Volume 5, Number 47 November 20, 2006

Physical sciences and technology Carbon nanotubes Space elevators Star formation in the Large Magellanic Cloud Electrical interface to neurons with carbon nanotubes Martian water Global warming Solar cells Extrasolar planets Cosmic dust around old stars Lab on a chip Grid computing Fuel cells Virtual reality Cosmic rays and Cassiopeia A Transient significant brightening in very young stars Earthquake probability models Graphene and spintronics Nanotechnology risk research Robotics Dark energy Planck mission to study cosmic microwave background Entanglement of ions Plate tectonics Continental rifting and break-up Life sciences Inheritance of epigenetic changes Role of Sonic Hedgehog in formation of neural connections Bayesian computations in the brain Proteome of fruit fly sperm Speciation in the tropics Cancer biology Origins of life MicroRNA Structure of XDNA DNA repair Gene control regions and morphological change Memory consolidation and sleep Neanderthal genome Mathematical model of collagen Synthetic biology G protein signal transduction Myelination RNA activation of genes Rapid evolution DNA repair and telomeres DNA microarray technology Antisense RNA Human-chimp genome differences DNA transcription Biology of aggression Wnt signaling and limb regeneration Health and medicine Cancer Cancer vaccine Atherosclerosis Phytosterols and cholestrol Avian flu Stem cells AIDS Salt intake and cardiovascular disease Ghrelin Tuberculosis Rheumatoid arthritis and accelerated aging Inflammation and cancer Alzheimer's disease Clinical use of RNAi The immune system Nanoparticle drug delivery Longevity Diabetes T cells and the liver Cardiovascular benefit of flavonoids in chocolate Resveratrol Regenerative medicine Astrocytes Antibiotic resistance of E. coli Personality traits and heart disease Benefits of antioxidants in cranberries

Carbon nanotubes

1. November 13, 2006 - Electron beams shrink carbon nanotubes to order
2. November 14, 2006 - Nanotubes Grow Smaller than a Nanometer
3. November 14, 2006 - NASA Nanotechnology Comes to Market
4. November 15, 2006 - Honey, I Shrunk The Carbon Nanotubes! - also here
5. November 15, 2006 - Sharpest cut from nanotube sword
6. November 17, 2006 - Chemists Create, Grow Nanotube Seeds - also here
7. November 18, 2006 - Secret's out for Saracen sabres

Space elevators

1. November 13, 2006 - Space elevators: 'First floor, deadly radiation!'

Star formation in the Large Magellanic Cloud

1. November 13, 2006 - Japanese Space Probe's View Of Large Magellanic Cloud: Star Formation At Work

Electrical interface to neurons with carbon nanotubes

1. November 13, 2006 - Bridging Neurons And Electronics With Carbon Nanotubes

Martian water

1. November 13, 2006 - Gully Gazing: Scientists Search for Flowing Water on Mars

Global warming

1. November 14, 2006 - Climate change blamed for India's monsoon misery
2. November 14, 2006 - Report to offer climate change evidence
3. November 16, 2006 - Arctic is warmer, greener, less icy
4. November 16, 2006 - State of the Arctic -- Warming, Melting
5. November 16, 2006 - Signs of Warming Continue in the Arctic - also here
6. November 17, 2006 - Warming Arctic trying to keep its cool, study finds
7. November 30, 2006 - Heavy rainstorms more frequent in Indian monsoon
8. November 30, 2006 - Climate Change Produces Fewer but More Extreme Monsoon Rains
9. December 1, 2006 - Monsoon rainfall amount stable for decades

Solar cells

1. November 14, 2006 - European group raises silicon solar cell efficiency

Extrasolar planets

1. November 14, 2006 - French satellite to search for new planets
2. November 14, 2006 - COROT and the new chapter of planetary searches

Cosmic dust around old stars

1. November 14, 2006 - Old stars sprinkle cosmic dust too

Lab on a chip

1. November 14, 2006 - Medical Micropump: Device May Aid Development Of 'Lab On A Chip'
2. November 15, 2006 - Lab-on-a-chip could speed up treatment of drug-resistant pneumonia - also here

Grid computing

1. November 14, 2006 - Grid Computing Will Let Town Planners Play 'SimCity' For Real - also here
2. November 15, 2006 - Grid computing 'Mappa mundi' unveiled

Fuel cells

1. November 14, 2006 - Prototype Propane Fuel Cell Passes Muster In Alaska

Virtual reality

1. November 15, 2006 - Virtual reality system combats phantom-limb pain
2. November 15, 2006 - Virtual Reality Lets Amputees 'Control' Missing Limbs - also here, here

Cosmic rays and Cassiopeia A

1. November 15, 2006 - Astronomers Describe Cosmic Pinball Machine - also here
2. November 15, 2006 - Chandra Discovers Relativistic Pinball Machine - also here, here, here
3. November 16, 2006 - Secrets of cosmic rays identified
4. November 17, 2006 - Chandra illuminates origin of cosmic rays

Transient significant brightening in very young stars

1. November 15, 2006 - Unruly star may be swallowing embryonic planets

Earthquake probability models

1. November 15, 2006 - New Earthquake Model For Los Angeles Finds Some Faults Moving Faster Than Expected

Graphene and spintronics

1. November 15, 2006 - Graphene makes its mark on spin

Nanotechnology risk research

1. November 15, 2006 - Scientists set 'Five Grand Challenges' for nanotechnology risk research - also here
2. November 15, 2006 - Address nanotech concerns, experts urge - also here, here
3. November 16, 2006 - Facing the Dangers of Nanotech
4. November 16, 2006 - Five-step check for nano safety
5. November 21, 2006 - Scientists Set 'Five Grand Challenges' For Nanotechnology Risk Research - also here

Robotics

1. November 16, 2006 - Resilient Robot Hobbles Along, Even if Injured
2. November 16, 2006 - New Robot Shrugs Off Injury
3. November 16, 2006 - New Robot Can Sense Damage, Compensate - also here
4. November 16, 2006 - Injured robots learn to limp
5. November 17, 2006 - Thoughtful robot adapts to injury
6. November 17, 2006 - Resilient robot adapts to environment
7. November 17, 2006 - Robot Adapts To Injury When It Loses One Of Its Limbs

Dark energy

1. November 16, 2006 - Hubble Finds Evidence For Dark Energy In The Young Universe - also here
2. November 16, 2006 - Dark energy's presence felt in the early universe
3. November 16, 2006 - Supernovas shed light on dark energy in report
4. November 16, 2006 - The History of Dark Energy Goes Way, Way Back
5. November 16, 2006 - Mysterious force's long presence
6. November 16, 2006 - Hubble Telescope Makes New Discovery - also here
7. November 16, 2006 - Hubble sheds light on dark energy
8. November 16, 2006 - Dark Energy Made an Early Entry
9. November 17, 2006 - Dark energy existed in infant universe
10. November 17, 2006 - Dark energy dates back nine billion years
11. November 17, 2006 - Hubble sees dark energy's youth
12. November 20, 2006 - Hubble Confirms a Cosmic Jerk
13. November 22, 2006 - Dark Energy at Redshift Z=1

Planck mission to study cosmic microwave background

1. November 16, 2006 - Planck instruments ready for integration

Entanglement of ions

1. November 16, 2006 - Entangled Ions Have Been "Purified"

Plate tectonics

1. November 17, 2006 - Geologists Find New Origins Of Appalachian Mountains - also here

Continental rifting and break-up

1. November 18, 2006 - Global Strategy For Investigating Earth's Geodynamics Emerges From International Collaboration - also here

Inheritance of epigenetic changes

1. November 13, 2006 - You are what your grandmother ate

Role of Sonic Hedgehog in formation of neural connections

1. November 13, 2006 - Identification Of A Key Gene Required For Brain Neural Circuit Formation

Bayesian computations in the brain

1. November 13, 2006 - Mysterious 'Neural Noise' Actually Primes Brain For Peak Performance - also here

Proteome of fruit fly sperm

1. November 13, 2006 - Sperm Proteome Gives 'Tantalizing Glimpse' Towards The Origin Of Sex - also here

Speciation in the tropics

1. November 13, 2006 - More Species In The Tropics Because Species Have Been There Longer, Study Suggests

Cancer biology

1. November 13, 2006 - Discovery Could Lead To New Leukemia Treatments
2. November 16, 2006 - Novel regulatory mechanism identified for key tumor suppressor p53
3. November 16, 2006 - 'Tribbles' Protein Implicated In Common And Aggressive Form Of Leukemia
4. November 17, 2006 - Blood Vessel-building Protein Halts Blood Vessels From Forming In Cancer
5. November 17, 2006 - Does Natural Selection Drive The Evolution Of Cancer? - also here
6. November 17, 2006 - Dendritic cells stimulate cancer-cell growth

Origins of life

1. November 14, 2006 - Was life on Earth inevitable?
2. November 17, 2006 - Origin Of Life: The Search For The First Genetic Material

MicroRNA

1. November 14, 2006 - Scientists explore function of 'junk DNA' - also here, here
2. November 14, 2006 - Small Molecule, Big Threat
3. November 15, 2006 - Micro Molecules Contribute Mightily To Heart Problem

Structure of XDNA

1. November 14, 2006 - Solving The Structure Of XDNA

DNA repair

1. November 14, 2006 - Nanoscale Microscope Sheds First Light On Gene Repair - also here

Gene control regions and morphological change

1. November 14, 2006 - What's The Difference Between Mice And Men?

Memory consolidation and sleep

1. November 14, 2006 - Research Challenges Theory Of Memory Storage

Neanderthal genome

1. November 15, 2006 - Neanderthals have genome chunk sequenced
2. November 15, 2006 - Genomic "Time Machine" May Pinpoint Divergence of Human and Neandertal
3. November 15, 2006 - Neanderthal DNA secrets unlocked
4. November 15, 2006 - Scientists Mapping Neanderthal Genome - also here
5. November 15, 2006 - Neandertal DNA Comes to Life
6. November 15, 2006 - DNA from Neanderthal leg shows distant split
7. November 16, 2006 - Neanderthal DNA shows we're quite separate
8. November 16, 2006 - Neanderthal Genome Sequencing Yields Surprising Results And Opens A New Door To Future Studies - also here
9. November 16, 2006 - Genetic study of Neanderthal DNA reveals early split between humans and Neanderthals
10. November 16, 2006 - New DNA Test Is Yielding Clues to Neanderthals

Mathematical model of collagen

1. November 15, 2006 - Math Model Could Aid Study Of Collagen Ailments

Synthetic biology

1. November 15, 2006 - Cells Engineered To Prevent Sepsis Win Synthetic Biology Competition

G protein signal transduction

1. November 15, 2006 - Sticky Proteins Provide New Insight Into Drug Action - also here

Myelination

1. November 15, 2006 - Movies shed new light on how nerves are wrapped - also here

RNA activation of genes

1. November 16, 2006 - How to get your genes switched on

Rapid evolution

1. November 16, 2006 - 'Lizard Isles' reveal natural selection at work
2. November 17, 2006 - Island Lizards Morph in Evolutionary Experiment
3. November 17, 2006 - Pressured by predators, lizards see rapid shift in natural selection
4. November 20, 2006 - Rapid shift in natural selection reported

DNA repair and telomeres

1. November 16, 2006 - DNA Repair Teams' Motto: 'To Protect And Serve' - also here, here

DNA microarray technology

1. November 17, 2006 - Taking 'Chips' To The Next Level Of Gene Hunting - also here

Antisense RNA

1. November 17, 2006 - Scientists Discover Role For Dueling RNAs - also here, here, here

Human-chimp genome differences

1. November 17, 2006 - Unraveling Where Chimp And Human Brains Diverge - also here, here

DNA transcription

1. November 17, 2006 - Nanotech tools yield DNA transcription breakthrough
2. November 19, 2006 - Researchers Unravel A Mystery About DNA - also here

Biology of aggression

1. November 19, 2006 - Gender-bending boy fruit flies fight like girls
2. November 20, 2006 - Fighting Like A Girl Or Boy Determined By Gene In Fruit Flies - also here, here

Wnt signaling and limb regeneration

1. November 19, 2006 - Scientists Regenerate Wing In Chick Embryo - also here

Cancer

1. November 13, 2006 - Red meat linked to breast cancer risk
2. November 13, 2006 - Red meat linked to some breast cancers
3. November 13, 2006 - Red Meat May Raise Breast Cancer Risk
4. November 13, 2006 - Diseased gums raise risk of pancreatic cancer
5. November 13, 2006 - Multiplexed Serum Markers Screening For Detection Of Pancreatic Cancer
6. November 13, 2006 - Scientists Discover Way To Block Growth Of Prostate Cancer Cells
7. November 13, 2006 - Lung Carcinogenesis Tracked By DNA Methylation Mapping In Exhaled Breath
8. November 13, 2006 - Genes offer researchers a 'crystal ball' to help them prevent, diagnose and treat cancer
9. November 13, 2006 - Fusion Prostate Cancer: An Early Molecular Event Associated With Invasion
10. November 13, 2006 - Characteristics Of Long-term Lung Cancer Survivors
11. November 13, 2006 - Newly Identified Biomarker Detects And Regulates Spread Of Brain Tumors - also here
12. November 13, 2006 - First report that apoptotic and anti-angiogenic therapies work better together than alone
13. November 14, 2006 - Soy and fish protect from cancer - also here, here
14. November 14, 2006 - Higher Red Meat Intake May Increase Risk For Certain Breast Cancers
15. November 14, 2006 - Red meat link to breast cancers
16. November 14, 2006 - Breast Cancer Risk Linked To Red Meat, Study Finds
17. November 14, 2006 - New way to combat cancer
18. November 15, 2006 - Very obese fare worse after colon cancer diagnosis
19. November 15, 2006 - New drug combo may lengthen ovarian cancer survival - also here
20. November 15, 2006 - Hormones linked with breast cancer risk in blacks
21. November 15, 2006 - Take an aspirin with that flame-broiled burger
22. November 15, 2006 - Promising Designer Drug Provides New Insight Into Cancer Biology
23. November 15, 2006 - Enzyme Inhibitor Produces Stable Disease In Patients With Advanced Solid Cell Cancers
24. November 15, 2006 - 'Trojan Horse' Agent Halts Bone Metastasis In Mice
25. November 15, 2006 - How Diet, Obesity And Even Gum Disease May Affect Immune System And Cancer
26. November 15, 2006 - New model to aid pancreatic cancer research
27. November 15, 2006 - Study observes normal aging process lowers breast cancer risk - also here
28. November 15, 2006 - New genetic test predicts risk of metastasis in patients with deadly eye cancer
29. November 15, 2006 - Scientists report thyroid cancer discovery
30. November 16, 2006 - Ovarian cancer rates lower in sunny latitudes
31. November 16, 2006 - Drug switch improves breast cancer survival
32. November 16, 2006 - FDA OKs Genentech drug for early breast cancer
33. November 16, 2006 - Diet Can Provide Protection Against Development Of Certain Cancers, New Studies Show
34. November 16, 2006 - Thyroid cancer discovery points to new treatments, prevention - also here
35. November 16, 2006 - Biomarker detects, regulates brain tumors
36. November 17, 2006 - Exercise, Aspirin Consumption And Childbirth May Alter Cancer Risk
37. November 17, 2006 - Dietary Folate Intake Not Associated With Breast Cancer Risk
38. November 17, 2006 - Gene expression profiling not quite perfected in predicting lung cancer prognosis - also here
39. November 17, 2006 - FDA Expands Use of Breast Cancer Drug
40. November 19, 2006 - Breast Cancer Drug Receives FDA Approval - also here
41. November 20, 2006 - Red Meat May Be Linked to Breast Cancer at Early Age

Cancer vaccine

1. November 13, 2006 - Novel Vaccine Shows Promise Against Early-stage Breast Cancer - also here
2. November 13, 2006 - Vaccine 'tackles kidney cancer'
3. November 15, 2006 - New vaccine stimulates colorectal cancer patient's immune systems to fight cancerous cells - also here
4. November 17, 2006 - Brain cancer vaccine made from patients' tumours
5. November 17, 2006 - Vaccine For Brain Tumors Shows Promising Results
6. November 22, 2006 - Brain tumor vaccine has promising results

Atherosclerosis

1. November 13, 2006 - Two drugs may stabilize plaques in atherosclerosis - also here
2. November 13, 2006 - Diabetes drug may cut heart risks
3. November 14, 2006 - Diabetes Medication May Help Slow Progression Of Artery Wall Thickening - also here
4. November 14, 2006 - Diabetes drug may reduce cardiovascular risks

Phytosterols and cholestrol

1. November 13, 2006 - Enriched cocoa snack bars cut cholesterol

Avian flu

1. November 13, 2006 - Gene chip test identifies bird flu strains
2. November 14, 2006 - Inexpensive Test Detects H5N1 Bird Flu Infections Quickly And Accurately - also here
3. November 14, 2006 - New Technology Expected To Help Rapidly Identify Avian Flu Strains
4. November 15, 2006 - Scientists identify key mutations in bird flu virus - also here
5. November 16, 2006 - Bird Flu Finding a way to Evolve?
6. November 16, 2006 - Scientists Find Mutations That Let Bird Flu Adapt To Humans - also here
7. November 17, 2006 - Greece finds bird flu virus in wild duck

Stem cells

1. November 13, 2006 - Researchers Turn Cord Blood Into Lung Cells
2. November 14, 2006 - Adult Pig Stem Cells Show Promise In Repairing Animals' Heart Attack Damage
3. November 14, 2006 - Adult pig stem cells repair heart damage
4. November 15, 2006 - Stem cells reverse muscular dystrophy
5. November 15, 2006 - Stem cells treat wasted muscles
6. November 15, 2006 - Stem cell tests offer muscular dystrophy hope - also here
7. November 15, 2006 - Stem cells 'treat muscle disease'
8. November 15, 2006 - Researchers spur growth of adult brain stem cells - also here
9. November 15, 2006 - Researchers Stimulate Growth of Neural Stem Cells in Adult Brain for Treatment of Neurological Disorders
10. November 15, 2006 - Heart Valves Grown From Womb Fluid Cells - also here, here, here
11. November 16, 2006 - Stem Cells Help Dogs With Dystrophy - also here
12. November 16, 2006 - Another boost for stem cell research
13. November 16, 2006 - Scientists grow heart valves from stem cells
14. November 17, 2006 - Heart valve grown from amniotic stem cells
15. November 17, 2006 - Investigators Discover Modified Growth Control in Human Embryonic Stem Cells

AIDS

1. November 13, 2006 - First Glimpse Of Protein Structure Holds Promise For New Way To Fight AIDS
2. November 14, 2006 - Progress Made In HIV Vaccine Development - also here, here

Salt intake and cardiovascular disease

1. November 13, 2006 - Salt Intake Is Strongly Associated With Obesity

Ghrelin

1. November 14, 2006 - Hormone Linked To Brain's Cravings For Food And Other Energy Sources

Tuberculosis

1. November 14, 2006 - HIV/AIDS Linked To Extensively Drug Resistant TB
2. November 16, 2006 - HIV/AIDS linked to drug resistant TB

Rheumatoid arthritis and accelerated aging

1. November 14, 2006 - Accelerated Aging Among People With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Inflammation and cancer

1. November 14, 2006 - Two Markers Strongly Linked To Prostate Cancer Incidence And Mortality Almost A Decade Prior To Diagnosis

Alzheimer's disease

1. November 14, 2006 - Higher level of certain fatty acid associated with lower dementia risk
2. November 18, 2006 - Better Alzheimer's test developed
3. November 19, 2006 - Yeast Model Shows Promise As Alzheimer's Test - also here, here

Clinical use of RNAi

1. November 14, 2006 - Researchers developing molecular delivery vehicles for genetic therapies - also here
2. November 15, 2006 - Gene Silencing Technology Is Quietly Moving Toward The Clinic

The immune system

1. November 14, 2006 - A key antibody, IgG, links cells’ capture and disposal of germs
2. November 17, 2006 - Research suggests beta agonists may alter the immune system

Nanoparticle drug delivery

1. November 14, 2006 - Single-Dose Drug-Loaded Dendrimer Cures Mice of Colon Cancer
2. November 15, 2006 - Nanoparticles Used To Target Brain Cancer - also here
3. November 17, 2006 - Nanoparticles Home in on Brain Cancer

Longevity

1. November 14, 2006 - Want to Live to a Healthy 85? Stay Trim, Strong, Active, Says Study of Japanese-American Men - also here
2. November 14, 2006 - Men who stay trim live longer, healthier lives: study

Diabetes

1. November 15, 2006 - BMI and waist size predict pre-diabetic state - also here
2. November 17, 2006 - Benefits of diabetes drug don't depend on weight

T cells and the liver

1. November 15, 2006 - Interaction Between Lymph And Liver Cells May Affect Immune Response

Cardiovascular benefit of flavonoids in chocolate

1. November 15, 2006 - Dark Chocolate Helps Prevent Dangerous Blood Clots

Resveratrol

1. November 16, 2006 - Red wine compound boosts athletic endurance
2. November 17, 2006 - Red wine component revs endurance in mice
3. November 17, 2006 - A Second Pour of Good News About Substance in Red Wine
4. November 17, 2006 - Red Wine Compound Could Boost Endurance

Regenerative medicine

1. November 16, 2006 - Tissue-Regeneration Matrix Could Be Spun from Cell-Size Nanothreads

Astrocytes

1. November 16, 2006 - New findings disprove old truth about brain cells

Antibiotic resistance of E. coli

1. November 16, 2006 - Why are some strains of E. coli resistant to antibiotics?

Personality traits and heart disease

1. November 16, 2006 - Combination Of Personality Traits Increases Risk For Heart Disease

Benefits of antioxidants in cranberries

1. November 19, 2006 - Research Shows Benefits of Cranberries - also here

Copyright © 2006 by Charles Daney, All Rights Reserved