it would react to two objects in movement with divergent trajectories. This conclusion comes from an experiment on a visual phenomenon, the Flash-lag effect, which has shown that this effect increases when the visual system perceives two movements with convergent trajectories.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
Peat and forests save permafrost from melting
Scientists find that the demise of the permafrost may be exaggerated because peat and forest cover, which protect the permafrost, have not been factored into research regarding climate change.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
Potential new way of treating inflammatory diseases identified
Scientists have shown for the first time that platelets, the cells needed for blood clotting, help white blood cells called neutrophils fight inflammation. The results of the study could lead to new anti-inflammatory compounds for the treatment of inflammatory vascular injury.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
Salmon garnish points the way to green electronics
Professor Andrew Steckl, a leading expert in light-emitting diodes, is intensifying the properties of LEDs by introducing biological materials, specifically salmon DNA.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
Scientists highlight benefits of genetic research in sport, but warn of ethical concerns
Genetic research into athletic ability should be encouraged for its potential benefits in both sport and public health, a leading group of scientists meeting at the University of Bath said today.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
Smaller breast reduction surgeries provide health benefits and should be reimbursed
Smaller-framed women reap significant health and quality-of-life benefits from breast reductions that involve the removal of under 500 grams of tissue per breast, according to a first-of-its-kind study from New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and the New York University School of Medicine.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
Speedier skis on course for World Cup glory
Skis equipped with an ingenious new self-waxing device that enables them to travel quicker could make a dramatic entry onto the skiing scene in the 2008-09 World Cup season.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
Study sheds new light on early star formation in the universe
A groundbreaking study has provided new insight into the way the first stars were formed at the start of the universe, some 13 billion years ago. Cosmologists from Durham University, publishing their results in the prestigious international academic journal, Science, suggest that the formation of the first stars depends crucially on the nature of "dark matter," the strange material that makes up most of the mass in the universe.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
The dating game
In 1911 the discovery that the world was billions of years old changed our view of the world forever. The talk at the BA Festival of Science in York, UK, is on Thursday Sept. 13, and is by Dr. Cherry Lewis, University of Bristol, UK.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
The sea ice is getting thinner
Large areas of the Arctic sea ice are only one meter thick this year, equating to an approximate 50 percent thinning as compared to the year 2001. These are the initial results from the latest Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association lead expedition to the North Polar Sea.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
The UAB is participating in the LHC project to study the origins of matter
On Aug. 23 the Scientific Information Port, a technological center located on the campus of the UAB, started work on the first stage of the European project Large Hadron Collider, the largest particle accelerator in the world, which has the aim of reproducing conditions similar to those produced during the Big Bang in order to study the origins of matter.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
U. Iowa team identifies genes that improve survival in mice with ALS
Researchers investigating the basic biology of cell signaling have made a discovery that may have therapeutic implications for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
US Climate Change Science Program making good progress in documenting and understanding changes
Climate change research directed by the federal government has made good progress in documenting and understanding temperature trends and related environmental changes on a global scale, says a new report from the National Research Council. The ability to predict future climate changes also has improved, but efforts to understand the impact of such changes on society and analyze mitigation and adaptation strategies are still relatively immature, added the committee that wrote the report.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
Using green chemistry to deliver cutting-edge drugs
Green chemistry is being employed to develop revolutionary drug delivery methods that are more effective and less toxic -- and could benefit millions of patients.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
Zebrafish to shed light on human mitochondrial diseases
Zebrafish can now be used to study COX deficiencies in humans, a discovery that gives scientists an unprecedented window to view the earliest stages of mitochondrial impairments that lead to potentially fatal metabolic disorders, according to researchers at the University of Oregon.
[see more details in eurekalert.com]
fox news
Cassini Probe Flies by Iapetus, Goes Into Safe Mode
Spacecraft turns off instruments after being zapped by cosmic ray.
[see more details in fox news]
Eating Less Meat May Slow Global Warming, Study Finds
Eating less meat could help slow global warming by reducing the number of livestock and thereby decreasing the amount of methane flatulence from the animals, scientists said on Thursday.
[see more details in fox news]
Google Offers $20M Prize for Private Moon Mission
Silicon Valley titan ready to give money to team that can launch robotic rover on moon by 2012.
[see more details in fox news]
Gorillas Lead Long List of Endangered Species
Ebola virus devastating Western Gorilla to brink of extinction, World Conservation Union says; 16,305 other species named as threatened.
[see more details in fox news]
Official Reference Kilogram Mysteriously Shrinks
Reference cylinder kept near Paris light by 50 micrograms, at least as compared to all its copies.
[see more details in fox news]
Salmon Bioengineered to Produce Trout Offspring
Trout sperm-growing cells injected into newborn salmon of both genders -- who have trout in next generation.
[see more details in fox news]
Study: Curly Hair Tangles Less
French biophysicist surprised to find that straight hair more likely to tangle.
[see more details in fox news]
Study: Early Humans Could Walk, but Not Run
Computer models show that underdeveloped Achilles tendon, as apes have, would have prevented early humans from running efficiently.
[see more details in fox news]
national geographic
Asian Catfish Migrates Hundreds of Miles, Rivals Salmon
 | The Mekong catfish travels more than 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) upriver to spawn?a discovery that means a planned dam on the river might spell disaster for the species. |
[see more details in national geographic]
Global Warming May Be Keeping Gray Whale Numbers Down
 | Eastern gray whales number just a fraction of their historical highs?and human-induced climate change may be the cause?according to a new study. |
[see more details in national geographic]
NASA "Clean Rooms" Brimming With Bacteria
 | The rooms where spacecraft are assembled seem spotless to the human eye, but they may actually harbor several species of hardy bacteria, a new study says. |
[see more details in national geographic]
Photo Gallery: Frozen Inca Mummy Goes On Display
 | The mummified remains of teenage girl who died more than 500 years ago went on public display for the first time last week in Argentina. |
[see more details in national geographic]
Photo in the News: Hubble Fans Dispute "Sharpest" Title
 | Astronomers backing the aging space telescope say that claims of more detailed ground-based snapshots are premature. |
[see more details in national geographic]
Photo in the News: Solar Plane Sets Record, Makers Say
 | The solar-powered Zephyr plane has set a world record for longest unmanned flight by staying aloft for more than two days, a defense firm claims. |
[see more details in national geographic]
Syria Mass Graves Suggest Ancient Urban Conflict
 | Pits crammed with Stone Age skeletons suggest a bloody era of fighting nearly 6,000 years ago over the rapidly growing city of Tell Brak, according to archaeologists. |
[see more details in national geographic]
nature.com
Accelerator physics: The plasma revolution
Particle accelerators that use plasma technology promise to shake up the fields of high-energy particle physics and cancer treatment. Challenges remain, but smaller, cheaper machines are within reach. Navroz Patel reports.
[see more details in nature.com]
A commodity no more
The flat-screen television boom has materials scientists scrambling to replace the valuable metal oxide that coats the screens. Andrea Chipman reports.
[see more details in nature.com]
A pipeline for Europe
Europe needs a clear career structure for principal investigators.
[see more details in nature.com]
Borysiewicz to head UK medical council
Vaccinologist from Imperial College set to succeed Colin Blakemore.
[see more details in nature.com]
Bubble-fusion allegations merit more investigation
Purdue University makes statement on bubble fusion researcher Taleyarkhan.
[see more details in nature.com]
Correction
[see more details in nature.com]
Dennis Choi, executive director, Comprehensive Neuroscience Initiative, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
Dennis Choi consolidates neuroscience in Atlanta.
[see more details in nature.com]
DNA analysis reveals size of past whale populations
Genetics can tell us what the oceans looked like in bygone eras.
[see more details in nature.com]
Farewell to a famous parrot
Alex, who could talk and count, dies at 31.
[see more details in nature.com]
Foetal testosterone linked to autistic traits
Male hormone in the womb linked to kids with more autistic-like behaviours.
[see more details in nature.com]
Fungal roles in soil ecology: Underground networking
Above ground, plants compete for life-giving sunlight, but below the surface a more complex picture emerges. John Whitfield explores the role of mycorrhizae in plant ecology.
[see more details in nature.com]
Hiking the ups and downs of the science trail.
[see more details in nature.com]
Improved polymer shuttles genes into cells
Biodegradable chemical could one day provide nonviral gene therapy.
[see more details in nature.com]
Interferon discovery and ferret flu
Jean Lindenmann, who discovered how inactivated viruses help to protect cells, talks to Alison Abbott about his career.
[see more details in nature.com]
Keeping good scientists
Marrying into citizenship and job opportunities
[see more details in nature.com]
Long-held theory is in danger of losing its nerve
Doubts raised over influential work on neurotransmitter release.
[see more details in nature.com]
Matter-antimatter molecules made
Artificial atoms made of annihilating particles can pair up.
[see more details in nature.com]
Meeting obligations
Climate change should take ever-increasing priority in the Asia-Pacific region.
[see more details in nature.com]
Mystery ox finds its identity
Near-extinct kouprey reclassified as distinct species.
[see more details in nature.com]
Russian scientists see red over clampdown
Microbiologist taking samples to France is accused of smuggling bioweapons.
[see more details in nature.com]
New York Times
Hopes Dim for Measures to Conserve Energy
The prospect of a comprehensive energy package has been held up by technical hurdles and policy disputes between the House and the Senate and within the parties.
[see more details in New York Times]
No Relief: In India, a Quest to Ease the Pain of the Dying
Although India produces more opium for the legal morphine industry than any other country, few Indians benefit.
[see more details in New York Times]
Panel Faults Emphasis of U.S. Climate Program
A Bush administration program has not focused enough on the impact of warming on humans, the panel said.
[see more details in New York Times]
Scientists? Good News: Earth May Survive Sun?s Demise in 5 Billion Years
There is new hope that Earth, if not the life on it, might survive an apocalypse five billion years from now.
[see more details in New York Times]
sciencedaily.com
Ability To Write And Store Information On Electronic Devices Improved
Research provides a more thorough understanding of new mechanisms, which makes it possible to switch a magnetic nanoparticle without any magnetic field and may enable computers to more accurately write and store information.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Ancient Egyptians Mummified Their Cats With Utmost Care
Examination of Egyptian mummies has shown that animals such as cats and crocodiles were given a far more careful and expensive trip to the afterlife than previously thought. Mummification was crucial to the ancient Egyptians because they believed that if their bodies survived they could become immortal.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Biological Invasions Can Begin With Just One Insect
A new study has shown that a lone insect can initiate a biological invasion. The scientists examined patterns of genetic diversity in both native European and invasive North American populations of a solitary bee. They concluded that the invasion was most likely founded by one mated female.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Black Women More Likely To Have More Aggressive, Less Treatable Form Of Breast Cancer
A large analysis of racial differences in rates of estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancer finds that black women in the United States are more likely than white women to have breast tumors that are ER-negative, researchers from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center report. ER-negative tumors are associated with less favorable outcomes than those that are ER-positive, in part because anti-estrogen therapies--effective with ER-positive tumors--do not affect ER-negative tumors.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Cancer Stem Cell Subpopulation Drives Metastasis Of Human Pancreatic Cancer
Scientists have identified a distinct subpopulation of cancer stem cells (CSC) that is responsible for metastasis of a deadly human pancreatic cancer. The research provides insight into the role of CSCs in cancer initiation, progression and metastasis, and suggests new directions for development of more effective therapeutics.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Chemotherapy May Be Culprit For Fatigue In Breast Cancer Survivors
Compared to healthy women, breast cancer survivors reported more days of fatigue and more severe fatigue symptoms. Fatigue is a common complaint in the general population and, anecdotally, common among cancer patients. Comparative fatigue studies between the two populations, however, have been marred by methodological shortcomings, such as poorly matched controls and patient populations.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Controlling Invasive Species: How Effective Is The Lacey Act?
Scientists examined the efficacy of the Lacey Act in their research communication, "Failure of the Lacey Act to protect US ecosystems against animal invasions." With over 100 years on the books (passed in 1900), the Lacey Act is the main legal defense against invasive animal species. The study appears in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Corals Added To IUCN Red List Of Threatened Species For First Time
For the first time in history, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species includes ocean corals in its annual report of wildlife going extinct. A comprehensive study of marine life sponsored by Conservation International concluded that three species of corals unique to the Galapagos Islands could soon disappear forever. The 2007 IUCN Red List designates two of the corals as Critically Endangered, while a third is listed as Vulnerable. Climate change and over-fishing are blamed for threats to marine life.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
DNA Analysis Shows True Dispersal Of Protozoa
In contrast to previous findings, it seems that the global distribution of macro- and microorganisms might be similar. A new study shows that some protozoa are globally dispersed, while others are geographically restricted -- by looking at a new fast-evolving DNA marker. The study also reveals that the biodiversity of protozoa may be much higher than previously realized.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Doctors May Need Support To Cope With Patient Death
Doctors could benefit from support to help them cope with the trauma of patient death, says a psychologist speaking at the death, dying and disposal conference. In preliminary work, researchers carried out detailed interviews with eight US physicians about their experiences of death. Half of those she spoke to wept as they recounted stories of traumatic death they had experienced as physicians, even though some of these events had occurred as much as 30 years ago.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Early Star Formation In The Universe Illuminated
A groundbreaking study has provided new insight into the way the first stars were formed at the start of the universe, some 13 billion years ago. Cosmologists suggest that the formation of the first stars depends crucially on the nature of "dark matter," the strange material that makes up most of the mass in the universe.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Emergency Preparedness Tools May Enable Millions More People To Shelter In Place
Although the nation has invested billions of dollars preparing to respond to emergencies, current plans leave millions of Americans at risk because they do not account for critical problems people face when they actually try to protect themselves. To fix this fundamental flaw a new report and tools that will enable households, work places, schools and early childhood/youth programs, and governments to anticipate and address problems they would face in emergencies.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Extinction Crisis Escalates: Red List Shows Apes, Corals, Vultures, Dolphins All In Danger
Life on Earth is disappearing fast and will continue to do so unless urgent action is taken, according to the 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. There are now 41,415 species on the IUCN Red List and 16,306 of them are threatened with extinction, up from 16,118 last year. The total number of extinct species has reached 785 and a further 65 are only found in captivity or in cultivation.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Fossil Whale Puts Limit On Origin Of Oily, Buoyant Bones In Whales
When a whale dies and falls to the bottom in the deep ocean, it attracts a weird community of mollusks, crabs and worms that feed on its oil-rich bones. A 15 million-year-old fossilized whale discovered on Año Nuevo Island is the first fossil whale fall discovered in California, and one of the youngest and most complete fossil whale falls ever found. It shows that whale-fall organisms look for oily bones rather than large whale carcasses.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Gamma Ray Lasers? Positronium Created In The Lab
Physicists have created molecular positronium, an entirely new object in the laboratory. Briefly stable, each molecule is made up of a pair of electrons and a pair of positrons. They made the molecules by firing positrons into a film of porous silica. The research paves the way for studying multi-positronium interactions and could one day help develop fusion power generation and directed energy weapons such as gamma-ray lasers. It also could help explain how the observable universe ended up with so much more matter than "antimatter."
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Genes And Drugs Team Up To Lower Blood Pressure
Patients with high blood pressure respond very differently to anti-hypertensive medication, making treatment selection tricky for physicians. But new research pinpoints a number of gene-drug interactions that could allow medication to be tailored to individual patients based on their genetics.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Glaucoma Surgery In The Blink Of An Eye
Scientists are testing a new laser surgery device specifically designed to make glaucoma procedures safer, simpler and faster. The revolutionary non-penetrating technique will be easily mastered by most eye surgeons, thereby making it more accessible and less risky for glaucoma sufferers. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the West.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Good Fences Make Good Neighbors
In the last century, more than 100 million people have perished in violent conflict, very often because of local clashes between ethnically or culturally distinct groups. In a novel study in Science, researchers report on a mathematical model that can predict where ethnic conflict will erupt.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
How Plants Regulate Ripening And Decay
Ethylene tells plants when to germinate, bear fruit, drop their leaves and petals, and wither and die. Plants synthesize and release ethylene in response to changes in light and air temperature, and during the course of normal growth and development--as well as in response to pathogens or wounds. Recent research helps explain how plants regulate those all-important responses to ethylene, a body of knowledge that could help the food and cut-flower industries better control ripening and decay.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
How To Enhance Muscle Function
Skeletal muscle is composed of two types of muscle fiber, slow and fast, which have different capabilities -- slow fibers do not tire easily and are high endurance, whereas fast fibers tire easily and are low endurance. The relative amount of each fiber type is determined by muscle usage -- exercise training causes fast fibers to become slow fibers, whereas inactivity that results in muscle atrophy (for example inactivity induced by spinal cord injury and unloading caused by space flight or tail suspension) causes slow fibers to become fast fibers.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Hunger Hormone Fights Aging In The Thymus
Immune function deteriorates with age because, in part, the thymus involutes, dramatically decreasing its immune cell output. New evidence indicates that in mice, thymic involution is caused by a decrease in thymic expression of a hormone better known as a stimulator of food intake (ghrelin) and its receptor. These results led the authors to caution that care should be taken when considering blocking ghrelin as an approach to treating obesity.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Large Hadron Collider Project To Study The Origins Of Matter
Researchers have started work on the first stage of the European project Large Hadron Collider, the largest particle accelerator in the world, which has the aim of reproducing conditions similar to those produced during the Big Bang in order to study the origins of matter.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Less Than Three Percent Of UK 11-year-olds Get Enough Exercise
Less than 3 percent of UK 11-year-olds are taking enough exercise, according to new research. It is recommended that kids spend at least an hour a day doing some form of moderate to vigorous physical activity, in a bid to promote good health and stave off the risks of subsequent obesity and diabetes. Boys were more physically active than girls, and they were also more likely to engage in moderate to vigorous forms of activity.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Life Expectancy Of Americans Reaches 78
A child born in the United States in 2005 can expect to live nearly 78 years (77.9) -- a new high -- according to a new report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The increase in life expectancy represents a continuation of a long-running trend. Over the past decade, life expectancy has increased from 75.8 years in 1995, and from 69.6 years in 1955.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Macho Advertisements Are Putting Feminine Men Off Products, Research Says
Marlboro Man, or his current macho billboard equivalent, is putting off metrosexuals from buying products, research shows. A new study shows that men with characteristics such as sensitivity and tenderness are put off products promoted by advertisements featuring squared-jawed hunks, preferring those featuring more feminine looking male models instead.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Men Shed Light On The Mystery Of Human Longevity, Study Finds
It turns out that older men chasing younger women contributes to human longevity and the survival of the species, according to new findings. Human ability to scale the so-called "wall of death"?surviving beyond the reproductive years?has been a center of scientific controversy for more than 50 years.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
New Evidence On The Role Of Climate In Neanderthal Extinction
The mystery of what killed the Neanderthals has moved a step closer to resolution after a new study has ruled out one of the competing theories -- catastrophic climate change -- as the most likely cause. The causes of their extinction have puzzled scientists for years -- with some believing it was due to competition with modern humans, while others blamed deteriorating climatic conditions.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Oohs And Aahs: Vowel Sounds Affect Our Perceptions Of Products
Would you drive a SUV called a Himmer? Phonetic symbolism refers to the notion that the sounds of words, apart from their assigned definition, convey meaning. A new article applies this theory to product names. The researchers find that product names with vowel sounds that convey positive attributes about the product are deemed more favorable by consumers by a two-to-one margin.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Organisms Found On Contact Lenses Can Provide Clues To Cause Of Corneal Eye Infection
Cultures of contact lenses may sometimes identify the organisms involved in cases of corneal eye infection, according to a new article. Patients using soft contact lenses are more likely to develop the infection than those using other lenses.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Our Visual System May React More Rapidly When Visualising Two Objects Which Might Collide
Does the brain responds to the possibility that two objects might collide in a different way to how it would react to two objects in movement with divergent trajectories? This question arise from an experiment on a visual phenomenon, the Flash-lag effect, which has shown that this effect increases when the visual system perceives two movements with convergent trajectories.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Possible Vaccine Target For Chlamydia Identified
Scientists have identified a potential target for the development of a vaccine against Chlamydia trachomatis, the most prevalent sexually transmitted bacterial infection in the world. An estimated 2.8 million Americans are infected with Chlamydia each year, according to the CDC. Many are not aware that they are infected.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Preventing Or Reducing Enlarged Heart Decreases Risk Of Heart Failure
For high-blood-pressure patients, preventing or reducing enlarged heart reduces risk of heart failure. An estimated 20 percent of all high-blood-pressure patients, or 12 million Americans, have LVH and are at increased risk of developing heart failure. Previous studies have shown that hypertension doubles the lifetime risk for developing heart failure in men and triples the risk in women, accounting for 39 percent of new heart failure cases in men and 59 percent of incident cases in women.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Rare Dolphin Driven To Extinction By Human Activities, Scientists Fear
An international research team, including biologists from NOAA Fisheries Service has failed to find a single Yangtze River dolphin, or baiji, during a six-week survey in China. The scientists fear the marine mammal is now extinct due to fishing and commercial development, which would make it the first cetacean to vanish as result of human activity.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Speedier Skis On Course For World Cup Glory
Skis equipped with an ingenious new self-waxing device that enables them to travel quicker could make a dramatic entry onto the skiing scene in the 2008-09 World Cup season. The device continuously applies fresh wax to the bottom of the ski during a race. Its developers are now working with manufacturers, with the aim of incorporating it into skis used in top-class international competition as early as next year.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Testosterone In Womb Linked To Autism
Fetuses that produce high levels of testosterone have more autistic traits during development, according to new research. Scientists found a significant link between amniotic testosterone levels and the number of autistic traits in children. The researchers are following the development of children from 235 mothers, whose prenatal levels of testosterone were determined by amniocentesis.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
The Sea Ice Is Getting Thinner
Large areas of the Arctic sea ice are only one meter thick this year, equating to an approximate 50 percent thinning as compared to the year 2001. Researchers have also found that the ocean currents and Arctic ecology are changing.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
Zebrafish To Shed Light On Human Mitochondrial Diseases
Zebrafish can now be used to study COX deficiencies in humans, a discovery that gives scientists an unprecedented window to view the earliest stages of mitochondrial impairments that lead to potentially fatal metabolic disorders, according to a new article.
[see more details in sciencedaily.com]
sciencemag.org
[NEWS] BIODEFENSE RESEARCH: Lapses in Biosafety Spark Concern
An apparent breakdown in biosafety at Texas A&M University is prompting scrutiny of the expansive U.S. biodefense research program and the assurance that federal inspections keep researchers following the rules.
Author: Jennifer Couzin
[see more details in sciencemag.org]
[NEWS] BIOMEDICINE: HIV Drug Shows Promise as Potential Cancer Treatment
The first AIDS drug to come to market was initially developed to treat cancer, and now a drug approved for AIDS is being tested in humans as an anticancer agent.
Author: Jon Cohen
[see more details in sciencemag.org]
[NEWS] CONSERVATION: Scientists Say Ebola Has Pushed Western Gorillas to the Brink
The combined threat of the Ebola virus and poaching has pushed western gorillas into the "critically endangered" category in the latest international ranking of species threatened with extinction.
Author: Gretchen Vogel
[see more details in sciencemag.org]
[NEWS FOCUS] AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY MEETING: Antisense Particles Send Up a Flare
BOSTON--At the American Chemical Society meeting, held here from 19 to 23 August, chemists reported creating tiny particles that not only turn off the activity of genes inside cells but also send off molecular signal flares when they do, allowing researchers to instantly see whether their gene blockers are working.
Author: Robert F. Service
[see more details in sciencemag.org]
[NEWS FOCUS] AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY MEETING: Dipstick Test Flags Spoiling Food
BOSTON--At the American Chemical Society meeting, held here from 19 to 23 August, chemists reported developing a dipstick-style sensor that signals the early stages of fish going bad with a change of color.
Author: Robert F. Service
[see more details in sciencemag.org]
[NEWS FOCUS] AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY MEETING: Silicon Adds to Its Roster of Skills
BOSTON--At the American Chemical Society meeting, held here from 19 to 23 August, researchers reported that collections of whiskerlike silicon nanowires make an impressive thermoelectric material.
Author:
[see more details in sciencemag.org]
[NEWS FOCUS] RESEARCH IN JAPAN: Big Winners, Big Expectations
TOKYO--Five groups have been awarded decade-long grants in a drive to win global attention and draw international talent.
Author: Dennis Normile
[see more details in sciencemag.org]
[NEWS FOCUS] TROPICAL DISEASES: Hunt for Dengue Vaccine Heats Up as the Disease Burden Grows
As the number of cases reaches an all-time high, new techniques and an influx of research funds could mean this long-neglected disease will finally have a vaccine.
Author: Dennis Normile
[see more details in sciencemag.org]
[NEWS FOCUS] WILDLIFE BIOLOGY: Can the Wild Tiger Survive?
HARBIN, HEILONGJIANG PROVINCE, CHINA--China is pushing to reintroduce wild tigers, but critics say its breeding centers offer the tiger only a more roundabout path to extinction.
Author: Virginia Morell
[see more details in sciencemag.org]
[NEWS] GENOMICS: A Little Gene Xeroxing Goes a Long Way
Rather than relying on mutations in a particular gene to help us digest roots and tubers better, researchers studying the evolution of starch digestion have found that the human genome simply made more copies of the gene in question.
Author: Jon Cohen
[see more details in sciencemag.org]
[NEWS] GENOMICS: Puzzling Decline of U.S. Bees Linked to Virus From Australia
Researchers report online in Science this week () that they have found an imported virus that may be associated with the sudden disappearance of honey bees in the United States, known as colony collapse disorder.
Author: Erik Stokstad
[see more details in sciencemag.org]
[NEWS] SPACE PHYSICS: Beyond Einstein Should Start With Dark Energy Probe, Says Panel
Last week, a panel of U.S. physicists and astronomers recommended that NASA and the Department of Energy begin work next year on the $1-billion-plus Joint Dark Energy Mission.
Author: Andrew Lawler
[see more details in sciencemag.org]
[NEWS] U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY: Scientists Fear Curbs on Access to Satellite Data
A new plan to expand the use of spy satellites for homeland security and law enforcement has left some officials worried that science will suffer.
Author: Yudhijit Bhattacharjee
[see more details in sciencemag.org]
[SPECIAL/NEWS] All Together Now--Pull!
NGAMBA ISLAND, UGANDA--At wildlife sanctuaries, apes demonstrate their limits of cooperation, providing clues about the evolution of sophisticated social behavior.
Author: Greg Miller
[see more details in sciencemag.org]
[SPECIAL/NEWS] Sanctuaries Aid Research and Vice Versa
African wildlife sanctuaries are benefiting from the support and expertise of visiting scientists. And researchers gain access to larger numbers of apes in more natural living conditions.
Author: Greg Miller
[see more details in sciencemag.org]
[SPECIAL/NEWS] The Art of Virtual Persuasion
Social scientists are finding that online experiences influence offline thinking () and that manipulation--for political, advertising, or other purposes--may be much more sophisticated in virtual environments.
Author: Greg Miller
[see more details in sciencemag.org]
[SPECIAL/NEWS] The Promise of Parallel Universes
For social psychologists, computer-generated realities provide exciting new terrain for exploring human behavior and complex social interactions.
Author: Greg Miller
[see more details in sciencemag.org]
sciencenow
Another Asian Tsunami Threat Looms
Megaquake could kill millions around Bay of Bengal
[see more details in sciencenow]
Anticipating Sex Increases Breeding Potential
Quails conditioned to expect coitus sire more offspring
[see more details in sciencenow]
Born to Run Long Distance
Stamina-stretching mutation widespread in some groups of people
[see more details in sciencenow]
Breast Cancer Drug Effective Against Mania
Finding may presage new class of drugs to treat bipolar disorder
[see more details in sciencenow]
Brits in Space
U.K. panel endorses the concept of crewed missions to the moon and beyond
[see more details in sciencenow]
Do Social Smarts Set Us Apart?
Study suggests that our ability to understand others makes humans more intelligent than other primates
[see more details in sciencenow]
Dwindling Days for Arctic Ice
New projections suggest greater and greater annual melts
[see more details in sciencenow]
First Dance With Dark Matter
Formation of earliest stars could shed new light on the elusive substance
[see more details in sciencenow]
Gray Whales Far From Recovered?
Genetic analysis reveals population is still well below its historic high
[see more details in sciencenow]
Italian Virus Outbreak May Portend Global Spread
Chikungunya transmitted by mosquito that has already conquered large parts of the world
[see more details in sciencenow]
More Good News for the Ozone Layer
New measurements show levels of potent ozone destroyer are receding
[see more details in sciencenow]
Mutation Gives Mice Autistic Symptoms
Finding provides clues to nature of disorder in humans
[see more details in sciencenow]
Reports Blame Lab for Foot-and-Mouth Fiasco
Two panels cite biosecurity breaches at Institute for Animal Health
[see more details in sciencenow]
Stem Cell Hybrids Coming to U.K.
Government okays research that combines animal and human cells for disease research
[see more details in sciencenow]
Texas University Responds to Biosafety Complaints
President hopes changes will allow school to resume sensitive research
[see more details in sciencenow]
The Crop Raiders of Bossou
New study shows chimps swap stolen food for sex
[see more details in sciencenow]
Thin Films Pump Up
Muscle cells grown on plastic supports could one day heal damaged hearts
[see more details in sciencenow]
Trout, Your Mama Was a Salmon
In conservation advance, sterile fish are coaxed to spawn another species
[see more details in sciencenow]
yahoo news
Another powerful quake shakes Indonesia (AP)
AP - The second powerful earthquake in as many days shook western Indonesia Thursday, collapsing buildings in a coastal city and triggering tsunami alerts around the region.
[see more details in yahoo news]
Ebola said depleting gorilla populations (AP)
AP - The most common type of gorilla is now "critically endangered," one step away from global extinction, according to the 2007 Red List of Threatened Species released Wednesday by the World Conservation Union.
[see more details in yahoo news]
Experts: Climate change puts sea at risk (AP)
AP - Climate change is affecting Europe faster than the rest of the world and rising temperatures could transform the Mediterranean into a salty and stagnant sea, Italian experts said Wednesday.
[see more details in yahoo news]
Female Space Commanders Set for Landmark Mission (SPACE.com)
SPACE.com - Two NASA astronauts will make a bit of history next month when they become the first female spacecraft commanders to lead their orbital missions at the same time.
[see more details in yahoo news]
Google sponsors $30 million moon contest (AP)
AP - Google Inc. is bankrolling a $30 million out-of-this-world prize to the first private company that can safely land a robotic rover on the moon and beam back a gigabyte of images and video to Earth, the Internet search leader said Thursday.
[see more details in yahoo news]
Google to finance spaceflight contest (AP)
AP - Google Inc. is bankrolling a $30 million spaceflight contest for private companies to safely land a robotic rover on the moon and beam back a gigabyte of images and video to Earth, the Internet search leader said Thursday.
[see more details in yahoo news]
Humberto crashes ashore in Texas (AP)
AP - Hurricane Humberto, which sprang up overnight, crashed ashore early Thursday near the Louisiana line, bringing sustained winds of up to 80 mph and heavy rain that raised flooding fears, the National Weather Service said.
[see more details in yahoo news]
Hurricane Humberto slams Texas coast (AFP)
AFP - Hurricane Humberto blasted across the southeast Texas coast on Thursday, packing winds as strong as 135 kilometers (85 miles) per hour, the US National Hurricane Center said.
[see more details in yahoo news]
Indonesian quakes trigger tsunami alerts (AP)
AP - Indonesia was shaken by series of powerful earthquakes in less than 24 hours Thursday, a day after survivors watched in horror as the ocean retreated and raced back to shore as a 10-foot-high tsunami.
[see more details in yahoo news]
NASA sought to stop astronaut meltdowns (AP)
AP - NASA e-mails released Wednesday indicate the space agency was looking for ways to prevent astronaut meltdowns just three months before one-time shuttle flier Lisa Nowak was arrested in a scandalous love triangle.
[see more details in yahoo news]
New York oil price hits record 80.20 dollars per barrel (AFP)
AFP - The price of New York oil hit a fresh record high of 80.20 dollars a barrel Thursday on trader worries that stormy weather could hamper energy production in the US Gulf of Mexico.
[see more details in yahoo news]
Norway police probe sabotage claim in whale ship sinking (AFP)
AFP - Norwegian police said Thursday they were investigating a claim from a group of environmental activists that it deliberately sank a whaling ship last month.
[see more details in yahoo news]
Plate movement, awareness may have cut Indonesian toll: expert (AFP)
AFP - The direction of plate movements that sparked quakes off Indonesia's Sumatra spared the coast from damaging tsunamis, while geology and awareness may have reduced the damage, an expert said Thursday.
[see more details in yahoo news]
Report: Smog in N.C. cities will worsen (AP)
AP - Three North Carolina cities could see their number of bad air days double by the middle of this century unless global warming is reduced to curb smog, according to a report released Thursday by an environmental group.
[see more details in yahoo news]
Salmon spawn baby trout in experiment (AP)
AP - Papa salmon plus mama salmon equals ... baby trout? Japanese researchers put a new spin on surrogate parenting as they engineered one fish species to produce another, in a quest to preserve endangered fish.
[see more details in yahoo news]
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