Volume 7, Number 10 March 10, 2008

Physical sciences and technology Controlled fusion The Standard Model Plate tectonics Hydrogen storage using carbon nanotubes Photonic crystals Carbon nanotubes Black holes Robotics Gamma-ray bursts Photovoltaics Gravitational astronomy Tests of gravity at very short distances WMAP 5-year data Nanotechnology Planetary nebulae Laboratory black hole model Water on Mars Quantum computing Quantum optical entanglement Quantum dot data storage Quantum dot solar cells Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope Extrasolar planets Graphene DNA nanotechnology Cosmic rays Supernovae Star formation Life sciences MicroRNA Language and color perception Evolution of plant seeds Longevity genes Progeria syndrome, stem cells, and Notch Ciliary neurotrophic factor Apoptosis Sex differences in cognition and brain activity Immune system proteins and synapse formation Homo floresiensis Cancer biology Unsaturated fats and gene expression Brain-imaging studies Auditory perception Adipocyte formation Induced pluripotent stem cells Codon bias in viruses Intuition Early animal phylogeny Endorphins Learning, arts, and the brain Metagenomics Origins of viruses and archaea Methylation Non-conscious motivation Blowfly nervous system MicroRNA and stem cells Health and medicine Alzheimer's disease Depression Dietary recommendations Influenza Cancer Cardiovascular disease Nanobiotechnology AIDS Stem cells Diabetes Avian flu Nicotine Inflammation and macular degeneration Genetics of anxiety disorder Bipolar disorder Leptin, obesity, and hypertension PPAR-γ and blood pressure Cancer vaccines BDNF, anxiety, and alcoholism Autoimmune diseases Parkinson's disease Cholesterol Malaria Autism Tuberculosis Antioxidants Tissue engineering Serotonin Antibiotics Endocannabinoids DNA vaccines Allergies and lipid domains Inflammatory bowel disease Vaccines

Physical sciences and technology

Controlled fusion

1. March 3, 2008 - Field Strength And Density Of Fusion Implosions Aid Quest For Fusion Energy
2. March 5, 2008 - Magnets touted as fix for fusion reactor

The Standard Model

1. March 3, 2008 - Supercomputer Confirms Standard Model Theory Of The Universe, Deepens Puzzle

Plate tectonics

1. March 3, 2008 - Subduction Zones And Plate Movement On West Coast of Canada And US

Hydrogen storage using carbon nanotubes

1. March 3, 2008 - The March of the Carbon Nanotubes

Photonic crystals

1. March 3, 2008 - From opals to optical chips

Carbon nanotubes

1. March 3, 2008 - Physicists roll out nanotube paper

Black holes

1. March 4, 2008 - Colliding black holes may leave infrared afterglow

Robotics

1. March 4, 2008 - Snake robot uses obstacles for propulsion
2. March 4, 2008 - First Humanoid Robot That Will Develop Language May Be Coming Soon

Gamma-ray bursts

1. March 4, 2008 - Binary 'deathstar' has Earth in its sights
2. March 6, 2008 - 'Death Star' found pointing at Earth
3. March 10, 2008 - Real Death Star Could Strike Earth

Photovoltaics

1. March 4, 2008 - Steel Forges Foundation For Cheaper Solar Power

Gravitational astronomy

1. March 5, 2008 - Gravitational astronomy: Hearing the heavens
2. March 9, 2008 - UWM lab crunches data to seek mysterious gravitational waves

Tests of gravity at very short distances

1. March 5, 2008 - Gravity-test constrains new forces

WMAP 5-year data

1. March 5, 2008 - Universe submerged in a sea of chilled neutrinos
2. March 7, 2008 - NASA Probe Finds Sea Of Cosmic Neutrinos, New Evidence Of Early Universe - also here, here
3. March 7, 2008 - NASA Data Sheds Light on Early Universe
4. March 9, 2008 - Gauging Age of Universe Becomes More Precise
5. March 11, 2008 - A New Day in Precision Cosmology
6. March 11, 2008 - Cosmic 'treasure trove' revealed
7. March 12, 2008 - WMAP gives thumbs-up to cosmological model

Nanotechnology

1. March 5, 2008 - Surface Dislocation Nucleation: Strength Is But Skin Deep At The Nanoscale - also here
2. March 5, 2008 - Gold Can Be Made Magnetic On The Nanoscale Through Oxygenation - also here
3. March 6, 2008 - Cellular Construction Methods Emulated at Nano-scale - also here
4. March 7, 2008 - Nanoswitches Toggled By Light

Planetary nebulae

1. March 5, 2008 - Last Confessions Of A Dying Star - also here

Laboratory black hole model

1. March 6, 2008 - Fiber-Optic Event Horizon Mimics Black Hole
2. March 6, 2008 - Artificial black hole created in lab
3. March 6, 2008 - Black Holes Made of Light
4. March 6, 2008 - Black Hole Effect Created in Lab
5. March 6, 2008 - 'Black hole' made from light
6. March 7, 2008 - Scientists Make Fake Black Hole in a Phone Line

Water on Mars

1. March 6, 2008 - Possibly Once-habitable Ancient Martian Lake Discovered - also here
2. March 6, 2008 - Once-Habitable Lake Found on Mars
3. March 7, 2008 - Mars crater's ancient lakes may have been habitable

Quantum computing

1. March 6, 2008 - Future 'Quantum Computers' Will Offer Increased Efficiency And Security Risks - also here, here

Quantum optical entanglement

1. March 6, 2008 - Physicists Transcribe Entanglement into and out of a Quantum Memory
2. March 6, 2008 - Entangled memory is a first
3. March 11, 2008 - Entangled-Light Pair Stored in Atomic Memory

Quantum dot data storage

1. March 7, 2008 - Quantum dot memory may be 'Holy Grail' of computing

Quantum dot solar cells

1. March 7, 2008 - Quantum Dots May Lead to Rainbow Solar Cell

Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope

1. March 7, 2008 - GLAST Spacecraft Arrives In Florida To Prepare For Launch - also here

Extrasolar planets

1. March 7, 2008 - Alpha Centauri Should Harbor Detectable, Earth-like Planets - also here
2. March 7, 2008 - Nearest Star System Might Harbor Earth Twin
3. March 10, 2008 - Alpha Centauri might harbour an 'Earth'
4. March 19, 2008 - Alpha Centauri may have Earth-like worlds

Graphene

1. March 7, 2008 - IBM researchers quell nanoscale interference

DNA nanotechnology

1. March 7, 2008 - Nanotubes measure DNA conductivity
2. March 8, 2008 - Nano-rings Made of Double-Stranded DNA, With Little Gaps For New Molecules

Cosmic rays

1. March 8, 2008 - Ancient star may prove supernova-cosmic ray link

Supernovae

1. March 8, 2008 - Supernova Outbreak: X rays signal earliest alert

Star formation

1. March 9, 2008 - Newborn Stars: Seeing Dark Filaments Inside A Molecular Cloud - also here

Life sciences

MicroRNA

1. March 2, 2008 - miRNA controls skin cell growth
2. March 5, 2008 - Short RNA Strand Helps Exposed Skin Cells Protect Body From Bacteria, Dehydration And Even Cancer - also here, here
3. March 12, 2008 - MicroRNA-203 Helps Build Skin's Protective Barrier

Language and color perception

1. March 3, 2008 - Perception coloured by language

Evolution of plant seeds

1. March 3, 2008 - Urban weed seeds stay close to home
2. March 3, 2008 - How Weeds Take to Cities
3. March 3, 2008 - Weed's seeds evolve quickly in the city

Longevity genes

1. March 3, 2008 - 'Long-life' genes found in 100-year-old humans
2. March 4, 2008 - "Methuselah" Mutation Linked to Longer Life
3. March 4, 2008 - Shorter Women May Have Very Long Lives: Gene Mutation Found - also here, here

Progeria syndrome, stem cells, and Notch

1. March 3, 2008 - Too Old, Too Fast
2. March 3, 2008 - Adult Stem Cell Changes Underlie Rare Genetic Disease Associated With Accelerated Aging - also here
3. March 5, 2008 - Stem cells study provides clues to aging

Ciliary neurotrophic factor

1. March 3, 2008 - Two-protein Complex Protects Nerve Cells

Apoptosis

1. March 3, 2008 - Key Step In Programmed Cell Death Discovered - also here

Sex differences in cognition and brain activity

1. March 3, 2008 - Sex Differences Extend Into The Brain
2. March 5, 2008 - Are Women Really Better at Language?
3. March 5, 2008 - Boys' And Girls' Brains Are Different: Gender Differences In Language Appear Biological - also here, here
4. March 7, 2008 - He Heard, She Heard

Immune system proteins and synapse formation

1. March 3, 2008 - Are Immune System Molecules Brain-Builders - And Destroyers?

Homo floresiensis

1. March 4, 2008 - Hobbit was 'a cretin'
2. March 4, 2008 - Indonesian fossils belonged to diet-poor dwarfs
3. March 5, 2008 - Were the Flores Hobbits Really Cretins?
4. March 5, 2008 - Is the hobbit just a dwarf cretin?
5. March 5, 2008 - New twist in Hobbit-human debate
6. March 6, 2008 - Hobbits May Be Human After All

Cancer biology

1. March 4, 2008 - Cancers inhibited by embryonic stem cell protein
2. March 4, 2008 - Researchers ID Promising New Cancer Drug
3. March 5, 2008 - Protein In Embryonic Stem Cells Control Malignant Tumor Cells
4. March 8, 2008 - Cell Recycling Protects Tumor Cells From Anti-cancer Therapy - also here

Unsaturated fats and gene expression

1. March 4, 2008 - Receptor Revealed That Turns On Genes After Consuming Unsaturated Fats

Brain-imaging studies

1. March 3, 2008 - Brain scans support surprising differences in perception between Westerners and Asians - also here, here
2. March 5, 2008 - Mind-reading machine knows what the eye can see
3. March 5, 2008 - Mind-reading with a brain scan
4. March 5, 2008 - Test shows possibility to see what others do
5. March 5, 2008 - Seeing Through the Mind's Eye
6. March 5, 2008 - "Brain Reading" Device Can Predict What People See
7. March 6, 2008 - Do You See What I See? Translating Images out of Brain Waves
8. March 6, 2008 - Mind-reading computer picks your card
9. March 7, 2008 - Imagination is the key to vocal mimicry
10. March 7, 2008 - Adolescents At Risk Of Developing A Substance-use Disorder Have Deficits In Frontal Brain Activation
11. March 7, 2008 - Children Of Alcoholics: Different Brain Regions Affect Who May Or May Not Develop Alcohol Problems - also here
12. March 8, 2008 - How Hunger Motivates

Auditory perception

1. March 5, 2008 - Pitch is key to cocktail party conversation: study
2. March 8, 2008 - More Than Meets The Ear In Successful Cocktail Party Conversations - also here

Adipocyte formation

1. March 5, 2008 - Protein that could fight obesity discovered: Swedish study

Induced pluripotent stem cells

1. March 5, 2008 - Molecular Alliance Identified that Sustains Embryonic Stem-Cell State
2. March 6, 2008 - Molecular Alliance That Sustains Embryonic Stem Cell State Identified - also here, here, here, here
3. March 7, 2008 - Stem-cell claim gets cold reception

Codon bias in viruses

1. March 6, 2008 - Viruses Evolve To Play By Host Rules - also here, here

Intuition

1. March 6, 2008 - Intuition Is More Than Just A Hunch, Says New Research

Early animal phylogeny

1. March 6, 2008 - Tree Of Animal Life Has Branches Rearranged, By Evolutionary Biologists - also here

Endorphins

1. March 6, 2008 - Runners' High Demonstrated: Brain Imaging Shows Release Of Endorphins In Brain - also here

Learning, arts, and the brain

1. March 6, 2008 - Are Smart People Drawn To The Arts Or Does Arts Training Make People Smarter?

Metagenomics

1. March 7, 2008 - Mysteries Of Oceanic Bacteria Probed - also here
2. March 9, 2008 - Biologists Surprised To Find Parochial Bacterial Viruses - also here

Origins of viruses and archaea

1. March 7, 2008 - Transfer RNA transforms tree of life
2. March 10, 2008 - History Of Life Seen In The Structure Of Transfer RNA

Methylation

1. March 8, 2008 - Methylation Process Is Transient, Cyclical And Dynamic, Not Static As Previously Thought

Non-conscious motivation

1. March 8, 2008 - Profound Impact Of Our Unconscious On Reaching Goals Revealed - also here

Blowfly nervous system

1. March 8, 2008 - Language of a fly proves surprising - also here, here

MicroRNA and stem cells

1. March 9, 2008 - Role Of Tiny RNAs In Controlling Stem Cell Fate Identified - also here, here, here

Health and medicine

Alzheimer's disease

1. March 3, 2008 - Review finds no good drugs for dementia
2. March 7, 2008 - PET's Targeted Imaging May Lead To Earlier Diagnosis Of Dementia And Alzheimer's Disease - also here

Depression

1. March 3, 2008 - Media Perpetuates Unsubstantiated Chemical Imbalance Theory Of Depression, Study Shows - also here
2. March 4, 2008 - Low Testosterone Levels Associated With Depression In Older Men - also here
3. March 4, 2008 - 'Testosterone link' to depression

Dietary recommendations

1. March 3, 2008 - How Do Dietary Guides Match Up?

Influenza

1. March 3, 2008 - Major Mid-century Influenza Epidemics Caused By Novel Hybrid Viruses
2. March 4, 2008 - Why flu strikes in cold weather
3. March 7, 2008 - Cause Of Flu Epidemics Uncovered - also here

Cancer

1. March 3, 2008 - Smoking's Effects On Genes May Play A Role In Lung Cancer Development And Survival
2. March 4, 2008 - PET/CT Planning Beneficial For Head And Neck Cancer Patients - also here
3. March 4, 2008 - Chemotherapy With Chemoradiation For Pancreatic Cancer Has Small Survival Benefit
4. March 4, 2008 - New Model For Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Validated In Multiple Ethnic Groups - also here
5. March 4, 2008 - New Study Of Targeted Therapies For Breast Cancer Is Model For Global Clinical Trials
6. March 4, 2008 - Recurrent Brain Cancer Responds To New Treatment
7. March 4, 2008 - Finding Cancer At An Early Stage
8. March 4, 2008 - Biomagnetics Developed For Use In New Breast Cancer Tests
9. March 4, 2008 - New Genetic Marker For Breast Cancer Identified
10. March 4, 2008 - Novel Mechanism Found That May Boost Impaired Function Of Leukemia Protein
11. March 4, 2008 - 'Innocent Bystanders' Can Be The Cause Of Tumor Development - also here
12. March 4, 2008 - Flat Growths May Be Worse Than Polyps
13. March 4, 2008 - Hormone Use Linked to Cancer Risks
14. March 5, 2008 - Blood test indicates spread of prostate cancer
15. March 5, 2008 - Colonoscopies could miss dangerous lesions: report
16. March 5, 2008 - Mouse Model Tightly Matches Pediatric Tumor Syndrome, Will Speed Drug Hunt - also here
17. March 5, 2008 - Arsenic Aids Tumor Imaging When Joined To Cancer-homing Drug, Researchers Find - also here
18. March 5, 2008 - New Target For Cancer Therapy May Improve Treatment For Solid Tumors - also here
19. March 5, 2008 - Identifying Potential Cancer Treatments Of Herbal Origin - also here, here
20. March 5, 2008 - Easily Overlooked Lesions Tied to Colon Cancer
21. March 5, 2008 - Cancer risk found after hormone therapy ends
22. March 6, 2008 - Estrogen predicts breast cancer recurrence: study
23. March 6, 2008 - Study of hormone therapy shows some risks persist
24. March 6, 2008 - New colon screening recommendations offer choices
25. March 6, 2008 - Health Groups Issue Updated Colorectal Cancer Screening Guidelines - also here
26. March 6, 2008 - AGA supports new guidelines favoring tests that prevent colorectal cancer
27. March 6, 2008 - New guidelines update recommendations on colorectal cancer screening
28. March 6, 2008 - High Levels Of Estrogen Associated With Breast Cancer Recurrence - also here, here
29. March 6, 2008 - New Colon Cancer Screening Guides Issued - also here
30. March 7, 2008 - Blood thinners like aspirin may fight cancer: study
31. March 7, 2008 - Flat Colon Lesions Relatively Common, Associated With Colorectal Cancer - also here
32. March 7, 2008 - Cancer Risk Slightly Higher For Women In Discontinued Hormone Treatment Trial - also here, here
33. March 7, 2008 - Aspirin Could Reduce Breast Cancer And Help Existing Sufferers, Review of Studies Suggests - also here
34. March 7, 2008 - Fugitive cancer cells can be blocked by stopping blood cells that aid them - also here, here
35. March 9, 2008 - Severe Psychological Stress May Be Linked To Breast Cancer - also here

Cardiovascular disease

1. March 3, 2008 - Low-fat Diets More Likely To Reduce Risk Of Heart Disease Than Low-carb Diets - also here
2. March 4, 2008 - Drinking may boost blood pressure more than thought
3. March 4, 2008 - Comprehensive Diagnosis Of Heart Disease With A Single CT Scan - also here, here
4. March 4, 2008 - Psychological Distress, Not Depression, Linked To Increased Risk Of Stroke
5. March 4, 2008 - Clinical Depression Raises Risk Of Death For Heart Attack Patients Years After Attack - also here
6. March 4, 2008 - Blueberry and green tea containing supplement protects against stroke damage - also here
7. March 5, 2008 - Arthritis pill cuts heart attack risk: study
8. March 5, 2008 - Binge Drinking: The More You Drink On Drinking Days, The Greater Your Risk Of Death From Cardiovascular Disease - also here, here
9. March 6, 2008 - Strokes more common in springtime
10. March 6, 2008 - Researchers Describe Mechanisms By Which Capon Gene Causes Heart Rhythm Disturbances - also here, here
11. March 6, 2008 - Alcohol Intake Increases Risk Of Hypertension, High Blood Pressure In Certain Populations - also here
12. March 6, 2008 - New Potential Drug Target For The Treatment Of Atherosclerosis - also here
13. March 6, 2008 - Smoking and high blood pressure: a double blow for bleeding stroke risk - also here
14. March 7, 2008 - Finally, a reason to start drinking alcohol
15. March 7, 2008 - Strong link between smoking and stroke in Chinese men
16. March 7, 2008 - Arthritis Medications Reduce Risk Of Heart Attacks And Strokes, Study Suggests - also here, here
17. March 7, 2008 - Hope over high blood pressure jab
18. March 8, 2008 - Genetic Variation To Predict Initial Response To Warfarin Identified
19. March 8, 2008 - Alcohol 'quickly' cuts heart risk
20. March 10, 2008 - Moderate Alcohol Consumption In Middle Age Can Lower Cardiac Risk, Study Shows - also here

Nanobiotechnology

1. March 3, 2008 - Nanomedicine System Engineered To Enhance Therapeutic Effects Of Injectable Drugs - also here
2. March 7, 2008 - Switchable nanovalves: pH-sensitive pseudorotaxane as reversible gate for drug nanotransporter
3. March 7, 2008 - Assembly technique for tiny wires may help detect cancer, other diseases - also here, here
4. March 9, 2008 - Anti-rejection Nanotherapy Shows Promise In Rodent Lung Transplant Model

AIDS

1. March 3, 2008 - HIV Breakthrough: Protein That Fights Immunodeficiency Identified - also here
2. March 7, 2008 - Neural Progenitor Cells As Reservoirs For HIV In The Brain - also here
3. March 7, 2008 - Immune Cells Genetically Engineered Into Potent Weapons For Battling HIV - also here
4. March 7, 2008 - Virtual human puts HIV drug to test

Stem cells

1. March 3, 2008 - Stem Cell Trial Offers Hope For Patients With Severe Ischemic Heart Disease
2. March 4, 2008 - Toxins In Oil Spills And Cigarette Smoke Prevent Stem Cells From Becoming Cartilage - also here
3. March 4, 2008 - Novel transcription factors for stemness
4. March 5, 2008 - The placental origin of HSCs
5. March 6, 2008 - Blood Stem Cells Originate And Are Nurtured In The Placenta - also here, here
6. March 9, 2008 - New Stem Cell Technique Improves Genetic Alteration - also here, here

Diabetes

1. March 3, 2008 - Frog skin diabetes treatment hope
2. March 5, 2008 - South American Frog Secretions Stimulate Insulin Release, Could Offer Diabetes Treatment Hope
3. March 6, 2008 - Fat accumulation: a key factor in diabetes risk
4. March 6, 2008 - Diabetes May Be Disorder Of Upper Intestine: Surgery May Correct It - also here
5. March 7, 2008 - Eli Lilly drops inhaled insulin program
6. March 7, 2008 - Workouts boost function of insulin-making cells

Avian flu

1. March 4, 2008 - Egyptian woman dies of bird flu, 20th in country
2. March 5, 2008 - Indonesia says H5N1 samples show no signs of mutation
3. March 7, 2008 - Hong Kong wild bird tests positive for H5N1
4. March 7, 2008 - Egyptian boy diagnosed with bird flu
5. March 9, 2008 - Fresh bird flu cases reported in India

Nicotine

1. March 4, 2008 - Nicotine's Effects Are Receptor Specific

Inflammation and macular degeneration

1. March 4, 2008 - Genes Involved In Inflammation May Hold Clue To Age-related Macular Degeneration

Genetics of anxiety disorder

1. March 4, 2008 - Gene Variants May Increase Risk Of Anxiety Disorders - also here

Bipolar disorder

1. March 4, 2008 - Tamoxifen May Help Treat Mania In Patients With Bipolar Disorder

Leptin, obesity, and hypertension

1. March 5, 2008 - Rare Syndrome Provides Clues On Obesity, Blood Pressure - also here, here

PPAR-γ and blood pressure

1. March 5, 2008 - Why Certain Diabetes Drugs Appear To Lower Blood Pressure - also here, here

Cancer vaccines

1. March 5, 2008 - Novel Way To Develop Tumor Vaccines: Regulate Immune Inhibitor To Overcome Tumor Supression - also here

BDNF, anxiety, and alcoholism

1. March 5, 2008 - Brain Chemistry Ties Anxiety And Alcoholism - also here

Autoimmune diseases

1. March 5, 2008 - Seven Gene Regions Linked To Celiac Disease - also here
2. March 5, 2008 - Psoriasis Lesions Loaded With Newly Discovered Immune Cell
3. March 6, 2008 - Watery Pools In Bone Marrow Key To Psoriatic Arthritic Damage - also here
4. March 7, 2008 - New Protein Discovery Helps Researchers Understand Autoimmune Diseases - also here

Parkinson's disease

1. March 5, 2008 - Genome-wide association study on Parkinson's disease finds public home at NIH
2. March 7, 2008 - Conditional Model of Parkinson's Disease Developed

Cholesterol

1. March 6, 2008 - Many Patients Can Reach LDL Cholesterol Goal Through Dietary Changes Alone, Study Shows

Malaria

1. March 6, 2008 - New Blood Test Detects Antibodies That Protect Against Malaria - also here

Autism

1. March 6, 2008 - Sticky Blood Protein Yields Clues To Autism - also here, here

Tuberculosis

1. March 6, 2008 - Scientists seek to disarm TB's 'molecular weapon' - also here, here
2. March 7, 2008 - New TB test means quicker and easier diagnosis for patients - also here, here
3. March 7, 2008 - Faster TB test results on the way

Antioxidants

1. March 6, 2008 - Study finds that broccoli may help boost the aging immune system - also here

Tissue engineering

1. March 6, 2008 - Researchers control growth rate of replacement blood vessels, tissues

Serotonin

1. March 7, 2008 - Mother-daughter Conflict, Low Serotonin Level May Be Deadly Combination - also here, here

Antibiotics

1. March 7, 2008 - Synthetic Peptoids Hold Forth Promise For New Antibiotics - also here, here, here

Endocannabinoids

1. March 7, 2008 - Curing addiction with cannabis medicines - also here, here

DNA vaccines

1. March 7, 2008 - DNA vaccines that home in on DCs are more potent - also here

Allergies and lipid domains

1. March 7, 2008 - Allergic response tied to lipid molecules in cell membrane - also here

Inflammatory bowel disease

1. March 8, 2008 - New Mouse Model Of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Created And Successfully Treated - also here

Vaccines

1. March 9, 2008 - Engineered Protein Shows Potential As A Strep Vaccine

Copyright © 2008 by Charles Daney, All Rights Reserved