Volume 10, Number 7 February 14, 2011 Physical sciences Technology Life sciences Neuroscience, psychology, behavior Health and medicine

Physical sciences Merger of dwarf galaxy with Milky Way Structure of free neutrons Antimatter Neural networks and self-organizing maps Gas and dust cloud around supergiant star Quantum Hall states and non-abelian anyons Neutrino astronomy Earthquakes Manganites and the Jahn-Teller effect Coronal mass ejections Possibile habitability of interstellar planets Star-forming regions Paleoclimatology Water on Mars Effects of rotating black holes on light Magnetricity Technology Quantum computing Superconductivity Entanglement of electrical circuits DNA sequencing Brain-computer interface Graphene Supercomputing Nanowire mesh integrated circuits Fuel cells Hydrogen production Photovoltaics Bose-Einstein condensates Robotics Nanotechnology Integrated processing and storage circuits Atomtronics Plasmonics Life sciences Origins of life Phosphatase regulation of phosphoinositide signaling G protein-coupled receptors Retrotransposons and zinc finger transcription factors Streptococcus pyogenes toxin immunity Intrinsically disordered proteins Hydrogen-producing bacteria Acoelomorph flatworms Alu elements, long noncoding RNA, and protein production Proteomics and cancer c-Myc and gene expression Telomeres and aging Australopithecus afarensis Cell abscission Enhancers in gene deserts Induced pluripotent stem cells Photosynthesis Riboswitches Neuroscience, psychology, and behavior Depression Number sense and language Electrocorticography AMPA receptors Inflammation and neuropathology Vigilance decrement and attention BMP4 and error correction in brain development Urocortin proteins and regulation of stress response Age-related changes in brain network efficiency Sex and violence Testosterone and empathy Reelin and neuronal migration in brain development Heritability of pro-sociality Brain-imaging studies Ovid intelligence Brain compression of visual information Autism Genetics of language learning Sugar residues and motor neuron survival and growth Neural target recognition in brain development Health and medicine Cancer Diabetes Cancer as primitive metazoan Salmonella, ribozymes, and gene therapy Multiple sclerosis Cardiovascular disease Lifestyle, genetics, and longevity Obesity Chocolate, polyphenols, and cholesterol regulation Influenza vaccines Canine detection of cancer Mathematical modeling for drug development Use of messenger RNA in gene therapy Stem cells Parkinson's disease Alzheimer's disease Lonliness and inflammatory disease Cancer biology Celiac disease Staphylococcus aureus antibiotics AIDS Spinal cord repair Nanobiotechnology Avian flu

Physical sciences

Merger of dwarf galaxy with Milky Way

1. February 7, 2011 - Galaxy "Crumbs" Found in Milky Way - Proof of Recent Feeding
2. February 8, 2011 - Dwarf galaxy remnant found in Milky Way
3. February 11, 2011 - Milky Way munched on galactic snack
4. February 17, 2011 - Astronomers dig up cannibalised galaxy

Structure of free neutrons

1. February 7, 2011 - Bound neutrons pave way to free ones

Antimatter

1. February 7, 2011 - Antimatter atoms ready for their close-up

Neural networks and self-organizing maps

1. February 7, 2011 - Neural networks make intelligent sensors, smarter grids

Gas and dust cloud around supergiant star

1. February 7, 2011 - 3-D Image Reveals 'Chubby' Supergiant Star

Quantum Hall states and non-abelian anyons

1. February 7, 2011 - A landmark proof
2. February 17, 2011 - Wavefunction's unconventional statistics manifested

Neutrino astronomy

1. February 7, 2011 - IceCube opens up a window on energy in the universe

Earthquakes

1. February 8, 2011 - Researcher says the next large central US earthquake may not be in New Madrid
2. February 10, 2011 - Lake-effect theory sinks, but quake timing questions go on

Manganites and the Jahn-Teller effect

1. February 9, 2011 - Delving into manganite conductivity

Coronal mass ejections

1. February 9, 2011 - Clouds On the Sun Explode with Earth-Like Qualities

Possibile habitability of interstellar planets

1. February 10, 2011 - Rogue Planets Could Harbor Life
2. February 11, 2011 - Outcast Planets Could Support Life
3. February 20, 2011 - Starless planets may be habitable after all
4. March 2, 2011 - Orphan planets could support life
5. March 9, 2011 - Earth-Size "Lone Wolf" Planets May Host Life

Star-forming regions

1. February 10, 2011 - Thousands of New Stars Emerge in Glowing Nebula
2. February 10, 2011 - American Beauty
3. February 11, 2011 - Life in the North American nebula provides new view
4. February 11, 2011 - A nebula by any other name

Paleoclimatology

1. February 10, 2011 - Antarctic sea temperatures cooled in Holocene but now rising: study
2. February 11, 2011 - Arctic climate variation under ancient greenhouse conditions

Water on Mars

1. February 10, 2011 - Gushing flood formed giant Martian sinkhole

Effects of rotating black holes on light

1. February 13, 2011 - How to spot a spinning black hole
2. February 13, 2011 - Black holes take light for a spin
3. February 13, 2011 - Black holes put new spin on light
4. February 14, 2011 - The Sight of Twisted Light Could Reveal a Spinning Black Hole
5. February 14, 2011 - Spinning black holes 'twist light'
6. February 14, 2011 - Pasta-Shaped Light From Spinning Black Holes Could Challenge Einstein
7. February 14, 2011 - Twisted Light Could Enable Black Hole Detection
8. February 14, 2011 - How to spot a spinning black hole
9. February 14, 2011 - How to spot a spinning black hole: Twisted space-time should be visible from Earth, say researchers
10. February 14, 2011 - Message in a wobble: Black holes send memos in light
11. February 15, 2011 - Findings Could Put a New Spin on Black Holes
12. February 15, 2011 - Spinning black holes twist light

Magnetricity

1. February 13, 2011 - Currents of monopole-like magnetic charges act much like electricity - also here

Technology

Quantum computing

1. February 7, 2011 - Quantum optimizer a quantum step in the right direction

Superconductivity

1. February 7, 2011 - Neutron analysis reveals '2 doors down' superconductivity link
2. February 11, 2011 - Compact high-temperature superconducting cables demonstrated at NIST
3. February 13, 2011 - Fleeting fluctuations in superconductivity disappear close to transition temperature

Entanglement of electrical circuits

1. February 7, 2011 - Touching from a distance

DNA sequencing

1. February 8, 2011 - Gene reading steps up a gear

Brain-computer interface

1. February 8, 2011 - Researchers working on tiny, implantable computers to restore lost brain functions
2. February 10, 2011 - New generation of prosthetic gets closer to the real limb

Graphene

1. February 8, 2011 - Long and narrow, free of defects, and soluble: graphene nanoribbons by bottom-up synthesis

Supercomputing

1. February 8, 2011 - U.S. commissions beefy IBM supercomputer
2. February 11, 2011 - Energy aims to retake supercomputing lead from China

Nanowire mesh integrated circuits

1. February 9, 2011 - Criss-crossed nanowires can compute
2. February 9, 2011 - Building "bottom-up" circuits using nanowires
3. February 9, 2011 - Harvard Team Makes Programmable Logic from Nanowires
4. February 9, 2011 - Harvard Engineers Build Tiny Processors out of Nanowires
5. February 9, 2011 - Building "bottom-up" circuits using nanowires
6. February 9, 2011 - Programmable Logic Tiles Could Form Basis of Nanoprocessors
7. February 9, 2011 - Researchers produce world's first programmable nanoprocessor

Fuel cells

1. February 9, 2011 - Bracing catalyst in material makes fuel cell component work better, last longer

Hydrogen production

1. February 9, 2011 - Nanonets give rust a boost as agent in water splitting's hydrogen harvest

Photovoltaics

1. February 9, 2011 - Solar cells can be made thinner and lighter with the help of aluminum particles
2. February 10, 2011 - New Si based photovoltaic cells may be the light of the future

Bose-Einstein condensates

1. February 9, 2011 - Ultracold atoms race around laser circuit

Robotics

1. February 10, 2011 - Thanks to RoboEarth the bots can learn on their own

Nanotechnology

1. February 10, 2011 - Simpler fabrication of nanogaps

Integrated processing and storage circuits

1. February 10, 2011 - New nanostructure combines memory and logic elements
2. February 11, 2011 - Read-write device offers new architecture for information processing

Atomtronics

1. February 11, 2011 - 'Atomtronics' may be the new 'electronics'

Plasmonics

1. February 11, 2011 - Light through a blocked hole? Plasmonics is the answer

Life sciences

Origins of life

1. February 7, 2011 - Clay-armored bubbles may have formed first protocells

Phosphatase regulation of phosphoinositide signaling

1. February 7, 2011 - Study uncovers key mechanisms of cell communication

G protein-coupled receptors

1. February 7, 2011 - Receptor behaviors observed in living cell membranes

Retrotransposons and zinc finger transcription factors

1. February 8, 2011 - Selfish genes may have helped make us human

Streptococcus pyogenes toxin immunity

1. February 8, 2011 - Turning bacteria against themselves

Intrinsically disordered proteins

1. February 8, 2011 - Researchers develop method to identify fleetingly ordered structures from intrinsically disordered protein

Hydrogen-producing bacteria

1. February 8, 2011 - Buried microbes coax energy from rock

Acoelomorph flatworms

1. February 9, 2011 - Evolution: A can of worms
2. February 9, 2011 - Animal Kingdom Gains Phylum But Loses Link
3. February 9, 2011 - Revisited human-worm relationships shed light on brain evolution
4. February 9, 2011 - Simple marine worms distantly related to humans
5. February 10, 2011 - New evolutionary research disproves living missing link theories
6. February 16, 2011 - Xenacoelomorpha -- a new phylum in the animal kingdom

Alu elements, long noncoding RNA, and protein production

1. February 9, 2011 - Scientists discover gene regulation mechanism unique to primates

Proteomics and cancer

1. February 9, 2011 - Developing a library of cancer proteins

c-Myc and gene expression

1. February 9, 2011 - Making use of cellular 'noise'

Telomeres and aging

1. February 10, 2011 - Root molecular cause of declining health in the old found by scientists - also here

Australopithecus afarensis

1. February 10, 2011 - These bones were made for walking
2. February 10, 2011 - Lucy Had a Spring in Her Step
3. February 10, 2011 - Fossil foot bone shows our ancestor had two feet firmly on the ground
4. February 10, 2011 - Foot Bone Puts Prehuman Lucy on a Walking Path
5. February 10, 2011 - Lucy's feet were made for walking
6. February 10, 2011 - Fossil find puts 'Lucy' story on firm footing
7. February 10, 2011 - Does an Arched Foot Bone Prove That Lucy Loved to Walk?
8. February 10, 2011 - Lucy's Feet Were Arched and Stiff, Just Like Ours
9. February 10, 2011 - "Lucy" Was No Swinger, Walked Like Us, Fossil Suggests
10. February 10, 2011 - 3.2 million-year-old fossil foot bone supports humanlike bipedalism in Lucy's species
11. February 10, 2011 - Kin of Famous Lucy Had Feet Like Modern People - also here
12. February 10, 2011 - The twist that shows Lucy wasn't flat-footed
13. February 10, 2011 - Found: Ancient Bone That Let Humans Walk Upright
14. February 11, 2011 - Fossil proves our ancestor 'Lucy' was bipedal
15. February 11, 2011 - Old bone proves Lucy was no swinger
16. February 11, 2011 - Lucy Walked Tall, a Foot Bone Suggests
17. February 12, 2011 - Reaction round-up: Lucy's feet made for walking

Cell abscission

1. February 10, 2011 - Cell division with a twist
2. February 10, 2011 - Final bit of cell division revealed
3. February 11, 2011 - Cells cut ties with a twist

Enhancers in gene deserts

1. February 9, 2011 - Searching for the soul of the genome
2. February 10, 2011 - Not so useless after all: even "gene deserts" have oases

Induced pluripotent stem cells

1. February 9, 2011 - Value of iPS cells proved in two studies

Photosynthesis

1. February 10, 2011 - Taking the mystery out of photosynthesis

Riboswitches

1. February 13, 2011 - Study sheds light on RNA 'on/off switches'

Neuroscience, psychology, and behavior

Depression

1. February 7, 2011 - Brain implants have long-lasting effect on depression
2. February 7, 2011 - Scientists find new link between genes and stress response, depression
3. February 7, 2011 - A second pathway for antidepressants: New fluorescent assay reveals TREK1 mechanism
4. February 9, 2011 - Genetic variation linked to depession risk
5. February 9, 2011 - Study links gene variant to depression

Number sense and language

1. February 7, 2011 - Words help people form mathematical concepts
2. February 7, 2011 - Language May Play Important Role in Learning the Meanings of Numbers
3. February 7, 2011 - Without language, numbers make no sense
4. February 8, 2011 - Counting may be cultural, not innate
5. February 8, 2011 - Study: Math Skills Rely on Language, Not Just Logic
6. February 8, 2011 - Numbers Need Language to Make Sense in Our Minds
7. February 8, 2011 - Study: Math Skills Rely on Language, Not Just Logic
8. February 8, 2011 - Counting may be cultural, not innate

Electrocorticography

1. February 7, 2011 - Brain's 'radio stations' have much to tell scientists

AMPA receptors

1. February 7, 2011 - Researchers get a grip on nervous system's receptors

Inflammation and neuropathology

1. February 7, 2011 - Genes of the immune system are associated with increased risk of mental illness

Vigilance decrement and attention

1. February 8, 2011 - Brief diversions vastly improve focus, researchers find

BMP4 and error correction in brain development

1. February 8, 2011 - Trial and error: The brain learns from mistakes
2. February 8, 2011 - Brain's 'constant gardener' discovered
3. February 9, 2011 - Baby brains rewire themselves

Urocortin proteins and regulation of stress response

1. February 8, 2011 - Turning off stress

Age-related changes in brain network efficiency

1. February 8, 2011 - Brain 'maps' reveal clue to mental decline

Sex and violence

1. February 9, 2011 - Sex and violence linked in the brain
2. February 9, 2011 - Shedding light on sex and violence in the brain
3. February 9, 2011 - Neuroscientists track the physical source of aggression in mice
4. February 9, 2011 - Scientists discover a tangle of neurons that control aggression
5. February 9, 2011 - Sex and aggression are bad bedfellows in the brain
6. February 10, 2011 - A Blast of Light to the Brain Can Make Mice Mean

Testosterone and empathy

1. February 9, 2011 - Extra testosterone reduces your empathy

Reelin and neuronal migration in brain development

1. February 9, 2011 - New study presents surprising view of brain formation
2. February 9, 2011 - 'GPS' protein guides neurons to brain's language centre

Heritability of pro-sociality

1. February 9, 2011 - 'Niceness' partly genetic, say scientists
2. February 10, 2011 - 'Niceness' is partly inherited
3. February 10, 2011 - 'Niceness' partly genetic, say scientists

Brain-imaging studies

1. February 9, 2011 - Neural mechanisms linked with vulnerability to anxiety
2. February 9, 2011 - What makes fructose fattening? Researchers find some answers in the brain
3. February 10, 2011 - Chinks in the brain circuitry make some more vulnerable to anxiety

Ovid intelligence

1. February 9, 2011 - The sharpest mind in the farmyard
2. February 21, 2011 - Shear brain power - sheep smarter than previously believed

Brain compression of visual information

1. February 10, 2011 - How the brain compresses visual information

Autism

1. February 10, 2011 - Eating disorders linked with autism in school children

Genetics of language learning

1. February 11, 2011 - Language learning influenced by genes

Sugar residues and motor neuron survival and growth

1. February 11, 2011 - Sugar residues regulate growth and survival of nerve cells - also here, here

Neural target recognition in brain development

1. February 13, 2011 - Partnership of genes affects the brain's development

Health and medicine

Cancer

1. February 7, 2011 - Overactive immune systems may protect against certain types of brain tumor - also here
2. February 7, 2011 - Allergies lower risk of low- and high-grade glioma
3. February 7, 2011 - Risk of cancer increases with exposure to low-dose radiation
4. February 7, 2011 - Protein may be key to new treatment in a childhood cancer
5. February 8, 2011 - Lymph Node Study Shakes Pillar of Breast Cancer Care
6. February 8, 2011 - Proteins driving tumor cell death discovered with new cancer drug
7. February 8, 2011 - Lack of sleep found to be a new risk factor for colon cancer
8. February 8, 2011 - Some Breast Cancer Patients Can Skip Node Surgery - also here
9. February 9, 2011 - Certain Breast Cancer Patients May Nix Node Surgery
10. February 9, 2011 - Breast-cancer study questions lymph node removal
11. February 9, 2011 - Breast cancer patients may not need lymph nodes removed, study finds
12. February 9, 2011 - For Some Breast Cancer Patients, Node Surgery May Not Be Necessary
13. February 9, 2011 - Bile acids link high-fat diet to colon cancer
14. February 9, 2011 - Photodynamic therapy against cancer
15. February 9, 2011 - Everolimus improves progression-free survival for patients with rare pancreatic cancer
16. February 9, 2011 - Lasers target lymph node cancers in mice
17. February 9, 2011 - Breast-cancer study questions lymph node removal
18. February 10, 2011 - Tumor cells in transit along a laser-lit cancer highway
19. February 11, 2011 - Offspring of female rats given folic acid supplements develop more breast cancer
20. February 11, 2011 - Laser stops spreading cancer cells in their tracks

Diabetes

1. February 7, 2011 - A potential benefit in prehistoric lean times, genetic variant may increase risk of gestational diabetes today - also here
2. February 7, 2011 - Evolution led to genetic variation that may affect diabetes, scientist says
3. February 10, 2011 - Trial will test whether surgery is the best option for type 2 diabetes

Cancer as primitive metazoan

1. February 7, 2011 - Conceptualizing cancer cells as ancient 'toolkit'
2. February 8, 2011 - Astrobiologists design cancer-fighting model
3. February 8, 2011 - Researchers ponder cancer origins
4. February 8, 2011 - Astrobiology meets cancer research

Salmonella, ribozymes, and gene therapy

1. February 7, 2011 - Researchers turn Salmonella into antiviral gene therapy agent
2. February 10, 2011 - Meet the newest virus fighter: Salmonella

Multiple sclerosis

1. February 7, 2011 - Sun exposure, vitamin D may lower risk of multiple sclerosis
2. February 10, 2011 - Researchers find reduced levels of an important neurotransmitter in MS

Cardiovascular disease

1. February 7, 2011 - Nicotinic acid blocks immune cells in atherosclerosis
2. February 9, 2011 - Diet soda may raise odds of vascular events; salt linked to stroke risk
3. February 9, 2011 - Memory problems may be sign of stroke risk
4. February 9, 2011 - Strokes are rising fast among young, middle-aged - also here
5. February 9, 2011 - Diet soda tied to stroke risk, but reasons unclear - also here
6. February 10, 2011 - Changing views about saturated fat and cardiovascular disease

Lifestyle, genetics, and longevity

1. February 7, 2011 - Lifestyle affects life expectancy more than genetics

Obesity

1. February 7, 2011 - Voles and weasels offer clues into human obesity
2. February 7, 2011 - Obesity linked to income, education; not sprawl

Chocolate, polyphenols, and cholesterol regulation

1. February 7, 2011 - New explanation for heart-healthy benefits of chocolate

Influenza vaccines

1. February 7, 2011 - Universal flu vaccine successfully tested: report - also here
2. February 7, 2011 - Early success for universal flu vaccine

Canine detection of cancer

1. February 7, 2011 - Urine-sniffing dogs: Early detection of prostate cancer

Mathematical modeling for drug development

1. February 7, 2011 - Math may help calculate way to find new drugs for HIV and other diseases

Use of messenger RNA in gene therapy

1. February 7, 2011 - Save messengers -- modified mRNAs open up new therapeutic possibilities

Stem cells

1. February 7, 2011 - Unappreciated dynamism of blood cell production

Parkinson's disease

1. February 8, 2011 - Dramatic improvement in Parkinson disease symptoms
2. February 10, 2011 - New research implicates natural toxin as triggering Parkinson's disease
3. February 11, 2011 - Compound blocks brain cell destruction in Parkinson's disease
4. February 11, 2011 - Naturally occurring brain signaling chemical may be useful in understanding Parkinson's
5. February 12, 2011 - Two pesticides associated with Parkinson's disease: study
6. February 13, 2011 - US study links pesticides to Parkinson's disease - also here
7. February 14, 2011 - Study links pesticides to Parkinson's

Alzheimer's disease

1. February 8, 2011 - Combining brain imaging, genetic analysis may help identify people at early risk of Alzheimer's
2. February 10, 2011 - Chemists make discovery that may lead to drug treatment possibilities for Alzheimer's
3. February 11, 2011 - Preliminary new blood test to detect Alzheimer's disease uncovered

Lonliness and inflammatory disease

1. February 8, 2011 - Loneliness triggers unhealthy immune response, study finds

Cancer biology

1. February 9, 2011 - Prostate Cancer Genome Reveals Wandering Genes
2. February 13, 2011 - Scientists discover potential new target for prostate cancer treatment

Celiac disease

1. February 9, 2011 - Human and mouse studies sharpen focus on cause of celiac disease

Staphylococcus aureus antibiotics

1. February 10, 2011 - The Staph Bug's Achilles' Heel
2. February 10, 2011 - Cellular chaos fights infection
3. February 10, 2011 - A new way to attack pathogens: RNA recycling system gone awry brings MRSA to a halt

AIDS

1. February 10, 2011 - Circulating blood antibodies are not required for HIV protection

Spinal cord repair

1. February 10, 2011 - Spaghetti junction bridges gaps in broken spines

Nanobiotechnology

1. February 11, 2011 - Nanoparticles may enhance circulating tumor cell detection

Avian flu

1. February 13, 2011 - S. Korea detects fresh bird flu outbreaks

Copyright © 2011 by Charles Daney, All Rights Reserved