June 04, 2008 Science Current EventsAgent in red wine found to keep hearts young How, scientists wonder, do the French get away with a clean bill of heart health despite a diet loaded with saturated fats? Virginia Tech researchers find human virus in chimpanzees After studying chimpanzees in the wilds of Tanzania's Mahale Mountains National Park for the past year as part of a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, Virginia Tech researcher Dr. Taranjit Kaur and her team have produced powerful scientific evidence that chimpanzees are becoming sick from viral infectious diseases they have likely contracted from humans. Can we 'wipe out' MRSA? Three basic principles is all it could take to reduce the incidence of MRSA in hospitals according to a new research by Cardiff University. NARSAD Researchers Identify Specific Genes and Family Traits Linked to Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder and Depression New findings from research supported by NARSAD, the world's leading charity dedicated to mental health research, and conducted by Harvard-affiliated scientists are providing important clues into how genes work to impair various aspects of attention, memory and perception -- the behaviors associated with many psychiatric illnesses, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. Holistic Study Approach Expands Understanding of Agricultural Chemicals in the Environment An understanding how environmental processes and agricultural practices interact to determine the transport and fate of agricultural chemicals in the environment is essential for effectively addressing the widespread degradation of surface and ground waters from past, present, and future agricultural activities. While considerable research has been conducted at field or smaller scales, the holistic understanding of processes at the watershed scale, encompassing multiple environmental compartments, is generally lacking. Study finds healthy intestinal bacteria within chicken eggs: Finding could have important implications for poultry industry, food safety The conventional wisdom among scientists has long been that birds acquire the intestinal bacteria that are necessary for good health from their environment, but a new University of Georgia study finds that chickens are actually born with those bacteria. Brown researchers work toward ending cartilage loss Scientists have long wrestled with how to aid those who suffer cartilage damage and loss. One popular way is to inject an artificial gel that can imitate cartilage's natural ability to act as the body's shock absorber. But that solution is temporary, requiring follow-up injections. Biodesign's Rittmann offers promising perspectives on society's energy challenge Perhaps there is no greater societal need for scientific know-how than in finding new ways to meet future energy demands. Skyrocketing gas prices, an uncertain oil supply, increasing demand from around the world, and the looming threat of climate change have made identifying and developing realistic energy alternatives a national priority. Eating and weight gain not necessarily linked, study shows A new study shows that increased eating does not necessarily lead to increased fat. The finding in the much-studied roundworm opens the possibility of identifying new targets for drugs to control weight, the researchers say. A new satellite remote sensing tool for improving agricultural land use observation FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) data indicate that annually 2500 km3 of freshwater are used for agricultural production, which amounts to 70% of the water resources the whole of humanity consumes in a year. U of M Sets Course For Cure of Fatal Childhood Skin Disease Physicians at the University of Minnesota and University of Minnesota Children's Hospital, Fairview have set the path to a cure for a young boy's fatal genetic skin disease, recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB), by using a cord blood and bone marrow transplant. Nate Liao, a 25-month-old from Clarksburg, N.J., underwent the experimental therapy in October 2007. Gene that magnetically labels cells shows potential as imaging tool Mammalian cells can produce tiny magnetic nuggets after the introduction of a single gene from bacteria, scientists have found. The gene MagA could become a valuable tool for tracking cells' movement through the body via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), says Xiaoping Hu, PhD, professor of biomedical engineering at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology. Parasitoid turns its host into a bodyguard There are many examples of parasites that induce spectacular changes in the behaviour of their host. Flukes, for example, are thought to induce ants, their intermediate host, to move up onto blades of grass during the night and early morning. Memory in honeybees: What the right and left antenna tell the left and right brain It is widely known that the right and left hemispheres of the brain perform different tasks. Lesions to the left hemisphere typically bring impairments in language production and comprehension, while lesions to the right hemisphere give rise to deficits in the visual-spatial perception, such as the inability to recognize familiar faces. Honeybee dance breaks down cultural barrier Asian and European honeybees can learn to understand one another's dance languages despite having evolved different forms of communication, an international research team has shown for the first time. The findings are published this week in the journal PLoS ONE. CSHL scientists trace causal link between a tumor suppressor gene and liver cancer Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have taken the search for cancer-causing genes an important step forward. In a newly published paper, they confirm that a gene called DLC1 is a tumor suppressor. They have demonstrated in living mice that its deletion, inactivation or loss precipitates events culminating in an aggressive type of liver cancer closely related to common human epithelial cancers of the liver (also known as hepatocellular carcinoma, or HCC). Mammalian neurogenesis breaks into the most static brain region ifteen years ago, the discovery of adult neurogenesis (the production of new neurons) in the highly static, non-renewable mammalian brain was a breakthrough in neuroscience. Finding out what the Big Bang and ink jets have in common It often turns out there is more to commonplace everyday events than meets the eye. The folding of paper, or fall of water droplets from a tap, are two such events, both of which involve the creation of singularities requiring sophisticated mathematical techniques to describe, analyse and predict. NIST's Novel 'Noise Thermometry' May Help Redefine International Unit of Temperature After seven years of work, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have built a system that relies on the "noise" of jiggling electrons as a basis for measuring temperatures with extreme precision. Study finds link between amphetamine abuse and heart attacks in young adults Young adults who abuse amphetamines may be at greater risk of suffering a heart attack, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found. HSPH researchers discover natural inflammation-fighting mechanism in body-fat cells Scientists have discovered a previously unknown molecular signaling pathway in body fat cells that normally acts to suppress harmful inflammation. Cellular stress caused by obesity, however, can override this protective function and convert the pathway into a trigger of chronic inflammation that raises the risk of insulin resistance, diabetes, and other metabolic disorders. Low-cost airlines are now the new major players Leading low-cost airlines with a preference for small, inexpensive airports are now the largest airlines in the United States and Europe, according to an MIT expert on airport design and operations, who said that airport planners in major metropolitan areas need to accept this paradigm shift and build flexibility into airport design. Microsurgery on the brain of the fruit fly leads to new insights into irreparable nerve injuries Every year, one million Europeans are confronted with potentially irreparable brain or spinal cord injuries resulting from traffic accidents. Low HDL cholesterol from gene variation not associated with increased risk of ischemic heart disease Lower levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol due to a gene mutation is not associated with an increased risk of ischemic heart disease, according to a study in the June 4 issue of JAMA. Most ongoing diabetes trials do not include outcomes important to patients An analysis of ongoing randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in diabetes finds that only about 20 percent have as primary outcomes results that patients consider important, such as illness, pain, effect on function and death, according to a study in the June 4 issue of JAMA. Scientists develop 'cyborg engineering' for coronary bypass grafting A team of London scientists have taken a major step in making the use of artificial veins and arteries in coronary bypass grafts a reality. Firearm suicide and homicide rates associated with level of background check States that perform local-level background checks for firearms purchases are more effective in reducing firearm suicide and homicide rates than states that rely only on a federal-level background check, according to a new study by researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Glaucoma report points to increased costs A new Centre for Eye Research Australia/ Access Economics report shows the cost of glaucoma will more than double in the next two decades. Alaska Space Grant program launches B.E.A.R. The Alaska Space Grant Program and the Arctic Amateur Radio Club formed the Balloon Experiment And Research Program-or B.E.A.R. for short-in December 2007. |
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