Volume 8, Number 19 May 11, 2009

Physical sciences and technology Young spiral galaxies High-energy cosmic rays Carbon nanotubes Permian-Triassic mass extinction Nanotechnology Global warming Quantum computing Graphene Satellite galaxies and dark matter Galactic x-rays Sea level change Planck and Herschel telescopes Spitzer Space Telescope Gravitational waves and pulsars Quantum dots Terahertz technology Exobiology Hubble parameter Superconductivity Quantum nonlocality Atmospheric oxygenation and climate Extrasolar planets Spintronics Plasmonics Controlled fusion Prime numbers Dark energy Quantum entanglement Volcanism, plate tectonics, and 'snowball Earth' Life sciences Extremophiles Bacterial chlorosomes DNA repair Leukocyte movement Gene expression Early modern humans and symbolic objects MicroRNA and protein network stability Genomics Mitochondrial gene change Piwi-interacting RNA and transposons Homo floresiensis Collective cell mobility Memory T cells Salmonella virulence Circadian rhythms Dengue fever virus replication Interleukin-21 and T cell crosstalk Glycerol and yeast longevity Earliest metazoans Neuroscience, psychology, and behavior Autism Depression Estrogen and auditory function Learning and postsynaptic density Schizophrenia Phonological constancy Intention and action Decision making and confidence Glia and glutamate damage to neurons Brain-imaging studies Olfactory bulb synaptic memory Health and medicine Alzheimer's disease Cancer Nanobiotechnology Hepatitis C Cardiovascular disease Vaccine technology Obesity Malaria Parkinson's disease Cancer biology Diabetes Antibiotic resistance 'Swine' flu and cytokine storms TLR4, periodontal disease, B cells, and inflammation Stem cells Influenza-caused immune system paralysis Delivery system for RNAi therapeutics Genetics of arterial plaque rupture Antibiotic resistance Leptin, obesity, and cancer AIDS

Physical sciences and technology

Young spiral galaxies

1. May 4, 2009 - Astronomers discover ancestors of modern-day spiral galaxies

High-energy cosmic rays

1. May 4, 2009 - New data weaken link between rare, energetic particles and giant black holes

Carbon nanotubes

1. May 4, 2009 - Stretchable Nanotube Films May Advance Medical Electronics
2. May 5, 2009 - Carbon nanotubes and the environment - also here
3. May 6, 2009 - World's smallest incandescent (nano)lamp with carbon nanotube filament - also here
4. May 6, 2009 - New Nanotube Coating Enables Novel Laser Power Meter

Permian-Triassic mass extinction

1. May 4, 2009 - Fossil magnetism helps prove mass extinction theory

Nanotechnology

1. May 4, 2009 - Nano-sandwich Triggers Novel Electron Behavior
2. May 5, 2009 - Electrospun fibers could be used for protective clothing, wearable power, more
3. May 5, 2009 - Scientists demonstrate effect of confining dielectrics on semiconductor nanowire conductivity - also here
4. May 6, 2009 - DNA twisted into boxes
5. May 8, 2009 - Nano-box breaks size records
6. May 13, 2009 - Nanoscale origami folds DNA into 'medicine cabinet'

Global warming

1. May 4, 2009 - Halving Carbon Dioxide Emissions By 2050 Could Stabilize Global Warming
2. May 5, 2009 - Climate Experts Warn That Short-Term Snapshots Of Temperature Data Can Be Misleading: Focus Instead On The Bigger Picture

Quantum computing

1. May 4, 2009 - Preserving qubit coherence

Graphene

1. May 5, 2009 - Graphene could be successor to silicon for next generation microchips
2. May 7, 2009 - Researchers achieves major step toward faster chips - also here
3. May 7, 2009 - Scientists create large-area graphene on copper: Faster computers, electronics possible

Satellite galaxies and dark matter

1. May 5, 2009 - Study plunges standard Theory of Cosmology into Crisis - also here
2. May 11, 2009 - Rogue galaxies prompt rethink on Newton
3. May 14, 2009 - Could dwarf galaxies rewrite law of gravity?
4. May 16, 2009 - Do satellite galaxies point to modified gravity?

Galactic x-rays

1. May 5, 2009 - Galactic X-ray emissions originate from stars

Sea level change

1. May 5, 2009 - New Antarctic seabed sonar images reveal clues to sea-level rise - also here

Planck and Herschel telescopes

1. May 5, 2009 - Herschel and Planck Share Ride to Space - also here
2. May 5, 2009 - Herschel and Planck: The countdown begins
3. May 7, 2009 - Europe is about to take an astronomical lead over U.S.
4. May 7, 2009 - ESA to launch two large observatories to look deep into space and time
5. May 8, 2009 - Herschel Space Observatory To Lift Off On 14 May
6. May 10, 2009 - World's most daunting parking job

Spitzer Space Telescope

1. May 5, 2009 - If Spitzer Could Talk: An Interview with NASA's Coolest Space Telescope
2. May 6, 2009 - Spitzer Telescope Warms Up to New Career

Gravitational waves and pulsars

1. May 6, 2009 - Using pulsars to spot gravitational waves
2. May 21, 2009 - Mountains on neutron stars could boost gravitational wave detection
3. May 26, 2009 - Studying the 'mountains' and 'starquakes' that develop on neutron stars

Quantum dots

1. May 6, 2009 - Physicists Detect Single-Electron Tunneling with Quantum Dots

Terahertz technology

1. May 6, 2009 - Terahertz Waves Are Effective Probes for IC Heat Barriers

Exobiology

1. May 6, 2009 - Orange stars are just right for life

Hubble parameter

1. May 7, 2009 - Honing the Hubble parameter
2. May 7, 2009 - Refined Hubble Constant narrows explanations for dark energy - also here

Superconductivity

1. May 7, 2009 - New High-Temperature Superconductors Feel a Familiar Vibe

Quantum nonlocality

1. May 7, 2009 - Post-Quantum Correlations: Exploring the Limits of Quantum Nonlocality

Atmospheric oxygenation and climate

1. May 7, 2009 - The rise of oxygen caused Earth's earliest ice age - also here

Extrasolar planets

1. May 7, 2009 - Creating the astro-comb to locate Earth-like planets

Spintronics

1. May 7, 2009 - Spintronics: Nano-sandwich Triggers Novel Electron Behavior

Plasmonics

1. May 7, 2009 - Method To Integrate Plasmon-based Nanophotonic Circuitry With State-of-the-art ICs Developed

Controlled fusion

1. May 7, 2009 - Spinning fusion plasma to stabilize it

Prime numbers

1. May 8, 2009 - New Pattern Found in Prime Numbers

Dark energy

1. May 8, 2009 - New dark energy model includes cosmological phase transition - also here
2. May 12, 2009 - Dark energy froze the universe

Quantum entanglement

1. May 8, 2009 - Physicists detect entanglement of one photon shared among four locations - also here

Volcanism, plate tectonics, and 'snowball Earth'

1. May 9, 2009 - Volcanic shutdown may have led to 'snowball Earth'

Life sciences

Extremophiles

1. May 4, 2009 - Scientists finding sink holes in Great Lakes

Bacterial chlorosomes

1. May 4, 2009 - Scientists determine the structure of highly efficient light-harvesting molecules in green bacteria

DNA repair

1. May 4, 2009 - Stopgap DNA repair needs a second step - also here

Leukocyte movement

1. May 4, 2009 - White blood cells move like millipedes, scientists show - also here

Gene expression

1. May 4, 2009 - Key Function In Protein, Cell Transcription Identified

Early modern humans and symbolic objects

1. May 5, 2009 - 'The world's oldest manufactured beads' are older than previously thought - also here

MicroRNA and protein network stability

1. May 5, 2009 - Researchers find snippet of RNA that helps make individuals remarkably alike - also here

Genomics

1. May 5, 2009 - Random picks better than complicated process in gene identification
2. May 5, 2009 - Researchers develop whole genome sequencing approach for mutation discovery - also here

Mitochondrial gene change

1. May 5, 2009 - Gene may 'bypass' disease-linked mitochondrial defects, fly study suggests

Piwi-interacting RNA and transposons

1. May 5, 2009 - Specific small RNA pathways protect germ line from transposons - also here

Homo floresiensis

1. May 6, 2009 - Fossil studies add some new twists to debate about a tiny, humanlike species
2. May 6, 2009 - Hobbit origins from head to toe
3. May 6, 2009 - 'Hobbit' was a dwarf with large feet
4. May 6, 2009 - New analysis shows 'hobbits' couldn't hustle - also here
5. May 6, 2009 - Hobbits 'are a separate species'
6. May 6, 2009 - Bigfoot hobbit could be ancient island human
7. May 6, 2009 - Feet Offer Clues About Tiny Hominid
8. May 7, 2009 - Hobbit feet reignite debate
9. May 7, 2009 - Hobbit feet suggest ancient origins
10. May 7, 2009 - Hippo's island life helps explain dwarf hobbit - also here
11. May 7, 2009 - Studies say 'hobbit' previously unknown species - also here
12. May 8, 2009 - "Hobbits" Not Good Runners; Proof of New Human Species?

Collective cell mobility

1. May 6, 2009 - Cooperative forces boost collective mobility of cells - also here

Memory T cells

1. May 7, 2009 - Home of immune memory found

Salmonella virulence

1. May 7, 2009 - Salmonella Spills its Secrets on the Space Shuttle

Circadian rhythms

1. May 7, 2009 - Study reveals new data on circadian rhythms - also here

Dengue fever virus replication

1. May 7, 2009 - Visualizing virus replication in three dimensions - also here

Interleukin-21 and T cell crosstalk

1. May 8, 2009 - Scientists identify how key protein keeps chronic infection in check - also here
2. May 14, 2009 - Chronic infection now clearly tied to immune-system protein - also here

Glycerol and yeast longevity

1. May 8, 2009 - Glucose to glycerol conversion in long-lived yeast provides anti-aging effects - also here

Earliest metazoans

1. May 8, 2009 - Filling The Gap In The Fossil Record
2. May 11, 2009 - Earliest animal traces solve time-gap mystery

Neuroscience, psychology, and behavior

Autism

1. May 4, 2009 - Imaging study finds evidence of brain abnormalities in toddlers with autism - also here
2. May 4, 2009 - Research shows wide age gap between possible and actual autism diagnosis - also here
3. May 5, 2009 - First Neuroimaging Study Examining Motor Execution In Children With Autism Reveals New Insights
4. May 7, 2009 - Autism in California increases twelve-fold
5. May 8, 2009 - Research suggests children can recover from autism - also here

Depression

1. May 5, 2009 - Depression does 'make your brown eyes blue'
2. May 6, 2009 - Newer Antidepressants Not Always Better

Estrogen and auditory function

1. May 5, 2009 - Estrogen controls how the brain processes sound - also here

Learning and postsynaptic density

1. May 5, 2009 - Investigating a sometimes-faulty protein's role in brain links

Schizophrenia

1. May 6, 2009 - Flow of potassium into cells implicated in schizophrenia - also here

Phonological constancy

1. May 6, 2009 - Children as young as 19 months understand different dialects

Intention and action

1. May 7, 2009 - I think therefore I move?
2. May 7, 2009 - When Your Brain Doesn't Know What Your Body Is Doing
3. May 7, 2009 - Possible site of free will found in brain

Decision making and confidence

1. May 7, 2009 - Brain cell mechanism for decision making also underlies judgment about certainty - also here

Glia and glutamate damage to neurons

1. May 7, 2009 - Cell's split personality is a major discovery into neurological diseases - also here

Brain-imaging studies

1. May 7, 2009 - Researchers study the idling brain - also here
2. May 8, 2009 - Mental Math Linked to Eye Motion, Brain Scans Show

Olfactory bulb synaptic memory

1. May 9, 2009 - Memory For Different Smells: Synaptic Memory Found In Olfactory Bulb

Health and medicine

Alzheimer's disease

1. May 4, 2009 - Delirium may hasten Alzheimer's decline
2. May 4, 2009 - Vitamin E may slow Alzheimer's disease
3. May 4, 2009 - Memory grows less efficient very early in Alzheimer's disease - also here
4. May 4, 2009 - Researchers surprised by similar structures in Sanfilippo syndrome and Alzheimer's disease
5. May 4, 2009 - New insight into Alzheimer's disease pathology - also here
6. May 4, 2009 - Delirium may cause rapid cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease
7. May 6, 2009 - Scientists ID gene key to Alzheimer's-like reversal - also here
8. May 6, 2009 - New evidence ties gene to Alzheimer's - also here
9. May 6, 2009 - Trial drugs 'reverse' Alzheimer's
10. May 7, 2009 - Delirium Rapidly Accelerates Memory Decline In Alzheimer's Patients

Cancer

1. May 4, 2009 - Drug combo helps with repeat cancers in women
2. May 4, 2009 - Hypothyroidism in women associated with liver cancer - also here
3. May 4, 2009 - Type of lung cancer screening used to detect disease may impact 5-year survival rates
4. May 4, 2009 - Enzymatic Activity Of Factors Involved In Childhood Leukemia Clarified
5. May 4, 2009 - Suppressor Of Cytokine Signaling (SOCS)-1 Inhibits Prostate Cancer Growth
6. May 5, 2009 - New gene may provide breast cancer diagnostic marker - also here
7. May 5, 2009 - Study indicates cancer preventive effect for statins
8. May 5, 2009 - 3T MRI detects 'early' breast cancer not seen on mammography and sonography - also here
9. May 5, 2009 - How Some Immune Cells Improve Cancer Outcome
10. May 5, 2009 - Thyroid Cancer Increasing, Scientists Don't Know Why
11. May 6, 2009 - Researcher employs auto industry tools for tumor therapy
12. May 6, 2009 - New universal breast cancer marker predicts recurrence and clinical outcome - also here
13. May 6, 2009 - Two 'Types' Of Kidney Tumors Thought To Be Different Diseases Are Actually Variations Of Same Disease
14. May 6, 2009 - Statin Drugs May Protect Against Cancer And Also Result in Fewer Gallbladder Removals
15. May 8, 2009 - Chronic kidney disease may raise cancer risk
16. May 8, 2009 - New technique may help detect potential breast cancer spread - also here
17. May 8, 2009 - New clues on the link between Heliobacter pylori and stomach cancer
18. May 8, 2009 - What Blocks Effects Of Newly Developed Anticancer Therapy?
19. May 8, 2009 - Smear tests important in over 50s
20. May 10, 2009 - Glioma: Origin Of Brain Tumor Discovered
21. May 11, 2009 - Hypothyroidism linked to liver cancer in women

Nanobiotechnology

1. May 4, 2009 - Targeting tumors using tiny gold particles - also here
2. May 6, 2009 - Nanoparticles May Help Optimize Chemotherapy
3. May 6, 2009 - Four-in-One: Targeted Gene Suppression in Cancer Cells - also here

Hepatitis C

1. May 4, 2009 - Study: Patients with resolved hepatitis C likely still contagious - also here
2. May 5, 2009 - Novel antibody prevents infection by hepatitis C virus - also here

Cardiovascular disease

1. May 4, 2009 - Sleep apnea thickens blood vessels, increases heart disease risk - also here
2. May 4, 2009 - Scientists investigate estrogen, heart disease connection in women
3. May 4, 2009 - Hypertensive kids more likely to have learning/attention problems
4. May 4, 2009 - Controlling Cholesterol, Blood Pressure Adds Up To Prevent Stroke
5. May 5, 2009 - Elevated level of certain protein in urine linked to increased risk for blood clots
6. May 5, 2009 - New Light Shed On Enigma Of Salt Intake And Hypertension
7. May 6, 2009 - Sleep Apnea May Not Be Closely Linked to Heart Failure Severity - also here
8. May 6, 2009 - SCAAR registry provides reassurance on drug eluting stent safety - also here
9. May 8, 2009 - System that regulates blood pressure is amiss in some healthy, young blacks
10. May 8, 2009 - Massive decline in rates of coronary death in Iceland are largely attributed to risk factor reductions in the population - also here
11. May 8, 2009 - 30-year follow-up study: 'Tremendous' impact of smoking on mortality and cardiovascular disease - also here
12. May 8, 2009 - The cardiovascular benefits of daily exercise in school children are evident even after one year - also here
13. May 10, 2009 - New genes implicated in high blood pressure - also here
14. May 10, 2009 - Study establishes major new treatment target in diseased arteries
15. May 10, 2009 - Arrythmia Associated With Heart Attacks Linked To Higher Risk Of Death

Vaccine technology

1. May 4, 2009 - Virologists developing more potent vaccine technology - also here
2. May 4, 2009 - Nanoparticle Delivery System Developed To Induce Immunity To Certain STDs
3. May 7, 2009 - Study reveals current multi-component vaccines may need reworking - also here

Obesity

1. May 4, 2009 - New data analysis shows possible link between childhood obesity and allergies - also here
2. May 4, 2009 - Calorie restriction causes temporal changes in liver metabolism - also here
3. May 7, 2009 - Genetically engineered mice don't get obese
4. May 7, 2009 - Sleep may keep you thin: studies
5. May 7, 2009 - Study in pregnant women suggests probiotics may help ward off obesity - also here
6. May 8, 2009 - Increased Food Intake Alone Explains Rise In Obesity In United States, Study Finds

Malaria

1. May 4, 2009 - Simple Blood Test Proves Powerful Ally In The Fight Against Malaria

Parkinson's disease

1. May 5, 2009 - High urate levels may ward off Parkinson's disease

Cancer biology

1. May 5, 2009 - Scientists Measure Differences Between Normal and Cancer Cell Surfaces
2. May 6, 2009 - Three genes help breast cancer spread to brain - also here
3. May 6, 2009 - Genes found to play a role in breast cancer's spread to the brain - also here
4. May 6, 2009 - Gene allows cancer to enter brain
5. May 7, 2009 - Cancer Biologists Shed Light On The Metastatic Niche
6. May 10, 2009 - Misread epigenetic signals play role in leukemia
7. May 13, 2009 - Cancer's one-way ticket to the brain

Diabetes

1. May 5, 2009 - Tea for the treatment of type-2 diabetes
2. May 5, 2009 - New study reinforces significant role of walnuts in diet
3. May 6, 2009 - FDA backs drug that treats diabetes via the brain

Antibiotic resistance

1. May 5, 2009 - Theory shows mechanism behind delayed development of antibiotic resistance - also here

'Swine' flu and cytokine storms

1. May 5, 2009 - Does new swine flu virus kill by causing a 'cytokine storm'? - also here

TLR4, periodontal disease, B cells, and inflammation

1. May 5, 2009 - Examining TLR4 influences of B cell response - also here

Stem cells

1. May 5, 2009 - Stem Cell Focus For IBD Wound Healing
2. May 6, 2009 - Neutralizing tumor growth in embryonic stem cell therapy - also here

Influenza-caused immune system paralysis

1. May 5, 2009 - Scientists Learn Why The Flu May Turn Deadly: Influenza Virus 'Paralyzes' The Immune System

Delivery system for RNAi therapeutics

1. May 5, 2009 - Oral Delivery System For RNAi Therapeutics

Genetics of arterial plaque rupture

1. May 5, 2009 - Study sheds light on why some plaques turn deadly
2. May 5, 2009 - Calming a gene called CHOP may stabilize plaques and limit clot formation
3. May 5, 2009 - Research shows why certain arterial plaques can turn deadly - also here
4. May 5, 2009 - Scientists pinpoint fats danger

Antibiotic resistance

1. May 5, 2009 - Computers to help superbug fight

Leptin, obesity, and cancer

1. May 7, 2009 - Cancer-obesity Link Could Aid Prevention Efforts

AIDS

1. May 8, 2009 - 'Hide and seek' costly to HIV
2. May 8, 2009 - Herpes medication does not reduce risk of HIV transmission - also here

Copyright © 2009 by Charles Daney, All Rights Reserved