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BrightSurf.com Science News Headlines December 2003
December 30, 2003
Mars exploration and the search for life is a priority says UK science minister: The latest attempts to communicate with Beagle 2 via the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank and the Mars Odyssey spacecraft have been unsuccessful. However, the Beagle 2 team has not given up hope and continues to be optimistic that efforts to contact the lander will eventually be successful.
Anthrax toxin inhibitor identified: A research team led by scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Harvard Medical School (HMS) has identified a group of small molecules that inhibit a deadly toxin associated with inhalational anthrax.
Smart materials for a next-gen vehicle: The Marine Corps' M1A1 Abrams tanks and light armored vehicles that pulled heavy duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom are expected to serve us well until 2015 and 2020. That may sound like a long way off, but it's already time to plan for their replacements.
First Double Star satellite successfully launched: The Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) successfully launched TC-1, the first of two scientific satellites known as Double Star.
Genetic master switch sends bacteria toward 'seafood dinner': Chitin, the Earth's second-most abundant biological material, is a major component in the flurry of skeletal debris discarded daily by crustacean creatures in the world's oceans.
'Smart bomb' delivery destroys tumors in mice: Scientists have destroyed malignant tumors in mice using a chemical that occurs naturally in garlic. The key to the scientists' success lies in the development of a unique, two-step system for delivering the cancer-wrecking chemical straight to the tumor cells.

December 29, 2003
Beagle 2 teams continue efforts to communicate with the lander: Two attempts to communicate with Beagle 2 during the last 24 hours - first with the 250 ft (76 m) Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, UK, and then this morning with the Mars Odyssey orbiter - ended without receiving a signal.
'Mad cow' mechanism may be integral to storing memory: Scientists have discovered a new process for how memories might be stored, a finding that could help explain one of the least-understood activities of the brain.
Argonne researchers explore confinement of light with metal nanoparticles: Optical engineering has had a tremendous impact on our everyday lives, providing us with fiber optic communications and optical data storage.
Midlife brain crisis spawns late-life Alzheimer's: A novel model of human brain aging developed by a UCLA neuroscientist identifies midlife breakdown of myelin, a fatty insulation coating the brain's internal wiring, as a possible key to the onset of Alzheimer's disease later in life.
Black soot and snow - A warmer combination: New research from NASA scientists suggests emissions of black soot alter the way sunlight reflects off snow. According to a computer simulation, black soot may be responsible for 25 percent of observed global warming over the past century.
International Space Station Status Report: The Expedition 8 crew had a busy three days of science and International Space Station maintenance activities before beginning to wind down Wednesday afternoon for a Christmas day off.

December 19, 2003
NASA releases dazzling images from new space telescope: A new window to the universe was opened with today's release of the first dazzling images from NASA's newly named Spitzer Space Telescope, formerly known as the Space Infrared Telescope Facility.
Landscapes on buried glaciers in Antarctica's dry valleys help decipher recent ice ages on Mars: Studies of the unique landscape in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica provide new insights into the origin of similar features on Mars and provide one line of evidence that suggests the Red Planet has recently experienced an ice age.
Exxon Valdez oil spill impacts lasting far longer than expected, scientists say: Assuming that oil spills such as the one that devastated Alaska's Prince William Sound almost 15 years ago and other toxic insults to the environment have only short-term impacts on coastal marine ecosystems has been a big mistake, a new study shows.
Arteries clog earlier in people with Lupus: People with the autoimmune disease lupus may develop carotid atherosclerosis (the buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries) at an accelerated rate and independently of many risk factors normally associated with cardiovascular disease.
Orbiting observatory detects organic chemistry in one of the most luminous galaxies ever found: An instrument aboard NASA's recently launched orbiting infrared observatory has found evidence of organic molecules in an enormously powerful galaxy some 3.25 billion light years from the Earth.
Less is more: New technology captures gene-rich DNA segments: Obtaining genome sequence information frequently leads to breakthroughs in the study of a particular organism. Bringing agriculturally important plant species into the genomic age is therefore an important goal.

December 18, 2003
Mars may be emerging from an ice age: NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey missions have provided evidence of a relatively recent ice age on Mars. In contrast to Earth's ice ages, a Martian ice age waxes when the poles warm, and water vapor is transported toward lower latitudes.
Study finds evidence for global methane release about 600 million years ago: Scientists at the University of California, Riverside and Columbia University have found evidence of the release of an enormous quantity of methane gas as ice sheets melted at the end of a global ice age about 600 million years ago.
Researchers say hybrid pick and place robots could be a third cheaper: Robot researchers have long looked at the science of Kinematics and particularly how it applies to parallel robotics as providing novel solutions to robotic problems.
Studies show global warming is likely to drive big changes in California's coastal waters: Global warming could have profound effects on the wind-driven upwelling of deep ocean water along the California coast, according to recent studies by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
New study reports large-scale salinity changes in the oceans: Tropical ocean waters have become dramatically saltier over the past 40 years, while oceans closer to Earth's poles have become fresher, scientists report in the December 18th issue of the journal Nature.
Researchers develop nanoscale fibers that are thinner than the wavelengths of light they carry: Researchers have developed a process to create wires only 50 nanometers (billionths of a meter) thick. Made from silica, the same mineral found in quartz, the wires carry light in an unusual way.

December 17, 2003
Scientists discover how anthrax creates its deadly spores: In the age-old battle between man and microbe, it pays to know your enemy. This is especially true for Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax. Tiny spores of this highly infectious pathogen can survive drought, bitter cold and other harsh conditions for decades, yet still germinate almost instantly to infect and kill once inside an animal or human host.
New low-temperature process produces 'pure' hydrogen: A chemist at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, was recently issued U.S. Patent 6,596,423 for his development of a novel, low-temperature process of producing 'pure' hydrogen for use in fuel cells.
Tiny nanowire could be next big diagnostic tool for doctors: A tiny nanowire sensor - smaller than the width of a human hair, 1,000 times more sensitive than conventional DNA tests, and capable of producing results in minutes rather than days or weeks - could pave the way for faster, more accurate medical diagnostic tests.
Air pollution's impact on the heart is as bad as having been a smoker: In a follow-up analysis of the most extensive study of its kind on the long-term effects of air pollution on human health, researchers have found that people living in U.S. cities face an increased risk of dying from a heart attack as a result of long-term exposure to air pollution.
Venom hunt finds 'harmless' snakes a potential danger: An Australian scientist on the evolutionary hunt for the first venomous snake found not only his snake, but that many assumed harmless snakes contain venom as toxic as the deadly cobra.
Researchers uncover pathway that could lead to plant generation of human-like protein: Researchers have found a pathway whereby plants can generate human-like proteins. This discovery could lead to an effective means of producing proteins that are medically important and do so with a method that could be effective and less expensive than current methods.

December 15, 2003
SARS coronavirus part bird, part mammal: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is formed by a combination of mammalian and avian viruses, says a new study from the University of Toronto.
Radioactive potassium may be major heat source in Earth's core: Radioactive potassium, common enough on Earth to make potassium-rich bananas one of the 'hottest' foods around, appears also to be a substantial source of heat in the Earth's core, according to recent experiments by University of California, Berkeley, geophysicists.
Extremely cold molecules created by Sandia and Columbia University researchers: Using a method usually more suitable to billiards than atomic physics, researchers from Sandia National Laboratories and Columbia University have created extremely cold molecules that could be used as the first step in creating Bose-Einstein molecular condensates.
Extensive destruction powers solar explosions: Large-scale destruction of magnetic fields in the sun's atmosphere likely powers enormous solar explosions, according to a new observation from NASA's Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) spacecraft.
Tools from the human genome project reveal a versatile microbe: Now that the human genome has been sequenced, sequencing know-how is turning to other organisms. A team of researchers, including some from the University of Iowa, has sequenced the genome of a highly versatile and potentially useful bacterium.
International Space Station Status Report: Aboard the International Space Station this week the Expedition 8 crew served as scientists, engineers, mechanics and investigators as it approaches two months of life in space aboard the orbiting outpost.

December 12, 2003
Scientists decipher genome of bacterium that remediates uranium contamination, generates electricity: Shining new light on the molecular secrets behind a microbe's capability to generate electricity and to help clean up radioactive contamination, scientists at The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) and collaborators have deciphered and analyzed the genome of Geobacter sulfurreducens.
Drug shows promise for Ebola virus treatment in primates: For the first time, scientists have successfully treated monkeys infected with the deadly Ebola virus. Ebola causes hemorrhagic fever that kills up to 80 percent of humans infected with the virus.
Physicists see solar electrons, auroras associated with recent geomagnetic storms: Using an orbiting camera designed to block the light from the sun and stars, an international team of solar physicists has been able for the first time to directly image clouds of electrons surrounding Earth that travel from the sun during periods of solar flare activity.
New method of identifying and isolating stem cells developed: Researchers at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at The Rockefeller University have discovered a new method to track and isolate elusive stem cells.
Scientists 'reconstruct' Earth's climate over past millennia: Using the perspective of the last few centuries and millennia, speakers in a press conference at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco will discuss the latest research involving climate reconstructions and different climate models.
Researchers probe how microbes speed up acid production at mining sites: Microbes are everywhere, but when they are in mined soils, they react with the mineral pyrite to speed up acidification of mine run-off water. Scientists have been trying to understand the chemistry behind this process that eventually leads to widespread acidification of water bodies and deposition of heavy metals.
NASA scientists discover spring thaw makes a difference: Using a suite of microwave remote sensing instruments aboard satellites, scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif., and the University of Montana, Missoula, have observed a recent trend of earlier thawing across the northern high latitudes.

December 11, 2003
Purdue's self-assembled 'nanorings' could boost computer memory: Recent nanotechnology research at Purdue University could pave the way toward faster computer memories and higher density magnetic data storage, all with an affordable price tag.
Gas Hydrates Æ Will they be considered in the future global energy mix?: For the first time, an international research program involving the Department of the Interior's U.S. Geological Survey has proven that it is technically feasible to produce gas from gas hydrates.
Planet-formation model indicates Earthlike planets might be common: Astrobiologists disagree about whether advanced life is common or rare in our universe. But new research suggests that one thing is pretty certain - if an Earthlike world with significant water is needed for advanced life to evolve, there could be many candidates.
NCAR scientists investigate air above Antarctica: Four scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) are studying the chemistry of sulfur and nitrogen in the air above Antarctica.
Study of erosion and precipitation in the Himalayas presents surprising findings scholars say: Scientists have found that, despite a vast difference in precipitation between the north and south sides of the Himalaya Mountains, rates of erosion are indistinguishable across these mountains.
Lightning strikes can be used to predict rainfall: When it comes to predicting rainfall during convective thunderstorms, lightning may be more accurate than radar in determining precipitation intensity and location, say University of Arizona atmospheric scientists.

December 10, 2003
Rice engineers make first pure nanotube fibers: Researchers at Rice University have discovered how to create continuous fibers of out of pristine single-walled carbon nanotubes. The process, which is similar to the one used to make Kevlar® on an industrial scale, offers the first real hope of making threads, cables and sheets of pure carbon nanotubes (SWNTs).
Researchers manipulate tiny, floating droplets on a chip: The new microfludic chip invented by Dr. Orlin Velev, Brian Prevo and Ketan Bhatt allows researchers to control the movement of tiny floating droplets.
Ebola virus-like particles prevent lethal Ebola virus infection: Scientists have successfully immunized mice against Ebola virus using hollow virus-like particles, or VLPs, which are non-infectious but capable of provoking a robust immune response.
Lightning strikes can be used to predict rainfall: When it comes to predicting rainfall during convective thunderstorms, lightning may be more accurate than radar in determining precipitation intensity and location, say University of Arizona atmospheric scientists.
History of frog deformities suggests emerging disease: A historical examination of amphibian deformities - frogs with extra legs growing out of the abdomen, for example - suggests that these aberrations are not a new phenomenon, but part of an emerging disease that could jeopardize the survival of these organisms.
New hybrid vehicle will enable US scientists to reach deepest parts of the world ocean floor: For the first time since 1960, US scientists will be able to explore the deepest parts of the world's oceans, up to seven miles below the surface, with a novel underwater vehicle capable of performing multiple tasks in extreme conditions.

December 9, 2003
Trail of black holes and neutron stars points to ancient collision: An image of an elliptical galaxy by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has revealed a trail of black holes and neutron stars stretching more than fifty thousand light years across space.
Major Greenland glacier, once stable, now shrinking dramatically: A new study using data from NASA's Landsat 7 and Terra satellites has shown that the nearby Jakobshavn Glacier is flowing faster than before, and it is retreating rapidly from the Greenland coastline.
Last catastrophic landslide protects Kilauea from next: The Hawaiian Islands are home to the largest documented shoreline collapse in history, an ancient seaward landslide that sent rocks from the island of Oahu to sites more than 100 miles offshore.
Plate Boundary Observatory will map seismic processes across North America: To some, the $100 million, five-year effort to sprinkle seismic sensors in Alaska and throughout the western United States is known as the Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO).
A hot time for cold superconductors: A new way to manufacture a low-cost superconducting material should lead to cheaper magnetic resonance imaging machines and other energy-efficient applications, say Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists.
Study reveals complex changes in West Antarctic ice streams: An Ohio State University study has revealed a complex picture of change that is occurring in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS).

December 8, 2003
Copper wire shown to be competitive with fiber optic cable for LANS: Penn State engineers have developed and simulation tested a copper wire transmission scheme for distributing a broadband signal over local area networks (LANS) with a lower average bit error rate than fiber optic cable that is 10 times more expensive.
Recycling of material may extend ring lifetimes: Although rings around planets like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are relatively short-lived, new evidence implies that the recycling of orbiting debris can lengthen the lifetime of such rings.
Earth's radiation belts spectacular following October solar storms: The belt of high-energy electrons that normally cradles Earth from afar was greatly enhanced and pushed unusually close to our atmosphere during the violent solar activity that occurred in late October.
New drug may help cancer patients in need of stem cell transplants: A new drug may help patients restore their blood-forming system after high-dose chemotherapy, according to results from a clinical trial at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.
First phylogeographic study of a rainforest tree: In species-rich rainforests of the New World tropics most trees have broad geographic distributions-from Mexico to Bolivia and sometimes to the West Indies.
International Space Station Status Report: Expedition 8 Commander and NASA ISS Science Officer Mike Foale and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri Friday wrapped up a busy week aboard the International Space Station.

December 5, 2003
Stormy space weather slips through the cracks: Immense cracks in Earth's magnetic field remain open for hours, allowing the solar wind to gush through and power stormy space weather, according to new observations from NASA's IMAGE spacecraft and the joint NASA/European Space Agency (ESA) Cluster satellites.
Zooming in on a proton packed with surprises: The structure of the proton is under the microscope at the U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) in Newport News, Virginia, where a series of experiments continues to produce unexpected results.
Progress, promise in space-based earthquake research: Nearly 10 years after Los Angeles was shaken by the devastating, magnitude 6.7 Northridge earthquake, scientists at NASA and other institutions say maturing space-based technologies, new ground-based techniques and more complex computer models are rapidly advancing our understanding of earthquakes and earthquake processes.
Researchers use crippled poliovirus to attack brain cancer: In a daring yet successful experiment to cure deadly brain tumors, researchers have combined the cancer-killing properties of poliovirus together with a harmless genetic coding element from the common cold.
Mercury in ocean fish may come from natural sources, not pollution: Mercury levels in yellowfin tuna caught off the coast of Hawaii have not changed in 27 years, despite a considerable increase in atmospheric mercury during this time, according to a new study.
'CAT-scan'-like seismic study of earthquake zone helps set the stage for fault drilling project: In a first-of-its-kind study, seismologists have used tiny 'microearthquakes' along a section of California's notorious San Andreas Fault to create unique images of the contorted geology scientists will face as they continue drilling deeper into the fault zone to construct a major earthquake 'observatory.'

December 4, 2003
Seismic monitors detect physical changes deep within faults: Seismologists have long known that the buildup of forces along fault zones cause the physical properties of rock and sediments to change deep inside the Earth, at the level where earthquakes occur.
Pulsar find boosts hope for gravity-wave hunters: Neutron star pairs may merge and give off a burst of gravity waves about six times more often than previously thought, scientists report in today's issue of the journal Nature.
UCLA study sheds new light on island evolution: Evolution of genetically distinct species that live exclusively on land can be slowed by over-water dispersal following tropical storms, according to a UCLA study that suggests classic theories of island evolution need an overhaul.
New production technique may let scientists fine-tune strength and conductivity of nanotube-laced materials: Materials fortified with carbon nanotubes are strongest when the embedded filaments run parallel to each other, but electronic and thermal conductivity are best when the nanotubes are oriented randomly.
Vanuatu - The coral reef, record of a 23,000 year history: A research team from the IRD 'Tropical Palaeo-environments and climatic variability' research unit and their American co-workers have succeeded in retracing over a 23 000 year period the history of a coral reef of the Island of Urelapa, in Vanuatu.
New fossils from Ethiopia open a window on Africa's 'missing years': An international team of researchers has announced the discovery of new fossils from the highlands of Ethiopia. The fossils fill a long-standing gap in scientists' understanding of the evolution of African mammals.

December 3, 2003
'No doubt' human activity is affecting global climate: Two of the nation's premier atmospheric scientists, after reviewing extensive research by their colleagues, say there is no longer any doubt that human activities are having measurable-and increasing-impacts on global climate.
New model for studying prions Æ mad cow disease: Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers and their colleagues in Japan and San Francisco have obtained new insight into the molecular structure of prion particles responsible for mad cow disease and other degenerative neurological disorders.
Materials could make for super LEDs, solar cells, computer chips: Engineers at Ohio State University have overcome a major barrier in the manufacture of high quality light emitting devices and solar cell materials.
Scientists unveil key nanotechnology discovery with use of DNA: A collaborative group of DuPont-led scientists have discovered an innovative way to advance electronics applications through the use of DNA that sorts carbon nanotubes.
Left side of brain activates speech from birth: For the first time, researchers have used functional magnectic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate infantbrain activity in response to speech.
Doppler ultrasound predicts risk of miscarriage: Doppler ultrasound performed in early pregnancy can accurately identify embryonic congestive heart failure and subsequent risk of miscarriage.

December 2, 2003
Meteor likely caused earth's greatest extinction event: The 'Great Dying,' a time of earth's greatest number of extinctions, appears to have been caused by the impact of a large meteor, according to a research team that includes Luann Becker, a scientist with the Institute for Crustal Studies in the Department of Geology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
After the forest fire: Evergreen needles prevent soil erosion: Once a raging forest fire is quelled, the next worry is erosion of the landscape. With vegetation destroyed, rain easily washes away the soil, causing large flows of debris and landslides. Erosion endangers sources of drinking water, streams, and roads.
Synthetic jet and droplet atomization technologies meet broad range of electronic thermal management needs: Two new technologies for removing heat from electronic devices could help future generations of laptops, PDAs, mobile phones, telecom switches and high-powered military equipment keep their cool in the face of growing power demands.
The Caucasus glaciers in the past, present and future: Hydrometeorologists have counted that within the last century the area, volume and length of the Big Caucasus glaciers decreased steadily. The process continues now and will go on in the future. Along with that, the quantity of glaciers grows.
Technique kills cancerous cells, leaves healthy cells intact: Chemists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have produced a molecule that selectively kills cancerous cells in a desired way and leaves healthy cells virtually untouched.
Calcium channels control coronary artery relaxation: Researchers have discovered that a specific type of calcium channel -- a pore-like protein that nestles in the cell membrane and controls the flow of calcium into the cell -- regulates the relaxation of coronary arteries.

December 1, 2003
The last cry of matter: 'Black holes' are truly black. When an object gets within a certain distance from a black hole, it will get swallowed forever with no chance to escape. That includes light, which means that black holes do not shine.
Brain study shows some animals crave exercise: Like junkies without drugs, mice without running wheels crave what they lack, suggesting that some animals can develop an addiction for exercise, report scientists in the Dec. 1 issue of the journal Behavioral Neuroscience.
New evidence for Solar-like planetary system around nearby star: Astronomers at the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Councils UK Astronomy Technology Centre (ATC) at the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh have produced compelling new evidence that Vega, one of the brightest stars in the sky, has a planetary system around it which is more like our own Solar System than any other so far discovered.
Biggest star in our galaxy sits within a rugby-ball shaped cocoon: Ever since 1841, when the until then inconspicuous southern star Eta Carinae underwent a spectacular outburst, astronomers have wondered what exactly is going on in this unstable giant star. However, due to its considerable distance - 7,500 light-years - details of the star itself were beyond observation.
UIC researchers create tissue-engineered joint from stem cells: Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have successfully turned adult stem cells into bone and cartilage, forming the ball structure of a joint found in the human jaw with its characteristic shape and tissue composition.
International Space Station Status Report: The two-person crew living on the International Space Station celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday, tested a modified configuration for an exercise machine and worked on science experiments this week.

[ November 2003 News Archive ]
 
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