Select News Category

Headlines	US News	Wordl News
Tech News from Digg	Eureka Science News	Sports from SI

Science News

Novartis and collaborators discover novel antimalarial drug candidate

Published this week in Science the findings demonstrate that the antimalarial candidate, spiroindolone NITD609, is effective against both strains of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium (P.) falciparum and P. vivax. Through a novel mechanism NITD609 rapidly clears plasmodium in a malaria mouse model and shows pharmacological properties compatible with a once-daily dosing regimen.

Ask a question about this article

NASA satellite sees Tropical Storm Kompasu transitioning over Korea and China

NASA's Terra satellite captured the changing Tropical Storm Kompasu over Korea and China very early today, as it makes its way east to northern Japan. It is becoming extratropical.

Ask a question about this article

Children who eat vended snack foods face chronic health problems, poor diet

School children who consume foods purchased in vending machines are more likely to develop poor diet quality -- and that may be associated with being overweight, obese or at risk for chronic health problems such as diabetes and coronary artery disease, according to research from the University of Michigan Medical School.

Ask a question about this article

Iowa State chemists discover method to create high-value chemicals from biomass

Walter Trahanovsky, an Iowa State professor of chemistry, was trying to produce sugar derivatives from biomass using high-temperature chemistry. He was surprised when his research also produced significant yields of high-value chemicals.

Ask a question about this article

NASA sees Depression Nine become Gaston then back to a depression

Tropical Depression Nine strengthened yesterday into Tropical Storm Gaston, but today it ran into dry and stable air and weakened back into a depression again.

Ask a question about this article

Report: Discovery networks hostage-taking a rare terror event

A new report by University of Maryland terrorism researchers concludes that the deadly hostage-taking incident at the Discovery Networks in suburban Washington, D.C. meets the criteria of a terrorist act - a rare one for media organizations and the nation's capital region. Hostage-taking, though, is a familiar pattern in D.C. terror cases, the researchers add. There has never been U.S. environmentally inspired suicide eco-terrorism, they say, but don't draw conclusions about whether that occurred at Discovery.

Ask a question about this article

American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology reacts to stem-cell ruling

The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology expressed its disapproval and disappointment this week in response to the Aug. 23 court ruling that temporarily bars federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research.

Ask a question about this article

New model may simplify high-dose radiosurgery planning

There is yet no straightforward way to determine the optimal dose level and treatment schedules for high-dose radiation therapies such as stereotactic radiation therapy, which is used to treat brain and lung cancer, or for high-dose brachytherapy for prostate and other cancers. Radiation oncology researchers at Ohio State University may have solved the problem with a new mathematical model called the Generalized LQ (gLQ) Model that encompasses all dose levels and schedules

Ask a question about this article

Cigarette smoke may contribute to lung inflammation through a new chemical pathway

Cigarette smoke shuts off a key enzyme in airways that regulates the body's response to inflammation, according to findings from the University of Alabama at Birmingham published online today at Science Express. The UAB researchers say smoke inhibits the enzyme, called Leukotriene A4 Hydrolase (LTA4H), causing it to fail in its job of shutting down white blood cells following a successful response to inflammation.

Ask a question about this article

Bermuda in warnings as the GOES-13 Satellite catches Fiona approaching

Bermuda has warnings up as Tropical Storm Fiona approaches, and GOES-13 satellite imagery from today shows that Fiona, although packing a punch, is a much smaller system that her brother, the Category 4 Hurricane Earl.

Ask a question about this article

Laser-based missile defense for helicopters being developed

Protecting helicopters in combat from heat-seeking missiles is the goal of new laser technology created at the University of Michigan and Omni Sciences, Inc., which is a U-M spin-off company.

Ask a question about this article

NASA catches heavy rainfall happening in Category 4 Earl as it approaches the US

Hurricane Earl is still a powerful category four hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale as it approaches the North Carolina coast today. NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite observed the high rates rain was falling within Earl, in some areas more than 2 inches per hour. Today, the Global Hawk unmanned aircraft is also flying into the eye of Hurricane Earl at altitudes of 60,000 feet to gather information about the storm.

Ask a question about this article

UCSF unveils model for implantable artificial kidney to replace dialysis

UCSF researchers today unveiled a prototype model of the first implantable artificial kidney, in a development that one day could eliminate the need for dialysis.

Ask a question about this article

LSUHSC pediatric weight expert provides obesity trinity answers

In a first person paper published in the Aug. 27, 2010 issue of Childhood Obesity, Dr. Melinda Sothern, Director of Health Promotion and Professor of Public Health at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, provides three ways to de-program the 1950s obesity trinity underlying the current obesity epidemic in the United States and protect future generations from its health consequences.

Ask a question about this article

Caltech chemists develop simple technique to visualize atomic-scale structures

Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have devised a new technique -- using a sheet of carbon just one atom thick -- to visualize the structure of molecules. The technique, which was used to obtain the first direct images of how water coats surfaces at room temperature, can also be used to image a potentially unlimited number of other molecules, including antibodies and other biomolecules.

Ask a question about this article

Test-tube calf embryos more likely to survive Texas summers

Texas AgriLife researchers have found that embryo transfer can double dairy cow pregnancy rates during the summer and increase the number of heifers born as compared with conventional artificial insemination commonly used on dairy farms. They believe this method could save dairies in Texas and throughout the country considerable money.

Ask a question about this article

Scientists identify molecules involved in touch and other mechanically activated systems

Scripps Research Institute scientists have identified two proteins with potential to be important targets for research into a wide range of health problems, including pain, deafness, and cardiac and kidney dysfunction.

Ask a question about this article

Sight-saving research halted by stem cell ruling

The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology has released a statement that expresses opposition to the Federal District Court injunction that froze federal funding for human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research. ARVO supports technological developments and policies that encourage all facets of stem cell research, including research utilizing hESCs.

Ask a question about this article

GEN reports on the greening of the life sciences

Biopharmaceutical firms and other life science organizations are taking definitive steps toward creating greener working environments and developing more sustainable operations, reports Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News. This promising trend was made clear through a series of presentations and panel discussions that took place at GEN's "GreenBioPharma" conference, which was recently held in Philadelphia.

Ask a question about this article

Low grades in adolescence linked to dopamine genes

The academic performance of adolescents will suffer in at least one of four key subjects -- English, math, science, history -- if their DNA contains one or more of three specific dopamine gene variations, according to a study led by renowned biosocial criminologist Kevin M. Beaver of the Florida State University.

Ask a question about this article

Edible nanostructures

Sugar, salt, alcohol and a little serendipity led Northwestern University researchers to discover a new class of nanostructures that could be used for gas storage and food and medical technologies. And the compounds are edible. The porous crystals are the first known all-natural metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) that are simple to make. Most other MOFs are made from petroleum-based ingredients, but the Northwestern MOFs you can pop into your mouth and eat, and the researchers have.

Ask a question about this article

K-State research project offers insight into superstitious behavior

People who believe that fate and chance control their lives are more likely to be superstitious -- but when faced with death they are likely to abandon superstition altogether, according to a recent Kansas State University undergraduate research project.

Ask a question about this article

You say, 'bio-math,' I say, 'math-bio': Crossing science education divide

The old joke is a joke no more. In a special September issue of the ASCB's online journal, CBE-Life Sciences Education, the adage that biology is for science students who don't do math is laid to rest forever. "Bio-math" or "math-bio" is the future for students of both disciplines, say the contributors of seven essays and 17 research articles on new ways to integrate mathematical thinking into biology education and vice versa.

Ask a question about this article

Hormel Institute study reveals capsaicin can act as cocarcinogen

The September cover story of the nation's leading cancer journal, Cancer Research, features a new study from the Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, that links capsaicin, a component of chili peppers, to skin cancer.

Ask a question about this article

Biomedical research policy needed for therapies, economic growth, education and security

Bold and coordinated leadership at the federal level is essential to create secure, long-term, sustainable biomedical research funding policies based on strategic priorities, say the authors of a commentary about America's fledgling biomedical research framework published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association.

Ask a question about this article

Safety cultures in EMS agencies vary widely, Pitt study finds

A survey of emergency medical services agencies from across the country found wide variation in perceptions of workplace safety culture -- providing a tool that might point to potential patient safety threats, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Ask a question about this article

New climate change mitigation schemes could benefit elites rather than the rural poor

With governments across Latin America preparing to implement a new financial mechanism aimed at mitigating climate change by curbing carbon emissions from the destruction of tropical forests, experts gathering here today warned against a "one-size-fits-all" approach, calling instead for flexible, balanced solutions to the thorny dilemmas surrounding this new mechanism. Among the experts' chief worries is that the wealthy and powerful could capture many of the benefits, largely at the expense of rural communities, including indigenous groups.

Ask a question about this article

EMAS publishes position statements about the post-reproductive health of women

Statements, published in the journal Maturitas, cover the management of the menopause in the context of obesity, epilepsy, endometriosis and premature ovarian failure.

Ask a question about this article

Listening to ancient colors

A team of McGill chemists have discovered that a technique known as photoacoustic infrared spectroscopy could be used to identify the composition of pigments used in art work that is decades or even centuries old. Pigments give artist's materials color, and they emit sounds when light is shone on them.

Ask a question about this article

Connection between light at night and cancer revealed in additional study

The researchers say that their study results show that suppression of melatonin due to exposure to light at night, or LAN, is linked to the worrying rise in the number of cancer patients over the past few years.

Ask a question about this article

Ancient brew masters tapped antibiotic secrets

A chemical analysis of the bones of ancient Nubians shows that they were regularly consuming tetracycline, most likely in their beer. The finding is the strongest evidence yet that the art of making antibiotics, which officially dates to the discovery of penicillin in 1928, was common practice nearly 2,000 years ago. The Emory University study finds that it's likely this prehistoric population was using empirical evidence to develop therapeutic agents.

Ask a question about this article

Head start for migraine sufferers

For severe migraine sufferers, psychological treatments build on the benefits of drug therapy, according to a new study by Elizabeth Seng and Dr. Kenneth Holroyd from Ohio University in the US. Their comparison of the effects of various treatment combinations for severe migraine -- drug therapy with or without behavioral management -- shows that those patients receiving the behavioral management program alongside drug therapy are significantly more confident in their ability to use behavioral skills to effectively self-manage migraines.

Ask a question about this article

Bochum's researchers discover proton diode

Biophysicists in Bochum have discovered a diode for protons: just like the electronic component determines the direction of flow of electric current, the "proton diode" ensures that protons can only pass through a cell membrane in one direction. Water molecules play an important role here as active components of the diode.

Ask a question about this article

Scientists unwrap DNA packaging to gain insight into cells

Scientists have built a clearer picture of how lengthy strands of DNA are concertinaed when our cells grow and divide, in a discovery could help explain how cell renewal can go wrong.

Ask a question about this article

Roll-out of electronic patient records likely to be a long and complex process

Interim results from the first comprehensive evaluation of the implementation of electronic health records in secondary care in England have found delays and frustration with the system, according to research published on bmj.com today.

Ask a question about this article

Long term use of oral bisphosphonates may double risk of esophageal cancer

People who take oral bisphosphonates for bone disease over five years may be doubling their risk of developing esophageal cancer (cancer of the gullet), according to a new study published on bmj.com today.

Ask a question about this article

Recipe for water: Just add starlight

ESA's Herschel infrared space observatory has discovered that ultraviolet starlight is the key ingredient for making water in space. It is the only explanation for why a dying star is surrounded by a gigantic cloud of hot water vapor.

Ask a question about this article

Medicinal cannabis review highlights dilemmas facing health care professionals

Patients who use cannabis for medicinal purposes pose a wide range of legal, ethical and medical dilemmas for the health care professionals looking after them according to an in-depth review just published. The study also found extreme caution about integrating cannabis derivative medications into mainstream medical use.

Ask a question about this article

Image-based modeling of inhomogeneous single-scattering participating media

For inhomogeneous single-scattering participating media, we propose an image based modeling method, which includes the design of an easy-to-use participating media capture device and the use of a progressive refinement algorithm for a multiresolution volume with a graphics processing unit. Compared with previous methods, only a few captured images of participating media from different viewpoints are required in the construction of the media with high-frequency density details. Furthermore, our method does not need to simplify the radiative transfer equation.

Ask a question about this article

Effect of heat treatment on the superconducting properties of Ag-doped Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 compounds

The Key Laboratory of Applied Superconductivity, Institute of Electrical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, and China Research have collaborated to reveal the heat-treatment effects on the superconducting properties of Ag-doped Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 compounds. Because of its significant research value, the study is reported in issue 7 of Science in China: Physics, Mechanics & Astronomy.

Ask a question about this article

Dynamic memory mapping delivers additional flexibility to virtual resource management

The Department of Computer Science and Technology, Peking University, Beijing, China, has shown that a novel dynamic memory mapping model brings about additional flexibility to virtual resource management, leading to the feature-adjustable design of a virtual machine monitor. The study is reported in issue 53 of Science China Information Sciences.

Ask a question about this article

Miniature auto differential helps tiny aerial robots stay aloft

Engineers at Harvard University have created a millionth-scale automobile differential to govern the flight of minuscule aerial robots that could someday be used to probe environmental hazards, forest fires, and other places too perilous for people. Their new approach is the first to passively balance the aerodynamic forces encountered by these miniature flying devices, letting their wings flap asymmetrically in response to gusts of wind, wing damage, and other real-world impediments.

Ask a question about this article

Cluster turns the invisible into the visible

Cluster has spent a decade revealing previously hidden interactions between the sun and Earth. Its studies have uncovered secrets of aurora, solar storms, and given us insight into fundamental processes that occur across the universe. And there is more work to do.

Ask a question about this article

Human unconscious is transferred to virtual characters

Virtual characters can behave according to actions carried out unconsciously by humans. Researchers at the University of Barcelona have created a system which measures human physiological parameters, such as respiration or heart rate, and introduces them into computer designed characters in real time.

Ask a question about this article

Hip dysplasia susceptibility in dogs may be underreported, according to Penn Vet comparative study

A study comparing a University of Pennsylvania method for evaluating a dog's susceptibility to hip dysplasia to the traditional American method has shown that 80 percent of dogs judged to be normal by the traditional method are actually at risk for developing osteoarthritis and hip dysplasia, according to the Penn method.

Ask a question about this article

Lupus Research Institute-funded study points to increased risk for lupus in men

LRI-funded researcher Betty Tsao, Ph.D., at UCLA has discovered that humans -- males in particular -- with a variant form of the immune receptor gene "Toll Like Receptor 7" are at increased risk of developing the autoimmune disease lupus. This breakthrough finding offers renewed hope for developing more targeted treatments.

Ask a question about this article

Study challenges value of oxygen therapy in end-of-life care

Millions of patients with advanced disease in palliative care settings receive oxygen therapy to help them breathe more easily. But a new study from Duke University Medical Center says roughly half of them don't benefit from the intervention, and among those who do benefit, it doesn't make a bit of difference whether they get pure oxygen or just plain old room air -- both offer equal benefit.

Ask a question about this article

Ants take on Goliath role in protecting trees in the savanna from elephants

Ants are not out of their weight class when defending trees from the appetite of nature's heavyweight, the African elephant, a new University of Florida study finds.

Ask a question about this article

Models suggest treatments for fractures that won't heal

New models, reinforced by in vivo experimentation, show why 5-10 percent of bone fractures don't heal properly, and how these cases may be treated to restart the healing process. Results of the model, published Sept. 2 in the open-access journal PLoS Computational Biology, may benefit the ageing population in which the occurrence of bone fractures is expected to rise substantially in the near future.

Ask a question about this article

Protecting the lungs against 'collateral damage' from the immune system

A study published today in the journal Science shows how our bodies try to minimise potential 'collateral damage' caused by our immune system when fighting infection. The research may also provide new clues to why cigarette smoke is a significant risk factor for developing diseases of the lung such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

Ask a question about this article

Scientists discover the mechanisms and function of a type of mysterious immune cell

In two closely related studies, two teams of Scripps Research Institute scientists have discovered the underlying mechanisms that activate a type of immune cell in the skin and other organs. The findings may lead to the development of new therapies to treat inflammation, wounds, asthma and malignant tumors.

Ask a question about this article

Hubble observations of supernova reveal composition of 'star guts' pouring out

Observations made with NASA's newly refurbished Hubble Space Telescope of a nearby supernova are allowing astronomers to measure the velocity and composition of "star guts" being ejected into space following the explosion, according to a new study led by the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Ask a question about this article

16.6 million small business employees could benefit from ACA provisions starting this year

Under the Affordable Care Act, 16.6 million small business employees work in firms that will be eligible for tax credits, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report. The credits, designed to offset health insurance premium costs and help small businesses afford and maintain health insurance, are available in taxable years beginning in 2010. Researchers estimate that by 2013, 3.4 million workers may work in firms that take advantage of the tax credit.

Ask a question about this article

New discovery could pave the way for identification of rogue CFC release

A new discovery by scientists at the Universities of East Anglia and Frankfurt could make it possible in future to identify the source of banned CFCs that are probably still being released into the atmosphere. They have also discovered the largest chlorine isotope enrichment ever found in nature.

Ask a question about this article

IRCM researchers pave the way for a better understanding of HIV infection and AIDS

Dr. Eric A. Cohen, director of the human retrovirology research unit at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal, and his team published yesterday, in the online open-access journal PLos Pathogens, the results of their most recent research on the role of the Vpr protein in HIV infection and AIDS.

Ask a question about this article

Brainy worms: Evolution of the cerebral cortex

Unexpectedly, scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory have now discovered a true counterpart of the cerebral cortex in an invertebrate, a marine worm. Their findings, published today in Cell, give an idea of what the most ancient higher brain centers looked like, and what our distant ancestors used them for.

Ask a question about this article

Carlos '97 free kick no fluke, say French physicists

Roberto Carlos' free kick goal against France in 1997's Tournoi de France is thought by many to have been the most skillful free kick goal ever scored but by others to have been an incredible fluke. Now a group of French physicists have computed the trajectory and shown that Carlos' goal was no fluke.

Ask a question about this article

Risk of marijuana's 'gateway effect' overblown, new UNH research shows

New research from the University of New Hampshire shows that the "gateway effect" of marijuana -- that teenagers who use marijuana are more likely to move on to harder illicit drugs as young adults -- is overblown.

Ask a question about this article

Pivotal study finds link between PTSD and dementia

Results of a study reported in the September issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggest that Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have a greater risk for dementia than veterans without PTSD, even those who suffered traumatic injuries during combat.

Ask a question about this article

Serendipity contributes to MRSA susceptibility findings

Duke University Medical Center researchers have found two genes in mice which might help identify why some people are more susceptible than others to potentially deadly staph infections.

Ask a question about this article

Why fish oils work swimmingly against diabetes

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified the molecular mechanism that makes omega-3 fatty acids so effective in reducing chronic inflammation and insulin resistance.

Ask a question about this article

New warning signs may predict kidney transplant failure

Kidney transplants that show a combination of fibrosis (scarring) and inflammation after one year are at higher risk of long-term transplant failure, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Ask a question about this article

Study finds that cancer-causing gene crucial in stem cell development

A research team at the University of Georgia has shown for the first time that a gene called Myc, which is traditionally thought of as a cancer-causing gene, may be far more important in the development and persistence of stem cells than was known before.

Ask a question about this article

Team discovers new type of anti-malarial compound

An international team led by scientists from the Scripps Research Institute, the Swiss Tropical Institute, the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation and the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases has discovered a promising new drug candidate that represents a new class of drug to treat malaria. Clinical trials for the compound are planned for later this year.

Ask a question about this article

The secret to fish oil's anti-inflammatory properties

Fish oil is touted for its anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic benefits, but scientist weren't sure how the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil work. Now, according to a report in the Sept. 3 issue of the journal Cell, scientists have nailed how omega-3 fatty acids both shut down inflammation and reverse diabetes in obese mice.

Ask a question about this article

NIH-sponsored research yields promising malaria drug candidate

A chemical that rid mice of malaria-causing parasites after a single oral dose may eventually become a new malaria drug if further tests in animals and people uphold the promise of early findings. The compound, NITD609, was developed by an international team of researchers including Elizabeth A. Winzeler, Ph.D., a grantee of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

Ask a question about this article

MIT researcher finds that social networks influence health behaviors

in a new study, Damon Centola, an assistant professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management found that individuals are more likely to acquire new health practices while living in networks with dense clusters of connections -- that is, when in close contact with people they already know well.

Ask a question about this article

Chronic Lyme disease: How often is it diagnosed and treated?

The existence of chronic Lyme disease is an issue of sharp debate within the medical community. Many doctors are concerned with the potential dangers associated with the prolonged and intensive use of oral and intravenous antibiotics (the recommended treatment for chronic Lyme disease), such as blood clots and life threatening infections. A study soon to be published in the Journal of Pediatrics attempts to determine how often chronic Lyme disease is actually being diagnosed and treated.

Ask a question about this article

New method successfully predicted how oil from Deepwater Horizon spill would spread

Prompted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a UC Santa Barbara scientist has come up with a new way of predicting how contaminants like oil will spread. He was able to forecast several days in advance that oil from that spill would wash ashore in particular parts of the Gulf of Mexico.

Ask a question about this article

Science's policy clout diminished, but oil risk looms large

More people are likely to believe scientific studies claiming that oil drilling is riskier, not safer, than was previously thought, according to a new study of attitudes in California. What's more the findings, which appear in the journal Public Understanding of Science, published by SAGE, show that scientists' efforts to influence public opinion have a limited effect.

Ask a question about this article

Occurrence of increased kidney transplant listings in patients with prior non-kidney transplants

Individuals who received a non-kidney organ transplant in the past may be more likely to be listed for a kidney transplant prior to initiation of dialysis (preemptive listing) than other candidates, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology. The results indicate that the growth in the numbers of this group of kidney transplant candidates adds to the list of organ allocation challenges.

Ask a question about this article

New guidelines to ease sleepless nights

Insomnia and other sleep disorders are very common, yet are not generally well understood by doctors and other health care professionals. Now the British Association for Psychopharmacology has released up-to-the-minute guidelines in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, published by SAGE, to guide psychiatrists and physicians caring for those with sleep problems.

Ask a question about this article

'Basal-like' breast cancer does not originate from basal stem cells

New research uncovers a case of mistaken identity that may have a significant impact on future breast cancer prevention and treatment strategies. The study, published by Cell Press in the Sept. 3 issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, suggests that despite their "stem cell-like" characteristics, most aggressive breast tumors are not derived from normal mammary gland stem cells.

Ask a question about this article

Functional motor neuron subtypes generated from embryonic stem cells

Scientists have devised a method for coaxing mouse embryonic stem cells into forming a highly specific motor neuron subtype. The research, published by Cell Press in the Sept. 3 issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, provides new insight into motor neuron differentiation and may prove useful for devising and testing future therapies for motor neuron diseases.

Ask a question about this article

Tiny ant bodyguards keep massive elephants at bay

Sometimes size really doesn't matter. A new report published online on Sept. 2 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, shows that puny ants can be the best defense against hulking elephants. Without their insect bodyguards, acacia trees in areas that are heavily trafficked by elephants simply get pummeled.

Ask a question about this article

Astro2010: Limitless vistas on a limited budget

Following the release of the National Research Council's Astronomy and Astrophysics decadal survey, survey chair Roger Blandford and committee member Michael Turner discuss Astro2010, as well as the current and future directions of their fields.

Ask a question about this article

Water in Earth's mantle key to survival of oldest continents

Earth today is one of the most active planets in the Solar System, and was probably even more so during the early stages of its life. Thanks to the plate tectonics that continue to shape our planet's surface, remnants of crust from Earth's formative years are rare, but not impossible to find. A paper published in Nature Sept. 2 examines how some ancient rocks have resisted being recycled into Earth's convecting interior.

Ask a question about this article

Caltech mineral physicists find new scenery at Earth's core-mantle boundary

Using a diamond-anvil cell to recreate the high pressures deep within the earth, researchers at the California Institute of Technology have found unusual properties in an iron-rich magnesium- and iron-oxide mineral that may explain the existence of several ultra-low velocity zones at the core-mantle boundary. A paper about their findings was published in a recent issue of Geophysical Research Letters.

Ask a question about this article

Researchers create new class of piezoelectric logic devices using zinc oxide nanowires

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new class of electronic logic device in which current is switched by an electric field generated by the application of mechanical strain to zinc oxide nanowires.

Ask a question about this article

Scientists find organic farms have higher quality fruit, better soil, lower environmental impact

Side-by-side comparisons of organic and conventional strawberry farms and their fruit found the organic farms produced more flavorful and nutritious berries while leaving the soil healthier and more genetically diverse.

Ask a question about this article

U-M researchers receive largest single collection of psoriasis DNA samples

Millions of Americans struggling with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are one step closer to a cure with the release of the first National Psoriasis Victor Henschel BioBank DNA samples for use in research at the University of Michigan Health System; research that hopes to uncover the unknowns about the genetics of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

Ask a question about this article

Neonatal intensive care units critical to infant survival

Very low birthweight and very preterm infants are more likely to die if they are not born at hospitals with neonatal intensive care units specially equipped to care for them. Women with high risk pregnancies are encouraged to talk with their health care provider about the care their baby may need after birth and where they should deliver so their newborn can receive that care.

Ask a question about this article

Saundra McGuire co-authors article with Nobel Laureate Roald Hoffmann

LSU's Saundra McGuire, assistant vice chancellor for learning and teaching in LSU's Division of Student Life and Enrollment Services, recently co-authored an American Scientist article with Nobel Laureate in Chemistry Roald Hoffmann. The article, "Learning and Teaching Strategies," describes six learning and six teaching strategies using the authors' collective experiences as well as advances in cognitive psychology.

Ask a question about this article

A single interaction affects the way a child seeks information, Queen's University study finds

Seven-year-old children only need to interact with a person once to learn who to trust and seek information from, according to a study by Queen's University researchers."It shows that kids really pay attention to people's accuracy and they don't forget it, even after interacting with that person one time," says psychology professor Stanka Fitneva, who conducted the study with graduate student Kristen Dunfield.

Ask a question about this article

Stopping smoking cessation treatments too soon may reduce odds of success for 45 percent of smokers

Quit rates may be significantly increased by just continuing cessation treatments without interruption for patients who remain motivated to quit despite lack of success during the first eight weeks of treatment.

Ask a question about this article

Infrared NASA image shows strong convection in new Atlantic Depression 9

The Atlantic Ocean is in overdrive this week, and NASA satellite imagery captured the birth of the ninth tropical depression in the central Atlantic Ocean today, trailing to the east of Tropical Storm Fiona.

Ask a question about this article

New process promises to revolutionize manufacturing of products

A new "smart materials" process -- Multiple Memory Material Technology -- developed by University of Waterloo engineering researchers promises to revolutionize the manufacture of diverse products such as medical devices, microelectromechanical systems, printers, hard drives, automotive components, valves and actuators. The breakthrough technology will provide engineers with much more freedom and creativity by enabling far greater functionality to be incorporated into medical devices such as stents, braces and hearing aids than is currently possible.

Ask a question about this article

NASA and NOAA's newest GOES satellite ready for action

NASA and NOAA's latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-15, has successfully completed five months of on-orbit testing and has been accepted into service. The satellite has demonstrated operational readiness of its subsystems, spacecraft instruments and communications services. GOES-15 is the third and final spacecraft in the GOES N-P Series of geostationary environmental weather satellites.

Ask a question about this article

Hurricane warnings posted on US East Coast, NASA sees Earl's heavy rainfall

NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, or TRMM satellite, looked at the rate rain was falling in Hurricane Earl yesterday, and it was intense.

Ask a question about this article

NASA infrared data sees convection building in Fiona's clouds

Infrared satellite imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite showed some strong convection building in Tropical Storm Fiona, and her maximum sustained winds increased from 40 mph yesterday to 60 mph this morning.

Ask a question about this article

Resource-savvy communities generate healthy, sustainable changes

As the nation becomes more aware of health issues related to nutrition and lifestyle choices, communities are struggling to find ways to make healthy living easier. The University of Missouri is helping communities turn healthy ideas into sustainable changes through the Healthy Lifestyle Initiative. The initiative, underway at 13 sites in 12 Missouri counties, is aimed at changing environments to increase the availability of affordable, locally produced foods and access to safe physical activities.

Ask a question about this article

Third generation map of human genetic variation published

An international consortium today published a third-generation map of human genetic variation, called the HapMap, which includes data from an additional seven global populations, increasing the total number to 11 populations.

Ask a question about this article

A model system for group behavior of nanomachines

As reported in the journal Nature, a team of physicists from Technische Universitaet Muenchen and LMU Muenchen has developed a versatile biophysical model system that opens the door to studying phenomena such as the seemingly choreographed motion of hundreds or thousands of fish, birds or insects, and probing their underlying principles. Using a combination of an experimental platform and theoretical models, more complex systems can now be described and their properties investigated.

Ask a question about this article

Targeted strategies needed to find, prevent and treat breast cancer among Mexican-origin women

Specific prevention and education strategies are needed to address breast cancer in Mexican-origin women in this country, according to a study at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, which was published online in the journal Cancer.

Ask a question about this article

Airline passengers in developing countries face 13 times crash risk as US: INFORMS study

Passengers who fly in developing world countries face 13 times the risk of being killed in an air accident as passengers in the First World. The more economically advanced countries in the developing world have better overall safety records than the others, but even their death risk per flight is seven times as high as that in First World countries.

Ask a question about this article

Cranberry juice shows promise blocking Staph infections

Expanding their scope of study on the mechanisms of bacterial infection, researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute have reported the surprise finding from a small clinical study that cranberry juice cocktail blocked a strain of Staphylococcus aureus from beginning the process of infection. The data was reported in a poster presentation at the American Chemical Society's recent national meeting by Terri Camesano, professor of chemical engineering at WPI.

Ask a question about this article

Getting a tail up on conservation?

Dr. Shai Meiri of Tel Aviv University's Department of Zoology has developed an improved tool for translating lizard body lengths to weights. Dr. Meiri's new equations calculate this valuable morphological feature to estimate the weight of a lizard species in a variety of different ecosystems.

Ask a question about this article

New study singles out factors linked to cognitive deficits in type 2 diabetes

Older adults with diabetes who have high blood pressure, walk slowly or lose their balance, or believe they're in bad health, are significantly more likely to have weaker memory and slower, more rigid cognitive processing than those without these problems, according to a new study published by the American Psychological Association.

Ask a question about this article

Cold Spring Harbor Protocols features chromosomal rearrangement, gene copy number methods

Two freely accessible methods from the September 2010 issue of Cold Spring Harbor Protocols can be used to probe the genetic basis of cancer.

Ask a question about this article

Capacity for exercise can be inherited, UC Riverside biologists find

Biologists at the University of California, Riverside, have found that voluntary activity, such as daily exercise, is a highly heritable trait that can be passed down genetically to successive generations. Working on mice in the lab, they found that activity level can be enhanced with selective breeding. Their experiments showed that mice that were bred to be high runners produced high-running offspring, indicating that the offspring had inherited the trait for activity.

Ask a question about this article

Email News Article to Friend

Know someone that can answer a question about one of these articles or would benefit from reading them?

Your Email Address:       Your Friend's Email Address:

Ask an AOLBuddy
Or
Open an AIM chatroom to discuss

The KnowBrainers.com site and services are provided "as is" with no warranty. No representations are made in regard to the qualification of respondents. The content provided by KnowBrainers is for general information and is not intended to substitute for informed professional advice and do not in any way establish a professional-client relationship. KnowBrainers is not intended to address emergency situations which should be directed immediately to qualified local professionals.