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| New Nano Satellite Mission To Examine Link Between Lightning And Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes Posted: 22 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST Massive energy releases occur every day in the upper reaches of Earth's atmosphere. Lightning may give rise to these bursts of radiation. However, unlike the well-known flashes of light and peals of thunder familiar to Earth-dwellers, these energy releases are channeled upward and can be detected only from space. Our atmosphere protects us from the effects of this radiation, but the mechanisms at work can impact Earth's upper atmosphere and its space environment.  |
| Blood Component That Turns Anthrax Bacteria Virulent Identified Posted: 22 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST Scientists have discovered the key chemical that signals Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax, to become lethal. This finding opens up new avenues of exploration for the development of treatments for bacterial infections.  |
| Is A Stradivarius Violin Better Than Other Violins? Posted: 22 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST Some sell for more than $3.5 million. Only 700 of them exist, and they're stored in vaults, frequently stolen and often counterfeited. The object in question? Stradivarius violins, constructed by famed Italian instrument-maker Antonio Stradivari between 1680 and 1720. Treasured for possessing sublime acoustic properties, these rare instruments have spawned dozens of theories attempting to explain their legendary tone, and luthiers, makers of stringed instruments, are still trying to reproduce it. The question remains: Are Stradivarius violins worth all the fuss?  |
| Posted: 22 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST Women who are found to have isolated breast cancer cells upon sentinel lymph node biopsy have a risk of having metastases in other lymph nodes.  |
| Snow In The Arctic: An Ingredient In A Surprising Chemical Cocktail Posted: 22 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST In the Arctic in spring, the snow cover gives off nitrogen oxides. This phenomenon, the extent of which had not been previously realized, is the source of one third of the nitrates present in the Arctic atmosphere, according to researchers. Scientists made a quantitative study of the origin and evolution of nitrogen compounds in the Arctic atmosphere, in order to understand their environmental impact on this region.  |
| Crafting Your Image For Your 1,000 Friends On Facebook Or MySpace Posted: 22 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST Students are creating idealized versions of themselves on social networking websites -- Facebook and MySpace are the most popular -- and using these sites to explore their emerging identities, psychologists report. Parents often understand very little about this phenomenon, they say.  |
| Forgotten But Not Gone: How The Brain Re-learns Posted: 22 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST Thanks to our ability to learn and to remember, we can perform tasks that other living things can not even dream of. However, we are only just beginning to get the gist of what really goes on in the brain when it learns or forgets something. What we do know is that changes in the contacts between nerve cells play an important role. But can these structural changes account for that well-known phenomenon that it is much easier to re-learn something that was forgotten than to learn something completely new?  |
| Widely Used Cancer Drug Associated With Significantly Increased Risk Of Blood Clots Posted: 22 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST The use of the cancer drug bevacizumab is associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (blood clots in the deep veins of the legs or in the lungs), according to a new article.  |
| Evolution Of The Visual System Is Key To Abstract Art Posted: 22 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST Famous works of abstract art achieve popularity by using shapes that resonate with the neural mechanisms in the brain linked to visual information, a psychologist has discovered.  |
| Increased Nonfasting Triglyceride Levels Associated With Higher Risk Of Stroke Posted: 22 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST Elevated nonfasting triglyceride levels, previously associated with an increased risk for heart attack, also appear to be associated with an increased risk for ischemic stroke.  |
| Methanization On The Farm: Integrating Nitrogen Treatment Posted: 22 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST In Rennes, studies are being conducted to combine livestock liquid manure methanization processes with a biological nitrogen removal process. The expected benefits are measured in terms of energy savings and preservation of river water quality.  |
| Oh, What A Feeling! Regaining Ability To Interpret Emotions After Severe Brain Injury Posted: 22 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST People who have lost the ability to interpret emotion after a severe brain injury can regain this vital social skill by being re-educated to read body language, facial expressions and voice tone in others, according to a new study.  |
| 'Powerhouses' From Living Cells -- Mitochondria -- Power New Explosives Detector Posted: 22 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST Researchers in Missouri have borrowed the technology that living cells use to produce energy to develop a tiny, self-powered sensor for rapid detection of hidden explosives. The experimental sensor, about the size of a postage stamp, represents the first of its kind to be powered by mitochondria, the microscopic "powerhouses" that provide energy to living cells, the researchers say.  |
| Does Growth Hormone Drug Slow Alzheimer's Disease? Posted: 22 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST A new study shows that a drug that increases the release of growth hormone failed to slow the rate of progression of Alzheimer's disease in humans.  |
| Burying Greenhouse Gases: New Tool Could Aid Safe Underground Storage Of Carbon Dioxide Posted: 22 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST To prevent global warming, researchers and policymakers are exploring a variety of options to significantly cut the amount of carbon dioxide that reaches the atmosphere. One possible approach involves capturing greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide at the source, then injecting them underground. Now engineers have come up with a new software tool to determine how much carbon dioxide can be sequestered safely in geological formations.  |
| Calcium Plus Vitamin D Supplementation Is Not Associated With A Reduced Breast Cancer Risk Posted: 22 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST Taking calcium and vitamin D supplements does not reduce breast cancer incidence in postmenopausal women, according to data from a randomized, doubled-blind, placebo-controlled trial published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.  |
| Identifying Invasive Australian Pine Trees In Florida Posted: 22 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST Invasive Australian pines that crowd out native plants in Florida present a particular conundrum. In the Sunshine State, it can be very difficult to tell the look-alike Casuarina species and subspecies from one another.  |
| Race Guides Neighborhood Evaluation, Study Says Posted: 22 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST Race is a powerful determinant of how whites regard a neighborhood, according to a recent study. The investigation indicates that neighborhood evaluations are socially constructed and contribute to ongoing racial segregation.  |
| Iconic Rings And Flares Of Galaxies Created By Violent, Intergalactic Collisions Posted: 21 Nov 2008 08:00 PM PST The bright pinwheels and broad star sweeps iconic of disk galaxies such as the Milky Way might all be the shrapnel from massive, violent collisions with other galaxies and galaxy-size chunks of dark matter. New findings challenge a longstanding theory.  |
| New Cause Of Fatal Brain Injury From Acute Viral Meningitis Posted: 21 Nov 2008 08:00 PM PST What was once thought to be the culprit responsible for fatal brain damage in acute viral meningitis has now been found to be only an accomplice, say researchers at the Scripps Research Institute.  |
| Urgent Action On International Coral Reef Crisis Urged Posted: 21 Nov 2008 08:00 PM PST Coral reef scientists and policy makers from the world's most prominent coral reef nations are meeting in Australia this week to develop urgent action plans to rescue the world's richest center of marine biodiversity from gradual decline.  |
| Visual Impairment: Promising Treatment For Anti-VEGF And Retinopathy Of Prematurity Described Posted: 21 Nov 2008 08:00 PM PST A clinical study offers a promising new treatment for retinopathy of prematurity. ROP is often difficult to resolve using current treatments and can result in permanent, severe visual impairment in premature infants when treatment is unsuccessful. ROP encompasses a series of damaging changes in the retina, the area at the back of the eye that relays images to the brain's visual center.  |
| DVR Fast-forwarding May Not Be Fatal To TV Advertising Posted: 21 Nov 2008 08:00 PM PST With the advent of digital video recorders and products like TiVo, viewers can fast-forward past commercials while playing back their favorite shows. Researchers found that viewers can retain valuable brand information even from an ad glimpsed for a fraction of its actual length. However, they also found that ads with brand information located on the periphery of the TV screen are of virtually no value.  |
| Non-white Med Students Reject Therapies Associated With Their Culture, Study Finds Posted: 21 Nov 2008 08:00 PM PST Non-white medical students are more likely to embrace orthodox medicine and reject therapies traditionally associated with their cultures. That is one finding from an international study that measures the attitudes of medical students toward complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). While seemingly counter-intuitive, white students view CAM more favorably than their non-white counterparts, the study authors say.  |
| Children Of Centenarians Live Longer, Have Lower Risk Of Heart Disease, Stroke, Diabetes Posted: 21 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST Centenarian offspring (children of parents who lived to be at least 97 years old) retain important cardiovascular advantages from their parents compared to a similarly-aged cohort.  |
| Research Finds Way To Double Rice Crops In Drought-stricken Areas Posted: 21 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST New research has yielded a way to double the output of rice crops in some of the world's poorest, most distressed areas.  |
| Calorie Restriction And Exercise Show Breast Cancer Prevention Differences In Postmenopausal Women Posted: 21 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST Scientists have identified pathways by which a reduced-calorie diet and exercise can modify a postmenopausal woman's risk of breast cancer.  |
| New Method For Tracing Metal Pollution Back To Its Sources Posted: 21 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST A new way of pinpointing where zinc pollution in the atmosphere comes from could improve pollution monitoring and regulation, according to new research.  |
| Uncertainty Can Be More Stressful Than Clear Negative Feedback Posted: 21 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST We are faced with uncertainty every day. Will our investments pay off? Will we get the promotions we are hoping for? When faced with the unknown, most people experience some degree of anxiety and discomfort. Exactly how much anxiety someone experiences during uncertain times depends on his or her personality profile.  |
| Beta Pictoris Planet Finally Imaged? Posted: 21 Nov 2008 02:00 PM PST A team of French astronomers have discovered an object located very close to the star Beta Pictoris, and which apparently lies inside its disc. With a projected distance from the star of only 8 times the Earth-Sun distance, this object is most likely the giant planet suspected from the peculiar shape of the disc and the previously observed infall of comets onto the star. It would then be the first image of a planet that is as close to its host star as Saturn is to the Sun.  |
| Simple Blood Test For Colon Cancer: New Early-warning Test Detects Polyps Before Cancer Sets In Posted: 21 Nov 2008 02:00 PM PST Researchers in Israel have developed a simple early-warning test that can detect colon cancer in the blood. Using biomarkers, it is the first test on the market that can detect cells of colon polyps the precursors to colon cancer in the blood, with a very high degree of sensitivity and accuracy.  |
| Converting Sunlight Into Electricity: European Project Breaks Efficiency Record Posted: 21 Nov 2008 02:00 PM PST Scientists have developed photovoltaic multi-junction solar cells which are able to convert 39.7% of the energy of sun light into electricity. This is the highest percentage ever reached in Europe, according to researchers.  |
| Male Birth Defect Associated With Certain Genetic Mutations, Study Finds Posted: 21 Nov 2008 02:00 PM PST A small percentage of males born with cryptorchidism (failure of one or both testicles to descend into the scrotum), the most frequent congenital birth defect in male children, are more likely to have genetic mutations, including for a syndrome that is a common genetic cause of infertility, according to new study.  |
| Quantum Computers Could Excel In Modeling Chemical Reactions Posted: 21 Nov 2008 02:00 PM PST Quantum computers would likely outperform conventional computers in simulating chemical reactions involving more than four atoms, according to scientists. Such improved ability to model and predict complex chemical reactions could revolutionize drug design and materials science, among other fields.  |
| Research Sheds Light On Benefits Of Multiple Mates Posted: 21 Nov 2008 02:00 PM PST New research could explain why females of many species have multiple partners. Females of most species, including many mammals, mate with multiple partners. The driving forces for this practice, known as 'polyandry', have been a mystery for evolutionary biologists for decades. This research suggests that polyandry could be the result of females adapting to avoid producing offspring carrying selfish genetic elements that reduce male fertility.  |
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