Volume 8, Number 36 September 7, 2009

Physical sciences and technology Global warming Pulsars Galaxy mergers TeraGrid Higgs boson Nanotechnology Extrasolar planets Fullerene data storage Hydrogen storage Measuring curvature of space Cosmic rays Fuel cells Very early supermassive black hole Graphene Supercomputers Protonated napthalene in interstellar clouds Bose-Einstein condensates Magnetic monopoles Quantum computing White dwarfs Nanoplasmonics Black holes in galaxy clusters Video telepresence Life sciences Telomere-repeat-encoding RNA Cytomegalovirus evasion of the immune system Systems biology Uniquely human genes Alcohol and circadian rhythm Telomeres Regulatory T cells Non-coding RNA and gene regulation Evolutionary developmental biology of hearts Human Microbiome Project Inflammation and fat tissue Human gene mutation rate IKKε and fat metabolism Biological circuits and immune response Evolution and gene duplication Comparative genomics DNA sequencing Parallel evolution Regulation of T cell immune response Fractal structure of chromatin Biogenesis Mitochondrial timescale of human evolution Molecular evolution Lipids and gene regulation Neuroscience, psychology, and behavior Brain-imaging studies Ghrelin and circadian rhythm Brain rewiring after stroke Schizophrenia Unconscious vision Cerebral lateralization Fear and memory Canine intelligence Leptin-serotonin pathway and appetite Endocytosis and synaptic vesicles Reward vs. punishment for promoting cooperative behavior Neuron migration during brain development Alternate splicing of genes and brain development Health and medicine Cancer Cancer biology Diabetes Cardiovascular disease Multiple sclerosis Gene therapy Drug delivery Metabolic syndrome Asthma AIDS Antibiotics Obesity Rheumatoid arthritis Parkinson's disease Cancer bioinformatics Inflammation and bioactive lipids Influenza vaccines Exercise and weight gain Tuberculosis Weight gain and circadian rhythm Dementia Alzheimer's disease Stem cells Vaccines

Physical sciences and technology

Global warming

1. August 31, 2008 - Climate trouble may be bubbling up in far north
2. August 31, 2009 - Shrinking Bylot Island glaciers tell story of climate change - also here
3. September 1, 2009 - Satellites and submarines give the skinny on sea ice thickness - also here
4. September 2, 2009 - Methane gas likely spewing into the oceans through vents in sea floor - also here
5. September 2, 2009 - What's Holding Antarctic Sea Ice Back From Melting?
6. September 2, 2009 - Has runaway Arctic warming already begun?
7. September 2, 2009 - Sea levels could rise more than a meter by 2100: WWF
8. September 3, 2009 - Next Ice Age Delayed by Global Warming, Study Says
9. September 3, 2009 - Arctic at warmest levels in 2,000 years or more
10. September 3, 2009 - Arctic 'warmest in 2,000 years'
11. September 3, 2009 - Australia's warm winter a record
12. September 3, 2009 - Global Warming Could Forestall Ice Age
13. September 3, 2009 - Arctic reverses trend, is warmest in two millennia
14. September 3, 2009 - Arctic now warmest in 2000 years, researchers say
15. September 4, 2009 - Long-term Cooling Trend In Arctic Abruptly Reverses, Signaling Potential For Sea Rise
16. September 4, 2009 - World's climate could cool first, warm later
17. September 4, 2009 - Emissions Linked to End of 2,000-Year Arctic Trend

Pulsars

1. August 31, 2009 - Pulsar burns longest ever cosmic trail

Galaxy mergers

1. August 31, 2009 - Is the Milky Way doomed to be destroyed by galactic bombardment? Probably not - also here
2. September 2, 2009 - No strain for Andromeda: Galaxy is cosmic cannibal
3. September 2, 2009 - No strain for Andromeda: Galaxy is cosmic cannibal
4. September 2, 2009 - Astronomical Survey Reveals Andromeda's Galaxy-Gorging Past
5. September 3, 2009 - Cannibalism feeds galactic growth
6. September 3, 2009 - Milky Way in line for aggressive three-way merger
7. September 3, 2009 - Galaxy's 'cannibalism' revealed
8. September 3, 2009 - Milky Way's twin caught dismembering neighbour
9. September 4, 2009 - Andromeda caught devouring another galaxy
10. September 5, 2009 - Neighboring Galaxies Collided 2-3 Billion Years Ago
11. September 7, 2009 - Milky Way Expected to Survive a Beating
12. October 1, 2009 - Galactic cannibalism

TeraGrid

1. August 31, 2009 - New grant to enhance world's largest open computing network

Higgs boson

1. August 31, 2009 - Tevatron tightens up the race for the Higgs

Nanotechnology

1. August 31, 2009 - Folded nanoboxes could open door to nano-circuits
2. September 2, 2009 - 'NanoPen' may write new chapter in nanotechnology manufacturing - also here
3. September 2, 2009 - Chemists Reach from the Molecular to the Real World with Creation of 3-D DNA Crystals - also here

Extrasolar planets

1. September 1, 2009 - Can Magnetism Save a Vaporizing Planet?
2. September 3, 2009 - Will Kepler find habitable moons? - also here
3. September 3, 2009 - Kepler Telescope Could Find Habitable Moons

Fullerene data storage

1. September 1, 2009 - Carbon nanoballs as data storage units - also here

Hydrogen storage

1. September 1, 2009 - Hydrogen Storage Gets New Hope from Rechargeable 'Chemical Fuel Tank' - also here

Measuring curvature of space

1. September 1, 2009 - Precise Radio-Telescope Measurements Advance Frontier Gravitational Physics - also here

Cosmic rays

1. September 2, 2009 - Moon is target for high-energy cosmic rays

Fuel cells

1. September 2, 2009 - What's Smelly But Can Fuel a Car?

Very early supermassive black hole

1. September 2, 2009 - Giant Galaxy Hosts the Most Distant Supermassive Black Hole - also here
2. September 4, 2009 - Most Distant Galaxy With Big Black Hole Discovered
3. September 7, 2009 - Ancient black hole dates from early universe

Graphene

1. September 2, 2009 - New graphene-based nanomaterial with magnetic properties designed - also here
2. September 3, 2009 - Suspended top gates make good graphene junctions

Supercomputers

1. September 2, 2009 - SDSC dashes forward with new flash memory computer system

Protonated napthalene in interstellar clouds

1. September 2, 2009 - Component of mothballs is present in deep-space clouds - also here

Bose-Einstein condensates

1. September 2, 2009 - Electron beam builds bespoke atomic lattices
2. September 3, 2009 - Atoms don't dance the 'Bose Nova' - also here

Magnetic monopoles

1. September 3, 2009 - 'Overwhelming' evidence for monopoles
2. September 3, 2009 - Magnetic monopoles detected in a real magnet for the first time - also here
3. September 3, 2009 - Magnetic monopoles spotted in spin ices
4. September 4, 2009 - Physicists Create Magnetic Monopoles--Sort Of
5. September 4, 2009 - Hot on the trails of the mysterious monopole
6. September 4, 2009 - Researchers Claim to Cook Up Isolated Magnetic Poles

Quantum computing

1. September 3, 2009 - First-ever calculation performed on optical quantum computer chip
2. September 4, 2009 - Optical 'quantum computer chip' performs first calculation
3. September 4, 2009 - Quantum computer slips onto chips
4. September 4, 2009 - Code-breaking quantum algorithm run on a silicon chip

White dwarfs

1. September 3, 2009 - XMM-Newton uncovers a celestial Rosetta stone - also here

Nanoplasmonics

1. September 3, 2009 - Super-fast Computers Of The Future

Black holes in galaxy clusters

1. September 4, 2009 - Researchers explain the activity of black holes at the centre of galaxy clusters

Video telepresence

1. September 4, 2009 - No frontiers: ushering in a new era of conferencing technology - also here

Life sciences

Telomere-repeat-encoding RNA

1. August 31, 2009 - Researchers identify protein -- telomere interactions that could be key in treating cancer - also here

Cytomegalovirus evasion of the immune system

1. August 31, 2009 - Study reveals how a common virus eludes the immune system - also here

Systems biology

1. August 31, 2009 - Systems Biology Reveals Diversity in Key Environmental Cleanup Microbe

Uniquely human genes

1. September 1, 2009 - Genes That Make Us Human
2. September 1, 2009 - Discovery of novel genes could unlock mystery of what makes us uniquely human - also here
3. September 3, 2009 - Three human genes evolved from junk

Alcohol and circadian rhythm

1. September 1, 2009 - How alcohol blunts the ability of hamsters to 'rise and shine' - also here

Telomeres

1. September 1, 2009 - Researchers examine mechanisms that help cancer cells proliferate - also here

Regulatory T cells

1. September 1, 2009 - Promising new target emerges for autoimmune diseases - also here

Non-coding RNA and gene regulation

1. September 1, 2009 - Non-coding RNA Called Evf2 Is Important For Gene Regulation

Evolutionary developmental biology of hearts

1. September 2, 2009 - Scientists identify gene that may shape the heart
2. September 2, 2009 - First genetic link between reptile and human heart evolution - also here
3. September 7, 2009 - Heart study finds key gene to warm-bloodedness

Human Microbiome Project

1. September 2, 2009 - Scientists begin census of microbes: the trillions that live in or on us

Inflammation and fat tissue

1. September 2, 2009 - From Fat To Chronic Inflammation

Human gene mutation rate

1. September 2, 2009 - We're all mutants, say scientists
2. September 3, 2009 - Everyone is a mutant, experts say

IKKε and fat metabolism

1. September 3, 2009 - Without immune gene, rodents in a new study make heat not fat
2. September 3, 2009 - Watch the Clock to Lose Weight
3. September 4, 2009 - Mice Can Eat 'Junk' And Not Get Fat: Researchers Find Gene That Protects High-fat-diet Mice From Obesity

Biological circuits and immune response

1. September 3, 2009 - Circuit-Tweaking Reverse Engineers a Gene Network
2. September 3, 2009 - Large-scale study probes how cells fight pathogens - also here

Evolution and gene duplication

1. September 3, 2009 - Evolution's Little Helper: Copied Genes
2. September 3, 2009 - Spare gene is fodder for fishes' evolution

Comparative genomics

1. September 3, 2009 - Species diversity helps researchers refine analyses of human gene mutations - also here

DNA sequencing

1. September 3, 2009 - Expanding Next-Generation Sequencing Technologies

Parallel evolution

1. September 3, 2009 - Moths Cloaked In Color: Reexamining Parallel Evolution In Diurnal Neotropical Moths

Regulation of T cell immune response

1. September 3, 2009 - Infection-Specific T Cells Multiply to Fight Infection

Fractal structure of chromatin

1. September 4, 2009 - Cells go fractal

Biogenesis

1. September 4, 2009 - Scientists propose new hypothesis on the origin of life - also here

Mitochondrial timescale of human evolution

1. September 4, 2009 - Humans spread out of Africa later

Molecular evolution

1. September 4, 2009 - Molecular Decay of Enamel-Specific Gene in Toothless Mammals Supports Theory of Evolution - also here

Lipids and gene regulation

1. September 4, 2009 - Lipid involved with gene regulation uncovered - also here, here

Neuroscience, psychology, and behavior

Brain-imaging studies

1. August 31, 2009 - Don't Stand So Close to Me
2. September 1, 2009 - Is Tetris good for the brain? - also here
3. September 4, 2009 - Tetris players are not block heads

Ghrelin and circadian rhythm

1. August 31, 2009 - Scientists Identify Stomach's Timekeepers Of Hunger

Brain rewiring after stroke

1. August 31, 2009 - Mouse Brain Rewires Its Neural Circuits To Recuperate From Damaged Neural Function After Stroke

Schizophrenia

1. September 1, 2009 - Doubt cast on cannabis, schizophrenia link

Unconscious vision

1. September 2, 2009 - New study shows those blinded by brain injury may still 'see' - also here

Cerebral lateralization

1. September 2, 2009 - Divided Brains Are Smarter

Fear and memory

1. September 3, 2009 - Brain proteins make fears last

Canine intelligence

1. September 3, 2009 - Dogs: Kids in Fur Coats?

Leptin-serotonin pathway and appetite

1. September 3, 2009 - Newly discovered road map of leptin explains its regulation of bone and appetite - also here

Endocytosis and synaptic vesicles

1. September 3, 2009 - Gene called flower missing link in vesicle uptake in neurons - also here

Reward vs. punishment for promoting cooperative behavior

1. September 3, 2009 - Carrots are better than sticks for building human cooperation - also here
2. September 3, 2009 - Carrots are better than sticks

Neuron migration during brain development

1. September 4, 2009 - Researchers identify critical gene for brain development, mental retardation - also here

Alternate splicing of genes and brain development

1. September 4, 2009 - Researchers identify protein controlling brain formation - also here

Health and medicine

Cancer

1. August 31, 2009 - Adding breast exam to mammogram - is it worth it?
2. August 31, 2009 - Prostate cancer screening: More harm than good?
3. August 31, 2009 - New Hope for Deadly Childhood Bone Cancer - also here
4. August 31, 2009 - 'Watchful waiting' is a viable option for prostate cancer patients with low-risk tumors - also here
5. August 31, 2009 - New treatment in sight for ovarian cancer - also here
6. August 31, 2009 - Natural compounds, chemotherapeutic drugs may become partners in cancer therapy - also here
7. August 31, 2009 - Contribution of clinical breast examination to breast cancer screening - also here
8. August 31, 2009 - Overdiagnosis since introduction of prostate cancer screening - also here
9. September 1, 2009 - Men who stay trim less apt to get prostate cancer
10. September 1, 2009 - U.S. panel rejects Genzyme leukemia drug study - also here
11. September 1, 2009 - Healthy habits prevent breast cancer: study
12. September 1, 2009 - Pancreatic cancer affects blacks at higher rates - also here
13. September 1, 2009 - Why don't brain tumors respond to medication? - also here
14. September 1, 2009 - Breast cancer: Risk increases for smokers and overweight women - also here
15. September 1, 2009 - Weight gain in adulthood associated with prostate cancer risk; patterns differ by ethnicity - also here
16. September 1, 2009 - PET/CT scans may help detect recurring prostate cancer earlier - also here
17. September 1, 2009 - Scientists find genetic marker associated with ovarian cancer risk
18. September 1, 2009 - New Studies Show the Downside Of Cancer Screening
19. September 2, 2009 - New pill shows promise in hard-to-treat cancers - also here
20. September 2, 2009 - Experimental Drug Shows Promise for Several Cancers
21. September 2, 2009 - Novel anti-cancer drug yields positive response in people with advanced skin, brain cancer - also here
22. September 2, 2009 - Minimally invasive treatment found effective for esophageal cancer - also here
23. September 2, 2009 - Narrow-band imaging increases specificity of early lung cancer detection - also here
24. September 2, 2009 - IGRT may improve outcomes for obese prostate cancer patients - also here
25. September 2, 2009 - Patients' pretreatment quality of life can predict overall lung cancer survival - also here
26. September 2, 2009 - Avastin dramatically improves response, survival in deadly recurrrent glioblastomas - also here
27. September 2, 2009 - SNPs linked with prostate cancer confirmed in Japanese men too - also here
28. September 2, 2009 - Circulating Tumor Cells A Must Watch
29. September 3, 2009 - HPV vaccine could prevent breast cancer: research - also here
30. September 3, 2009 - Roche: Europe approves drug for advanced leukaemia
31. September 3, 2009 - Germany's Merck sticks to guns after drug setback
32. September 4, 2009 - Low-fat, high-fiber diet good for the colon
33. September 4, 2009 - Anticancer compound found in American mayapple - also here
34. September 4, 2009 - New research strategy for understanding drug resistance in leukemia - also here
35. September 4, 2009 - Cuban cancer drug undergoes rare U.S. trial
36. September 4, 2009 - FDA says Glaxo vaccine blocks cancer-causing virus
37. September 6, 2009 - Malignant signature may help identify patients likely to respond to therapy

Cancer biology

1. August 31, 2009 - Study reveals new genetic culprit in deadly skin cancer - also here
2. August 31, 2009 - Human Breast Cancer Hit For Six: Key Role For Six1 In Tumor Development And Metastasis
3. September 1, 2009 - Scientists identify gene that predicts post-surgical survival from brain metastasis of breast cancer patients - also here
4. September 2, 2009 - Breakthrough holds promise for development of effective cancer therapies - also here
5. September 3, 2009 - Researchers find that protein believed to protect against cancer has a Mr. Hyde side - also here
6. September 4, 2009 - Researchers discover switch that causes the body to produce cancerous cells - also here
7. September 4, 2009 - Discovery leads to rapid mouse 'personalized trials' in breast cancer - also here

Diabetes

1. August 31, 2009 - Mediterranean diet tops low-fat diet for diabetics
2. September 1, 2009 - Texas doctors bust myths about insulin
3. September 1, 2009 - A new molecule to combat diabetes and obesity - also here
4. September 1, 2009 - Exercise alone shown to improve insulin sensitivity in obese sedentary adolescents
5. September 1, 2009 - Biotransformed blueberry juice fights fat and diabetes - also here
6. September 1, 2009 - Dynamic changes in DNA linked to human diabetes - also here
7. September 6, 2009 - Scientists discover new genetic variation that contributes to diabetes
8. September 7, 2009 - Researchers Find Gene That Causes Resistance To Insulin

Cardiovascular disease

1. August 31, 2009 - For heart health: avoid tobacco smoke, pollution
2. August 31, 2009 - How much omega-3 fatty acid do we need to prevent cardiovascular disease? - also here
3. August 31, 2009 - High caffeine intake can lead to arrhythmias
4. August 31, 2009 - Surprising rate of recurring heart attacks, strokes globally - also here
5. August 31, 2009 - New assessment quantifies risks and benefits of warfarin treatment for atrial fibrillation - also here
6. August 31, 2009 - Heart failure: More or less malignant than cancer?
7. August 31, 2009 - Genes in prevention: Hopes and doubts
8. August 31, 2009 - No increased risk with drug eluting stents -- but late stent thrombosis remains a concern
9. August 31, 2009 - Otamixaban for the treatment of patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes
10. September 1, 2009 - New hope for heart failure patients: Cardiac resynchronization - also here
11. September 1, 2009 - Stent for life initiative
12. September 1, 2009 - The benefits of reperfusion therapy
13. September 1, 2009 - Researchers link inflammatory diseases to increased cardiovascular risk - also here
14. September 1, 2009 - New information about how fat increases blood pressure could help identify those at risk - also here
15. September 1, 2009 - Immediate intervention for patients with ACS not always more beneficial - also here
16. September 1, 2009 - Anticoagulant plays unexpected role in maintaining circulatory integrity - also here
17. September 1, 2009 - Valsartan Reduces Morbidity And Mortality In Japanese Patients With High Risk Hypertension: Results From The KYOTO HEART Study
18. September 1, 2009 - PROTECT Study: Effects Of Rollofylline In Acute Heart Failure. Patients With Renal Impairment.
19. September 1, 2009 - PreSCD II Registry Shows Mortality Reduction After Non-acute ICD Implantation In Myocardial Infarction Survivors
20. September 2, 2009 - Irbesartan reduces heart failure in patients with quivering heart
21. September 2, 2009 - Statin cuts heart problems after artery surgery
22. September 3, 2009 - Thin thighs - maybe not your heart's desire
23. September 3, 2009 - Thinner thighs, weaker heart - also here
24. September 3, 2009 - Improved Blood Circulation In Coronary Heart Disease
25. September 4, 2009 - How broccoli can protect your arteries
26. September 4, 2009 - 'Thunder thighs' protect your heart: study
27. September 4, 2009 - Large thighs 'may protect heart'
28. September 4, 2009 - Research reveals a broccoli boost for arteries
29. September 4, 2009 - Insomnia is bad for the heart - also here
30. September 4, 2009 - Cardiac biomarker levels strongly predict outcome of bypass surgery - also here
31. September 4, 2009 - How greens may protect the heart

Multiple sclerosis

1. August 31, 2009 - Cigarettes boost MS risk, but not through nicotine
2. August 31, 2009 - Cigarettes, not Swedish snuff linked to increased risk of MS - also here
3. September 1, 2009 - Hopes For Tailor-made Multiple Sclerosis Treatment With Mitoxantrone

Gene therapy

1. August 31, 2009 - Finding the ZIP-code for gene therapy: Scientists imitate viruses to deliver therapeutic genes - also here
2. September 1, 2009 - Promise of nanodiamonds for safer gene therapy - also here

Drug delivery

1. August 31, 2009 - New Cancer Drug Delivery System Is Effective and Reversible

Metabolic syndrome

1. August 31, 2009 - Childhood obesity: The increasing vascular drama
2. September 3, 2009 - Researchers find possible use for the vine that ate the South
3. September 4, 2009 - Antioxidant pills do not prevent metabolic syndrome

Asthma

1. August 31, 2009 - New asthma predictors needed to determine future risk in certain patients - also here
2. September 1, 2009 - Icagen's asthma drug meets main goal in mid-stage study

AIDS

1. August 31, 2009 - New Study Suggests An Unidentified Source As Cause Of Residual Viremia In HIV-1 Patients On HAART
2. September 1, 2009 - Researchers induce HIV-neutralizing antibodies that recognize HIV-1 envelope protein, lipids - also here
3. September 3, 2009 - Study finds potential way to make an AIDS vaccine
4. September 3, 2009 - Fresh targets give hope for HIV vaccine
5. September 3, 2009 - Two new antibodies found to cripple HIV: Potential key to AIDS vaccine - also here
6. September 3, 2009 - Antibodies 'may aid HIV jab hunt'
7. September 3, 2009 - Discovery of HIV's weak spot boosts vaccine quest
8. September 4, 2009 - Antibodies found that prevent HIV from causing severe AIDS

Antibiotics

1. August 31, 2009 - Virus Enzymes Could Promote Human, Animal Health

Obesity

1. September 1, 2009 - Waist-hip ratio better than BMI for gauging obesity in elderly - also here

Rheumatoid arthritis

1. September 1, 2009 - Can psychosocial stress at work put at risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis? - also here

Parkinson's disease

1. September 1, 2009 - Researchers find gene that contributes to two common neurological movement disorders

Cancer bioinformatics

1. September 1, 2009 - Computational process zeroes in on top genetic cancer suspects - also here

Inflammation and bioactive lipids

1. September 1, 2009 - Inflammatory disease treatments will improve through the use of lipidomics

Influenza vaccines

1. September 2, 2009 - Building a Better Flu Vaccine--And Giving Chickens a Rest

Exercise and weight gain

1. September 2, 2009 - Exercise minimizes weight regain by reducing appetite and burning fat first, carbs later - also here

Tuberculosis

1. September 2, 2009 - Tuberculosis treatment may be shortened - also here

Weight gain and circadian rhythm

1. September 3, 2009 - Late-Night Snacks: Worse Than You Think - also here
2. September 4, 2009 - Late-night snacks could pack on the pounds: study
3. September 4, 2009 - Eating late at night adds weight

Dementia

1. September 3, 2009 - Unhealthy habits alter thinking, memory skills

Alzheimer's disease

1. September 3, 2009 - Scientists begin to untangle root cause of Alzheimer's disease - also here
2. September 6, 2009 - Scientists find three new gene links to Alzheimer's - also here
3. September 6, 2009 - Two more genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's disease found - also here
4. September 6, 2009 - Alzheimer's genes link uncovered
5. September 7, 2009 - Three genes linked to Alzheimer's disease risk
6. September 7, 2009 - Scientists Discover 3 More Genes With Links to Alzheimer's Disease

Stem cells

1. September 3, 2009 - Transplanted human stem cells prolong survival in mouse model of rare brain disease - also here
2. September 3, 2009 - Osiris stem cell platform success hinges on 2 trials
3. September 4, 2009 - Two proteins enable skin cells to regenerate - also here
4. September 4, 2009 - Can Bone Marrow Be Quickly Revived After Destruction By Leukemia Treatment? Faster Recovery From Life-threatening Blood Cell Shortages

Vaccines

1. September 4, 2009 - Improving vaccines to trigger T cell as well as antibody response - also here

Copyright © 2009 by Charles Daney, All Rights Reserved