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| 'Autonomous' Helicopters Teach Themselves To Fly Posted: 03 Sep 2008 01:00 PM CDT Stanford computer scientists have developed an artificial intelligence system that enables robotic helicopters to teach themselves to fly difficult stunts by watching other helicopters. The result is an autonomous helicopter than can perform a complete airshow of complex tricks on its own. The airshow is an important demonstration of "apprenticeship learning," in which robots learn by observing an expert, rather than by having software engineers write instructions from scratch. |
| Battling Diabetes With Beta Cells Posted: 03 Sep 2008 01:00 PM CDT Scientists have replicated insulin-producing cells, providing new hope for diabetics. A new cure -- based on advances in cell therapy -- may be within reach. |
| Heavy Trucks: Safety Research Identifies Factors That Lead To Loss Of Control, Accidents Posted: 03 Sep 2008 01:00 PM CDT Research carried out in Sweden suggests that there are three critical manoeuvres that lead to loss of control of heavy trucks and subsequent accidents. Writing in the International Journal of Vehicle Safety, the researchers explain that negotiating a bend is the main cause of loss of control, closely followed by avoidance manoeuvres, and road-edge recovery. |
| First Direct Proof Of How Osteoarthritis Destroys Cartilage Posted: 03 Sep 2008 01:00 PM CDT A team of orthopaedic researchers has found definitive, genetic proof of how the most common form of arthritis destroys joint cartilage in nearly 21 million aging Americans, according to a study in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. The findings serve as an important foundation for the design of new treatments for osteoarthritis, researchers said. |
| Directing A Driver's Gaze Results In Smoother Steering Posted: 03 Sep 2008 01:00 PM CDT A study recently published in ARVO's online Journal of Vision may inform the next generation of in-car driving assistance systems. New research finds that when drivers fix their gaze on specific targets placed strategically along a curve, their steering is smoother and more stable than it is in normal conditions. |
| Playing, And Even Watching, Sports Improves Brain Function Posted: 03 Sep 2008 01:00 PM CDT Being an athlete or merely a fan improves language skills when it comes to discussing their sport because parts of the brain usually involved in playing sports are instead used to understand sport language, new research shows. |
| Oldest Gecko Fossil Ever Found, Entombed In Amber Posted: 03 Sep 2008 10:00 AM CDT Scientists have discovered the oldest known fossil of a gecko, with body parts that are forever preserved in life-like form after 100 million years of being entombed in amber. |
| New Hope For Treating Common Form Of Inherited Neuromuscular Disease Posted: 03 Sep 2008 10:00 AM CDT Treatments that ramp up production of the tiny "motors" that power cells may have promise for treating one of the most common forms of inherited neuromuscular disease, according to a new report. |
| Trends For Mega Cities Like Seoul Posted: 03 Sep 2008 10:00 AM CDT Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is a typical mega city: vast, pulsating, noisy and full of exhaust fumes. Researchers are developing new building concepts and IT solutions that will save energy, cut pollution and make living in the city a more pleasant experience. |
| How Gastric Bypass Rapidly Reverses Diabetes Symptoms Posted: 03 Sep 2008 10:00 AM CDT A report offers new evidence to explain why those who undergo gastric bypass surgery often show greater control of their diabetes symptoms within days. |
| How Friendly Bacteria Avoids Immune Attack To Live Happily In The Gut Posted: 03 Sep 2008 10:00 AM CDT For a long time scientists have been puzzled by the fact that the immune system in the gut is capable of fighting toxic bacterial infection while staying, at the same time, tolerant to its resident "friendly" bacteria. But a new article has starting to explain the mystery by revealing how a recently discovered gene - pims – is activated by the gut immune response against friendly bacteria to rapidly suppress it, effectively creating tolerance to the gut microbiota. |
| Value Of Direct-to-consumer Drug Advertising Oversold, Study Finds Posted: 03 Sep 2008 10:00 AM CDT In the first-ever controlled study measuring the effectiveness of pharmaceutical direct-to-consumer advertising, researchers found only a modest effect on drug sales. In some cases, DTCA had no effect at all. |
| Scientists Grow 'Nanonets' Able To Snare Added Energy Transfer Posted: 03 Sep 2008 07:00 AM CDT Adding to the growing list of novel nanoscale structures, researchers report engineering nanonets, flexible webs of tiny wires that improve the performance of their materials, which are used in microelectronics and clean energy research. The new structure improves material used in microelectronics and water-splitting. |
| Shot In The Arm For Sumatran Elephants And Tigers Posted: 03 Sep 2008 07:00 AM CDT The Indonesian government is to double the size of a national park that is one of the last havens for endangered Sumatran elephants and tigers. |
| How First Autism Disease Genes Were Discovered Posted: 03 Sep 2008 07:00 AM CDT Scientists have presented the compelling neurobiological story of discovering the first autism genes. The role of gene mutations, their association with synapse abnormalities, and -- surprisingly -- a connection between circadian rhythms and autism risk was discussed at a recent conference. |
| Posted: 03 Sep 2008 07:00 AM CDT Researchers have developed a system that eliminates the need for antibiotics and resistance genes in the engineering of industrial and medical products. The method involves safer, less costly alternatives and is well suited for industrial production of many biofuels and biopharmaceuticals. |
| Why Strawberry Jam Is More Regulated Than Cigarettes Posted: 03 Sep 2008 07:00 AM CDT While jams and other consumer products are strictly regulated and are required to pass stringent tests before they can be sold, tobacco has no restrictions and manufacturers can, and do, add anything they want into the product. |
| Black-footed Ferrets Sired By Dead Males Via Frozen Sperm Posted: 03 Sep 2008 04:00 AM CDT Two black-footed ferrets at the Smithsonian's National Zoo have each given birth to a kit that was sired by males who died in 1999 and 2000. These endangered ferrets were artificially inseminated in May with frozen semen from the two deceased males, each giving birth on June 20 and 21 respectively. Successful inseminations with frozen semen are extremely rare -- until now only three black-footed ferret kits have been born from this method. |
| Babies' Rapid Weight Gain Linked To Higher Blood Pressure As Adults Posted: 03 Sep 2008 04:00 AM CDT Babies who gain weight rapidly within five months of birth and from about ages 2 to 5 years have higher systolic blood pressure in young adulthood. Babies that are lighter at birth have higher systolic blood pressure as adults. Immediate weight gain after birth is associated with higher diastolic blood pressure as adults. |
| Researchers Develop New Technique For Fabricating Nanowire Circuits Posted: 03 Sep 2008 04:00 AM CDT Applied scientists have developed a new technique for fabricating nanowire photonic and electronic integrated circuits that may one day be suitable for high-volume commercial production. |
| Brain Imaging Links Chronic Insomnia To Reversible Cognitive Deficits Without Changes In Behavior Posted: 03 Sep 2008 04:00 AM CDT A neuroimaging study has found that cognitive processes related to verbal fluency are compromised in people with insomnia despite the absence of a behavioral deficit. These specific brain function alterations can be reversed, however, through non-pharmacological treatment with sleep therapy. |
| New Methods To Protect Wind Generators During Voltage Dips Developed Posted: 03 Sep 2008 04:00 AM CDT A young researcher has put forward two protection techniques so that wind generators continue to be operative despite breaks in electricity supply. |
| Risks And Benefits Of Antipsychotics In Children And Adolescents Posted: 03 Sep 2008 04:00 AM CDT New research illuminates the benefits and risks of antipsychotic medication in children and its impact on individual well-being, social, educational and/or vocational functioning, and disease burden. Scientists have pointed out the challenges that clinicians encounter in treating children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders, and discuss the requirements for starting antipsychotic treatment in clinical practice. |
| Thousand-ruby Galaxy: Pinwheel Shines In The Darkness Posted: 03 Sep 2008 01:00 AM CDT ESO's Wide Field Imager has captured the intricate swirls of the spiral galaxy Messier 83, a smaller look-alike of our own Milky Way. Shining with the light of billions of stars and the ruby red glow of hydrogen gas, it is a beautiful example of a barred spiral galaxy, whose shape has led to it being nicknamed the Southern Pinwheel. |
| Gene 'Network' Linked To Schizophrenia Pieced Together; Patients Confirmed To Carry Mutations Posted: 03 Sep 2008 01:00 AM CDT Researchers have uncovered for the first time molecular circuitry associated with schizophrenia that links three previously known, yet unrelated proteins. |
| Baltic States Failing To Protect Most Damaged Sea Posted: 03 Sep 2008 01:00 AM CDT Nine Baltic sea states all scored failing grades in an annual WWF evaluation of their performance in protecting and restoring the world's most damaged sea. |
| Periodic Limb Movement During Sleep Is Less Common In African-Americans; Associated With Insomnia Posted: 03 Sep 2008 01:00 AM CDT A study in the Sept. 1 issue of the journal Sleep is the first to objectively determine the prevalence of periodic limb movements during sleep in a population-based sample, finding a lower prevalence of PLMS in African-Americans and a higher rate of insomnia complaints in people with PLMS. |
| Nuclear Shortcuts Exposed In U.S. Nuclear Fuel Facility Posted: 03 Sep 2008 01:00 AM CDT US regulators have ignored expert safety advice in an attempt to cut corners and fast track the completion of a $4 billion nuclear fuel facility currently under construction near Aiken, South Carolina. The accusation is reported in The Chemical Engineer magazine, published by the Institution of Chemical Engineers. |
| Bowling Alone Because The Team Got Downsized Posted: 03 Sep 2008 01:00 AM CDT The pain of downsizing extends far beyond laid off workers and the people who depend on their paychecks, according to a new study. |
| Artificial Meadows And Robot Spiders Reveal Secret Life Of Bees Posted: 02 Sep 2008 11:00 PM CDT Many animals learn to avoid being eaten by predators. Now ecologists have discovered that bumblebees can even learn to outwit color-changing crab spiders. The ongoing battle between predators and prey has fascinated ecologists for decades, and one Queen Mary, University of London professor is no exception. But instead of studying iconic predators such as lions or tigers, his interests lie closer to home with bumblebees and crab spiders. |
| Ecologists Search For Invasive Ladybird’s Weak Spot Posted: 02 Sep 2008 11:00 PM CDT Ecologists have discovered that – as well as being larger, hungrier and more aggressive than most British native ladybirds - the invasive alien harlequin ladybird is also more resistant to fungal disease and a parasitic wasp, two common natural enemies of native ladybirds. |
| Scientists Develop New Computational Method To Investigate Origin Of Life Posted: 02 Sep 2008 10:00 PM CDT Scientists have developed a new computational method that they say will help them to understand how life began on Earth. The method has the potential to trace the evolutionary histories of proteins all the way back to either cells or viruses, thus settling the debate once and for all over which of these life forms came first. |
| Vaginal Proteins In HIV-resistant Prostitutes Suggest New Prevention Measures Posted: 02 Sep 2008 10:00 PM CDT Researchers in Canada report discovery of unusual proteins in a small group of Kenyan sex workers that appear to be associated with resistance to infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. |
| Slowing Ships To Protect North Atlantic Right Whales Posted: 02 Sep 2008 10:00 PM CDT NOAA's Fisheries Service is seeking comment on the final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Ship Strike Reduction Rule, which aims to reduce the number of endangered North Atlantic right whales injured or killed by collisions with large ships. |
| Heavy Snoring Is An Independent Risk Factor For Carotid Atherosclerosis Posted: 02 Sep 2008 10:00 PM CDT Objectively measured heavy snoring is an independent risk factor for early carotid atherosclerosis, which may progress to be associated with stroke. The prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis, a leading cause of stroke, increases significantly with the severity of snoring. |
| Why Did The Squirrel Cross The Road? Posted: 02 Sep 2008 10:00 PM CDT A study has shown that red squirrels can and do make use of special crossings set up over busy roads. This kind of bridge is usually installed at sites where there have been fatalities recorded but up until now no-one has collected any data to show whether or not they are actually used by the animals. |
| Neurogenesis In Adult Brain: Association With Stress And Depression Posted: 02 Sep 2008 10:00 PM CDT Scientist have presented the latest findings on how brain cells can be adversely affected by stress and depression. They have explained how the adult brain is generating new cells. These findings will impact the development of novel antidepressant drugs. |
| Person's Geographic Origins Located From DNA Posted: 02 Sep 2008 07:00 PM CDT One day soon, you may be able to pinpoint the geographic origins of your ancestors based on analysis of your DNA. New research uses DNA to predict the geographic origins of individuals from a sample of Europeans, often within a few hundred kilometers of where they were born. |
| New Sensory Devices To Aid Parkinson’s And Stroke Patients Under Development Posted: 02 Sep 2008 07:00 PM CDT People who have suffered a stroke or who have been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, could benefit from new research. |
| More Than 150,000 Species Of Flies, Gnats, Maggots, Midges, Mosquitoes Documented In Database Posted: 02 Sep 2008 07:00 PM CDT Distinguishing between insect pests and partners starts with an ironclad identification. Entomologists have now prepared a database with information to accurately identify and name almost 157,000 flies, gnats, maggots, midges, mosquitoes and related species in the order Diptera. |
| All Types Of Antipsychotic Drugs Increase The Risk Of Stroke, Study Finds Posted: 02 Sep 2008 07:00 PM CDT All drugs used to treat psychosis are linked to an increased risk of stroke, and dementia sufferers are at double the risk, according to a study published on bmj.com today. |
| Dashing Computer Interface To Control Your Car Posted: 02 Sep 2008 07:00 PM CDT Researchers have developed a special dashboard computer to act as a single conduit for all devices emerging in modern cars – GPS, mobile, PDAs, intelligent car technologies. It should mean a better, more relaxed and even safer driving experience. |
| More Daytime Sleeping Predicts Less Recovery During Rehabilitation For Older Adults Posted: 02 Sep 2008 07:00 PM CDT Daytime sleeping during a rehabilitation stay predicts less functional recovery for older adults, with effects lasting as long as three months. |
| Infidelity Gene? Genetic Link To Relationship Difficulties Found Posted: 02 Sep 2008 04:00 PM CDT Scientists have found a link between a specific gene and the way men bond to their partners. The results offer a better understanding of such problems as autism and social phobia. |
| B-vitamin Deficiency May Cause Vascular Cognitive Impairment Posted: 02 Sep 2008 04:00 PM CDT A B-vitamin-deficient diet caused cognitive impairment and cerebral vascular changes without evidence of neurodegeneration in mice. These findings provide new insight into the mechanisms that may underlie human age-related cognitive decline. |
| 'Fingerprinting' Helps Make Great Grapes Posted: 02 Sep 2008 04:00 PM CDT At about this time next year, nearly all of the 2,800 wild, rare and domesticated grapes in a unique northern California genebank will have had their "genetic profile" or "fingerprint" taken. |
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