Volume 7, Number 44 November 3, 2008

Physical sciences and technology Extrasolar planets Nanotechnology Carbon nanotubes Organic semiconductors Water on Mars Graphene Arctic sea ice thinning Photovoltaics Large Hadron Collider Dark energy Planets in the early solar system Supercomputers Primordial antimatter Microfluidics Global warming Lab-on-a-chip Plate tectonics Galaxies Memristors Dark matter Hurricanes and global warming Life sciences Wnt signaling Gene silencing by long RNA Neanderthals Brain-imaging studies Anxiety and mast cells 3-D perception Sonic hedgehog and brain development Cell division in archaea MicroRNA and heart development Bacterial predation Population dynamics Game theory and evolution of cooperation Protein interactions RNA-binding proteins Boundary extension in visual perception Synaptic vesicles NF1, GABA, and learning Myosin and memory Language acquisition Bioinformatics Modeling evolution in biochemical networks The insula and political choice Germination of dormant bacteria Glia and sensory perception SiRNA in corn Behaviorally modern humans Multiple proteins from one gene DNA annealing helicases Defense of infectious bacteria against macrophages Health and medicine Schizophrenia Cancer Diabetes Cardiovascular disease Alzheimer's disease Inflammatory skin conditions Antibiotics Ghrelin and obesity Avian flu Rheumatoid arthritis Epigenetic effects of prenatal malnutrition Malaria Obesity Stress and inflammation Nanobiotechnology Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus C-reactive protein and myocardial infarction Bacterial evasion of the immune system Systems biology, glycomics, and inflammatory diseases Influenza vaccines Fat cells and melanin Cancer biology Hepatitis C Stem cells Inflammatory bowel disease Multiple sclerosis Weight-loss drugs Tissue engineering RNAi therapy for cancer

Physical sciences and technology

Extrasolar planets

1. October 27, 2008 - Epsilon Eridani hosts an inner asteroid belt and planet arranged like those in the solar system
2. October 27, 2008 - Closest Planetary System Hosts Two Asteroid Belts
3. October 27, 2008 - Nearby Star Hosts Three-Ring Circus
4. October 27, 2008 - Nearest planetary system boasts two asteroid belts
5. October 27, 2008 - Evidence found of solar system around nearby star
6. October 28, 2008 - Solar System's Young Twin Has Two Asteroid Belts - also here
7. October 31, 2008 - Habitable worlds may hide in gas giants' wake

Nanotechnology

1. October 27, 2008 - How To 'Stamp' Nanodevices With Rubber Molds
2. October 29, 2008 - Turbocharged Nanomotors
3. October 29, 2008 - Breakthrough may ease electronics assembly
4. October 29, 2008 - 'Nanoshuttle' gives electrons a ride
5. October 31, 2008 - New nanocluster to boost thin films for semiconductors

Carbon nanotubes

1. October 27, 2008 - CNTs en route for nanophotonic applications
2. October 29, 2008 - New Mass Sensor To Weight Atoms With Unprecedented Resolution
3. October 31, 2008 - Hot nanotube sheets produce music on demand
4. November 3, 2008 - Nanotubes turn on the tunes
5. November 3, 2008 - Carbon nanotubes could act as an efficient music speaker
6. November 14, 2008 - Big Noise From Little Tubes
7. November 20, 2008 - Toward A New Generation Of Paper-thin Loudspeakers - also here

Organic semiconductors

1. October 28, 2008 - Soapy property improves electron mobility in organic semiconductors

Water on Mars

1. October 28, 2008 - New Signs That Ancient Mars Was Wet
2. October 29, 2008 - Mars Held Its Water
3. October 29, 2008 - NASA Orbiter Reveals Details Of A Wetter Mars - also here
4. October 29, 2008 - New minerals point to wetter Mars
5. October 29, 2008 - Opal hints at persistence of water on Mars
6. October 30, 2008 - Opals on Mars reveal planet's wet past

Graphene

1. October 28, 2008 - Graphene could accelerate genomics

Arctic sea ice thinning

1. October 28, 2008 - Arctic ice thickness 'plummets'
2. October 29, 2008 - Arctic sea ice thinning at record rate - also here
3. November 3, 2008 - Arctic Sea Ice Is Suddenly Getting Thinner As Well As Receding

Photovoltaics

1. October 28, 2008 - Two-faced approach creates solar cells to dye for

Large Hadron Collider

1. October 29, 2008 - How to repair the biggest science experiment in the world

Dark energy

1. October 29, 2008 - The Great Cosmic Challenge - also here

Planets in the early solar system

1. October 30, 2008 - First Planets Lived Fast and Died Young
2. October 30, 2008 - Ancient Meteorites Give Clues to Planet Formation
3. October 31, 2008 - Clues To Planets' Birth Discovered In Meteorites - also here, here

Supercomputers

1. October 30, 2008 - New Supercomputer Can Do 50 Trillion Operations Per Second - also here

Primordial antimatter

1. October 30, 2008 - Searching For Primordial Antimatter - also here

Microfluidics

1. October 30, 2008 - Explosion on chip sets liquid in motion

Global warming

1. October 30, 2008 - Conclusive proof that polar warming is being caused by humans - also here
2. October 30, 2008 - Polar warming 'caused by humans'
3. October 30, 2008 - Humans to blame for polar warming
4. October 30, 2008 - Manmade global warming evident on every continent, polar report finds
5. October 31, 2008 - Antarctica feeling the heat too, says study
6. November 2, 2008 - Chilean glacier will vanish in 50 years: study
7. November 3, 2008 - Humans are warming the poles: study

Lab-on-a-chip

1. October 31, 2008 - Mini-laboratory gets megaproductive

Plate tectonics

1. October 31, 2008 - Birth of a new ocean

Galaxies

1. October 31, 2008 - 'Ghost of Mirach' Materializes in Space Telescope Image

Memristors

1. October 31, 2008 - Memristors model primitive learning

Dark matter

1. October 31, 2008 - Dark matter may shine with invisible 'dark light'

Hurricanes and global warming

1. November 2, 2008 - Recent Hurricane History Provides Diverging Interpretations On Future Of Hurricane Activity - also here, here

Life sciences

Wnt signaling

1. October 27, 2008 - Building The Blood-brain Barrier - also here, here

Gene silencing by long RNA

1. October 27, 2008 - Newly Discovered Mechanism Can Explain Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome - also here

Neanderthals

1. October 27, 2008 - Why did Neanderthals have such big noses?

Brain-imaging studies

1. October 28, 2008 - Thin line between love and hate? - science knows why
2. October 28, 2008 - 'Hate circuit' discovered in brain
3. October 29, 2008 - Scientists identify brain's 'hate circuit'
4. October 29, 2008 - 'Hate circuit' identified in the brain
5. October 29, 2008 - Brain's 'Hate Circuit' Identified - also here, here
6. October 29, 2008 - Angry faces take priority in our brain

Anxiety and mast cells

1. October 28, 2008 - Immune to Anxiety
2. October 29, 2008 - In Mice, Anxiety Is Linked To Immune System - also here, here

3-D perception

1. October 28, 2008 - How We See Objects In Depth: Brain's Code For 3-D Structure - also here

Sonic hedgehog and brain development

1. October 28, 2008 - Researchers find key to Sonic hedgehog control of brain development - also here

Cell division in archaea

1. October 29, 2008 - New Cell Division Mechanism Discovered - also here, here

MicroRNA and heart development

1. October 29, 2008 - Scientists Identify Single MicroRNA That Controls How Heart Chambers Form - also here

Bacterial predation

1. October 29, 2008 - Predatory bacterial swarm uses rippling motion to reach prey

Population dynamics

1. October 29, 2008 - Researcher discover fundamental processes behind nature's constant balancing act
2. October 30, 2008 - Studies of small water fleas help ecologists understand population dynamics

Game theory and evolution of cooperation

1. October 29, 2008 - Playing games shows how personalities evolved - also here
2. November 13, 2008 - Evolution of trust and trustworthiness

Protein interactions

1. October 29, 2008 - Research team maps cell interactions

RNA-binding proteins

1. October 30, 2008 - Pervasive Network Discovered Driving Protein Production And Placement In Cells
2. November 2, 2008 - New method provides panoramic view of protein-RNA interactions in living cells - also here, here

Boundary extension in visual perception

1. October 30, 2008 - The Brain's Clever Way Of Showing Us The World As A Whole - also here, here

Synaptic vesicles

1. October 30, 2008 - Membrane fusion at the synapse: Janus faced synaptotagmin-1 helps to keep the fast pace - also here, here

NF1, GABA, and learning

1. October 30, 2008 - Study of learning disabled mice shows balance in the brain is key - also here

Myosin and memory

1. October 31, 2008 - Molecular Motor Tied to Memory
2. November 1, 2008 - Scientists Identify Machinery That Helps Make Memories - also here

Language acquisition

1. October 31, 2008 - Roots Of Early Vocabulary In Infants' Learning From Speech - also here, here

Bioinformatics

1. October 31, 2008 - Engineering Technique Can Identify Disease-causing Genes - also here, here

Modeling evolution in biochemical networks

1. October 31, 2008 - Predicting Evolution's Next Best Move With Simulator - also here

The insula and political choice

1. October 31, 2008 - Negative Cues From Appearance Alone Matter For Real Elections - also here, here

Germination of dormant bacteria

1. October 31, 2008 - In Decision To Grow, Bacteria Follow The Crowd - also here

Glia and sensory perception

1. October 31, 2008 - Without glial cells, animals lose their senses - also here, here

SiRNA in corn

1. October 31, 2008 - Corn researchers discover novel gene shut-off mechanisms - also here

Behaviorally modern humans

1. October 31, 2008 - Tools give earlier date for 'modern-thinking' humans - also here

Multiple proteins from one gene

1. November 2, 2008 - Human genes sing different tunes in different tissues
2. November 2, 2008 - Human genes are multitaskers

DNA annealing helicases

1. November 2, 2008 - Biologists Discover Motor Protein That Rewinds DNA - also here

Defense of infectious bacteria against macrophages

1. November 2, 2008 - Persistent bacterial infection exploits killing machinery of immune cells - also here, here
2. November 6, 2008 - Parasites That Live Inside Cells Use Loophole To Thwart Immune System - also here, here

Health and medicine

Schizophrenia

1. October 27, 2008 - Club drug Special K helps schizophrenia researchers - also here
2. October 28, 2008 - Mental Health Dangers Of Birth Hypoxia: Lower Levels Of Protein Is Associated With Increased Risk Of Schizophrenia
3. October 28, 2008 - Anti-Inflammatory Medications May Become A Treatment For Schizophrenia
4. October 29, 2008 - New Brain Link As Cause Of Schizophrenia - also here
5. October 29, 2008 - Glutamate: Too Much Of A Good Thing In Schizophrenia? - also here, here
6. November 3, 2008 - Brain receptor schizophrenia clue

Cancer

1. October 27, 2008 - Prostate cancer not warded off by supplements: study
2. October 27, 2008 - BPA exposure linked to chemotherapy resistance
3. October 27, 2008 - Socioeconomic And Treatment Factors Affect Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients' Survival
4. October 27, 2008 - Optimized Radiation For Prostate Cancer Therapy
5. October 27, 2008 - Early Trial Of New Multi-kinase Inhibitor Shows Impressive Activity In Thyroid Cancer
6. October 27, 2008 - NCI: No prostate benefit from vitamin E, selenium
7. October 28, 2008 - Statins cut key indicator of prostate cancer: study
8. October 28, 2008 - Statin use associated with reduction in prostate specific antigen levels
9. October 29, 2008 - Hot flushes may predict breast cancer drug success
10. October 29, 2008 - Pectin may fuel fruits' cancer-fighting ability
11. October 29, 2008 - A potential target for the prevention or treatment of esophageal carcinoma - also here
12. October 29, 2008 - A new Eph receptor tyrosine kinase overexpressed in gastric cancer was found
13. October 29, 2008 - If the diabetes has a direct carcinogenetic effect? - also here
14. October 29, 2008 - Candidate markers for gastric cancer - also here
15. October 30, 2008 - Vigorous exercise protects against breast cancer
16. October 30, 2008 - Cholesterol-lowering Drugs May Also Lower PSA, But Whether They Cut Cancer Risk Is Still Not Known - also here
17. October 30, 2008 - Miseries Of Allergies Just May Help Prevent Some Cancers, Study Finds
18. October 30, 2008 - Prostate Cancer Prevention: No Benefit For Use Of Selenium And Vitamin E Supplements, Study Shows
19. October 30, 2008 - 'New' Estrogen Receptor Found To Be Key Player In Tamoxifen Resistance - also here
20. October 31, 2008 - Should Metastasectomy Be Performed Before Other Treatments?
21. October 31, 2008 - Cancer Risk Of Low Dose Ionizing Radiation: New Insights From Modern Biology Provoke More Questions And Challenges
22. October 31, 2008 - New Way To Attack Some Forms Of Leukemia Discovered - also here, here
23. October 31, 2008 - Gleevec Holds Potential As First Drug To Successfully Treat Neurofibromatosis, Scientists Report - also here
24. October 31, 2008 - Cancer Requires Support From Immune System To Develop - also here
25. October 31, 2008 - Frequent Urination Protects Against Bladder Cancer, Study Finds
26. October 31, 2008 - Researchers discover a key to aggressive breast cancer - also here, here
27. October 31, 2008 - Oral rinses used for tracking HPV-positive head and neck cancers holds promise for cancer screening - also here
28. October 31, 2008 - Vigorous activity protects against breast cancer - also here
29. October 31, 2008 - A useful imaging modality for monitoring treatment response to hepatocellular carcinoma
30. October 31, 2008 - If metastasectomy should be performed before other treatments
31. October 31, 2008 - Activity cuts breast cancer risk
32. November 1, 2008 - Landmark study finds aggresive, personalized treatment increases kidney cancer patient survival
33. November 1, 2008 - DNA clue to child brain tumours
34. November 2, 2008 - New Tumor Inhibitor For Treatment Of Hereditary Breast Cancer Shows Promising Results In Mouse Model
35. November 2, 2008 - Aggressive, Personalized Treatment Increases Kidney Cancer Patient Survival, Study Shows
36. November 2, 2008 - Severe Gestational Hypertension May Protect Sons Against Testicular Cancer - also here
37. November 2, 2008 - A double-barreled immune cell approach for neuroblastoma - also here, here
38. November 3, 2008 - Personalized therapy best for kidney cancer

Diabetes

1. October 27, 2008 - More proof needed on costly diabetes drugs
2. October 27, 2008 - Costlier New Diabetes Drugs Don't Necessarily Produce Better Outcomes, Researcher Says
3. October 27, 2008 - Moderate Use Averts Failure Of Type 2 Diabetes Drugs In Animal Model - also here, here
4. October 29, 2008 - Invention: Diabetes spice
5. October 30, 2008 - New diabetes rate up 90 percent in past decade
6. October 30, 2008 - Artificial Pancreas Could Revolutionize Treatment Of Type 1 Diabetes
7. October 30, 2008 - Well-known Drug (AAT) Could Overcome Obstacles To Islet Transplantation, Study Suggests - also here
8. October 31, 2008 - Antimalarial Drug Prevents Diabetes In Arthritis Patients, Study Suggests - also here, here
9. October 31, 2008 - Type-1 diabetes not so much bad genes as good genes behaving badly, research shows - also here

Cardiovascular disease

1. October 27, 2008 - Eating Whole Grains Lowers Heart Failure Risk, According To New Study - also here
2. October 28, 2008 - Pneumonia may raise risk of sudden heart trouble
3. October 28, 2008 - Exploring Use Of Fat Cells As Heart Attack Therapy - also here, here
4. October 29, 2008 - Grapes may help lower blood pressure: study
5. October 30, 2008 - Heart rate-lowering drug improves exercise capacity in patients with stable angina - also here
6. October 31, 2008 - Grapes May Aid A Bunch Of Heart Risk Factors, Animal Study Finds - also here, here
7. November 1, 2008 - Grapes And Grape Extracts May Lower Cardiovascular Disease Risk, Review Article Suggests - also here
8. November 2, 2008 - How The Body's Clot-busting System Speeds Up Atherosclerosis - also here, here

Alzheimer's disease

1. October 27, 2008 - Epilepsy drug may help Alzheimer's patients
2. October 28, 2008 - Common Epilepsy Drug Could Prevent And Treat Alzheimer's Disease - also here, here
3. October 29, 2008 - Alzheimer's tests under fire
4. October 29, 2008 - 3-substituted indolones as novel therapeutic compounds for neurodegenerative conditions
5. October 30, 2008 - Researchers find more Alzheimer's genes
6. October 30, 2008 - Gene scan of Alzheimer's families identifies four new suspect genes - also here
7. October 31, 2008 - High-fat Diet Could Promote Development Of Alzheimer's Disease - also here, here

Inflammatory skin conditions

1. October 27, 2008 - Stress may make you itch

Antibiotics

1. October 27, 2008 - New, promising antibiotics in fight against MRSA superbug
2. October 30, 2008 - New Chemical Key Could Unlock Hundreds Of New Antibiotics - also here, here

Ghrelin and obesity

1. October 27, 2008 - Scientists develop a new strategy to fight obesity

Avian flu

1. October 27, 2008 - Genetic evidence for avian influenza movement from Asia to North America via wild birds - also here
2. October 28, 2008 - Wild birds carry avian flu viruses to U.S.: report

Rheumatoid arthritis

1. October 27, 2008 - Jab hope for rheumatoid arthritis
2. October 28, 2008 - Anti-TNF drug helps RA patients stay on the job
3. October 30, 2008 - Gum disease common with rheumatoid arthritis

Epigenetic effects of prenatal malnutrition

1. October 27, 2008 - Fetal genes record mum's starvation
2. October 31, 2008 - First evidence that prenatal exposure to famine may lead to persistent epigenetic changes - also here, here

Malaria

1. October 28, 2008 - Malaria takes on the top meds
2. October 31, 2008 - Researchers characterize potential protein targets for malaria vaccine - also here

Obesity

1. October 28, 2008 - Fight Obesity With New Antibody That Degrades Appetite Stimulant?
2. October 31, 2008 - Too much weight in pregnancy can make baby fat
3. October 31, 2008 - Gaining Too Much Weight During Pregnancy Nearly Doubles Risk Of Having A Heavy Baby - also here, here
4. November 2, 2008 - Simple Blood Test Predicts Obesity - also here

Stress and inflammation

1. October 28, 2008 - Stress May Make You Itch

Nanobiotechnology

1. October 28, 2008 - Nanoparticles Target Multiple Cancer Genes, Shrink Tumors More Effectively

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

1. October 28, 2008 - 'Superbug' bacteria are quickly growing threat

C-reactive protein and myocardial infarction

1. October 29, 2008 - Study clears protein as cause of heart disease
2. October 29, 2008 - Study Clears Protein Long a Suspect in Artery Damage

Bacterial evasion of the immune system

1. October 29, 2008 - Gene against bacterial attack unravelled - also here, here

Systems biology, glycomics, and inflammatory diseases

1. October 29, 2008 - Researchers Apply Systems Biology and Glycomics to Study Human Inflammatory Diseases - also here, here

Influenza vaccines

1. October 29, 2008 - New intranasal influenza vaccine triggers robust immunity with significantly less antigen - also here

Fat cells and melanin

1. October 30, 2008 - New Drug Target In Obesity: Fat Cells Make Lots Of Melanin - also here
2. November 7, 2008 - Melanin Production Discovered In Fat Tissue May Protect Some Individuals Against Chronic Diseases Associated With Obesity - also here, here

Cancer biology

1. October 30, 2008 - Cells with extra chromosomes share detrimental traits
2. October 31, 2008 - Key Mechanism Behind Cancer Spread Is Explained
3. October 31, 2008 - Shape shift rules cancer spread
4. November 2, 2008 - Scientists find genes that lift lung cancer risk

Hepatitis C

1. October 31, 2008 - By Imaging Live Cells, Researchers Show How Hepatitis C Replicates - also here
2. October 31, 2008 - Protein Signature May Predict Who Responds to Hepatitis C Treatment
3. November 1, 2008 - Impressive Vertex hepatitis C drug data unveiled

Stem cells

1. October 31, 2008 - Stem cell therapies for heart disease -- 1 step closer - also here, here
2. October 31, 2008 - Simple chemical procedure augments therapeutic potential of stem cells - also here, here
3. October 31, 2008 - Honeycomb to mend a broken heart

Inflammatory bowel disease

1. October 31, 2008 - Can rectal vitamin E induce remission in patients with mild to moderate ulcerative colitis?

Multiple sclerosis

1. November 1, 2008 - Interferon Could Be A Key To Preventing Or Treating Multiple Sclerosis - also here

Weight-loss drugs

1. November 1, 2008 - The yo-yo world of diet drugs
2. November 5, 2008 - Sanofi scraps all trials of Acomplia
3. November 7, 2008 - Weight loss drugs scrapped

Tissue engineering

1. November 2, 2008 - Mending broken hearts with tissue engineering - also here, here

RNAi therapy for cancer

1. November 2, 2008 - Substance tackles skin cancer from two sides - also here, here

Copyright © 2008 by Charles Daney, All Rights Reserved