| June 30, 2003 |
| Filming an ultra-fast
biological reaction essential to life: A team of scientists
have managed to film a protein at work in unprecedented detail. The
protein is the oxygen-storing molecule myoglobin, which plays a central
role in the production of energy in muscles. |
| New study demonstrates
bone protein can reverse kidney failure: A new study
led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC)
has shown that a protein used to heal fractured bones is effective
in repairing and reversing chronic renal disease, a leading cause of
morbidity and mortality throughout the U.S. |
| Minimal long-term
effects of marijuana use found in central nervous system: An
analysis of research studies with long-term, recreational users of
marijuana has failed to reveal a substantial, systematic effect on
the neurocognitive functioning of users. |
| Scientists find
potential stem cells in amniotic fluid Š a new source?: Research
by Austrian geneticists has raised the possibility that stem cells
could be isolated from amniotic fluid - the protective 'bath water'
that surrounds the unborn baby. |
| Taiwan SARS fight
aided by telescience: Since February, more than 8000
cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and 600 deaths have
been reported to the World Health Organization. |
| Astronomers find
Paschen in the bar: An international team of astronomers
have used a unique instrument on the 8-m Gemini South Telescope to
determine the ages of stars across the central region of the barred
spiral galaxy, M83. |
| Scientists find what
type of genes affect longevity: Tracing all the genetic
changes that flow from a single mutation, UCSF scientists have identified
the kinds of genes and systems in the body that ultimately allow a
doubling of lifespan in the roundworm, C. elegans. |
June 27-28, 2003 |
| Helios prototype
solar aircraft lost in flight mishap: The remotely operated
Helios Prototype aircraft, a proof-of-concept solar-electric flying
wing designed to operate at extremely high altitudes for long duration,
was destroyed when it crashed during a checkout flight from the U.S.
Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) on the Hawaiian island
of Kauai. |
| Study traces global
spread of virulent dengue virus to US doorstep: A new
study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill describes
the emergence and spread of a virulent form of dengue virus from the
Indian subcontinent to Latin America, including Mexico. |
| Charting seismic
effects on water levels can refine earthquake understanding: Just
last November, the magnitude 7.9 Denali earthquake in Alaska was credited
with sloshing water in Seattle's Lake Union and Lake Pontchartrain
in New Orleans, and was blamed the next day when muddy tap water turned
up in Pennsylvania, where some water tables dropped as much as 6 inches. |
| NASA's Odyssey orbiter
watches a frosty Mars: NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft
is revealing new details about the intriguing, dynamic character of
the frozen layers now known to dominate the high northern latitudes
of Mars. |
| Archaeologists,
students at UNC, discover two Indian settlements key in US history: Using
centuries-old records, trowels, spoons and other tools -- and generating
much sweat equity in the process -- University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill archaeologists and students have discovered what they say
are two of the most important Indian settlements in the early history
of the United States. |
| European Node officially
handed to NASA: Six years of hard work came to fruition
when ESA formally transferred ownership of Node 2 to NASA on 18 June
2003. This took place in the Space Station Processing Facility of the
Kennedy Space Center in Florida. |
| New catalyst paves
way for cheap, renewable hydrogen: Scientists have developed
a hydrogen-making catalyst that uses cheaper materials and yields fewer
contaminants than do current processes, while extracting the element
from common renewable plant sources. |
June 26, 2003 |
| Behavior of arctic
ocean ridge confounds predictions; May lead to new insights into crust
formation: The discovery that an ocean ridge under the
Arctic ice cap is unexpectedly volcanically active and contains multiple
hydrothermal vents may cause scientists to modify a decades-long understanding
of how ocean ridges work to produce the Earth's crust. |
| Internal waves appear
to have the muscle to pump up mid-latitudes: When internal
waves up to 300 feet first form they cause a mighty churning of ocean
waters – something invisible to and unfelt by anyone at the surface. |
| Scientists announce
first 3-D assembly of magnetic and semiconducting nanoparticles: Scientists
from Columbia University, IBM and the University of New Orleans today
announced a new, three-dimensional designer material assembled from
two different types of particles only billionths of a meter across. |
| Pox to pimples;
study says acne-like outbreak not vaccinia: The national
smallpox vaccine program proved last year to be a bumpy road; it was
also especially spotty for about 10 percent Vanderbilt's vaccinated
volunteers who broke out in a curious acne-like rash. |
| Researcher pinpoints
cause of inherited auditory neuropathy: Study finds hearing
disorder rooted in low cell count in auditory nerves shifting focus
and debate on possible therapies. |
| Computer simulations
mimic growth of 'dizzy dendrites': Crystals are more
than just pretty faces. Many of the useful properties associated with
metal alloys or polymer blends -- like strength, flexibility and clarity
-- stem from a material's specific crystal microstructure. |
June 25, 2003 |
| Antenna anomaly may
affect SOHO scientific data transmission: The Solar and
Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft expects to experience a
blackout in the transmission of its scientific data during the week
of 22 June 2003. This is estimated to last for about two and a half
to three weeks. |
| NASA biotechnology
activities enhancing quality of life: What do an anthrax-killing
device, soybeans in space, artificial bone replacement materials, light-emitting
diodes for wound healing, a new medicine to treat bone loss, a water
bottle that filters out bacteria, a perfume, and advanced techniques
for pharmaceutical drug design have in common? |
| New instrument tests
the metal of WTC steel: A new instrument that operates
like an air-powered battering ram is being used to study steel salvaged
from the World Trade Center (WTC), a key element in the agency's two-year
building and fire safety investigation of the Sept. 11 disaster. |
| Green, black tea
extracts found to lower cholesterol: A clinical trial
testing a theaflavin-enriched green tea extract is the first human
study to find that a tea product lowers cholesterol. |
| Alien earthworms
changing ecology of Northeast forests: Some forests throughout
the Northeast are rapidly changing, but most observers won't notice
it unless they take a close look at the soil beneath their feet. |
| Ultrafast laser reveals
details about slow electrons: With the help of ultrafast
lasers, Dutch researcher Anouk Wetzels from the FOM Institute for Atomic
and Molecular Physics has visualised the wave function of slow electrons. |
| Reducing the risk
of frost damage to short-season crops: Scientists are
working to understand what controls flowering time and maturity in
soybean production. |
June 24, 2003 |
| Researchers develop
technique that could open doors to faster nanotech commercialization: Engineers
have found an innovative way to grow silicon nanowires and carbon nanotubes
directly on microstructures in a room temperature chamber, opening
the doors to cheaper and faster commercialization of a myriad of nanotechnology-based
devices. |
| PET provides insight
into schizophrenic brain function: Schizophrenia is a
devastating disease that affects some 2.5 million Americans. Doctors
and researchers are striving to better understand this disease; most
believe the neurotransmitter dopamine (DA) plays a crucial role in
the disease. |
| Researchers find
effects of Alzheimer's disease may be influenced by education: Researchers
at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center have found that the
more formal education a person has, the better his or her memory and
learning ability, even in the presence of brain abnormalities characteristic
of Alzheimer's disease (AD). |
| Airbus A380 Mega-liner
- Weight Savings by Titanium: The titanium parts implemented
in the new Airbus A380 aircraft will constitute about 9 % by weight.
The new mega-liner basic version is able to transport 555 passengers
over a distance of 14.800 kilometres at a speed of Mach 0.85. Length
and wingspan do not exceed 80m. |
| Researchers warn
that AIDS in India could become as dire as in Africa: The
epidemic of HIV/AIDS in India is following the same pattern as that
of sub-Saharan Africa in the 1980s, and it could become just as devastating
unless preventive action is taken now. |
| New hope for children
with eye tumors, cancer: A deadly form of cancer in children,
which starts out as a tumor in the eye, can now be treated successfully
by a combination of therapies. |
| Scientists identify
genetic link between cancer and aging: A collaboration
of scientists has made an important discovery linking the powerful
cancer-causing oncogene, myc, with the gene behind the premature aging
disease, Werner syndrome. |
June 23, 2003 |
| South America shines
in NASA's latest space radar map release: Straddling
the equator and engaged in a titanic clash of great tectonic plates,
South America is home to some of the most scenic landscapes in the
world. Yet with its frequent tropical cloud cover, has made it difficult
to obtain traditional satellite imagery. |
| Physicists create
nanoscale sensor: UCLA physicists have created a first-of-its-kind
nanoscale sensor using a single molecule less than 20 nanometers long
-- more than 1,000 times smaller than the thickness of a human hair. |
| Scientists discover
gene that maintains genome integrity by limiting DNA replication: A
team of cell biologists at the University of Georgia, led by Dr. Edward
Kipreos, has discovered a gene that maintains genome stability by controlling
the level of DNA replication. |
| Tree-Ring Scientists
Saddened by Mount Lemmon Forest Fire: Scientists at the
Univeristy of Arizona Tree-Ring Laboratory yesterday could see flames
on Mount Lemmon from their offices in West Stadium on the university
campus. |
| International Space
Station Status Report: Expedition 7 Commander Yuri Malenchenko
and NASA International Space Station Science Officer Ed Lu donned Hawaiian
aloha shirts this week to show off some of the clothing they had unpacked
from a newly arrived Russian resupply craft. |
June 20, 2003 |
| Nighttime clouds
shed light on space weather: NASA is looking for the
opportunity, beginning June 23, to launch rocket experiments that will
form nighttime clouds in a project intended to shed light on space
weather. |
| Ovarian cancer cells
killed by new drug: Doctors in Europe are hopeful that
a new drug, which acts in a different way from other drugs, will be
effective for ovarian cancer. |
| Powerful 'conveyor
belts' drive Sun's 11-year cycle, new evidence suggests: NASA
and university astronomers have found evidence the 11-year sunspot
cycle is driven in part by a giant conveyor belt-like, circulating
current within the Sun. |
| Cornell scientists
developing online West Nile virus warning system by collecting climate
and mosquito data: In an effort to develop an early-warning
system for potential West Nile virus outbreaks, Cornell University's
Northeast Regional Climate Center (NRCC) and the Department of Entomology
will spend this summer collecting climate data in areas where disease-carrying
mosquitoes are found. |
| Researchers find
new way to trigger self-destruction of certain cancer cells: Investigators
at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have discovered a previously
unrecognized way that certain types of cancer cells can be forced to
activate a self-destruction program called apoptosis. |
| The secret lives
of galaxies unveiled in deep survey: Two of NASA's Great
Observatories, bolstered by the largest ground-based telescopes around
the world, are beginning to harvest new clues to the origin and evolution
of galaxies. |
June 19, 2003 |
| Berkeley Lab physicist
challenges speed of gravity claim: Albert Einstein may
have been right that gravity travels at the same speed as light but,
contrary to a claim made earlier this year, the theory has not yet
been proven. |
| Finished Y chromosome
sequence reveals a genomic 'Crystal Palace': A team of
40 researchers has finished sequencing the Y chromosome, the male sex
chromosome once belittled as 'the Rodney Dangerfield of the human genome'
because researchers believed it contained no genes of interest. |
| Spacecraft trio
peeks at secret recipe for stormy solar weather: A three-spacecraft
collaboration recorded for the first time the entire initiation process
of a high-speed eruption of electrified gas from the Sun, providing
clues about the Sun's secret recipe for stormy weather. |
| Rosetta stone decodes
gamma-ray burst mystery: Scientists have pieced together
the key elements of a gamma-ray burst, from star death to dramatic
black hole birth, thanks to a 'Rosetta stone' found on March 29, 2003. |
| WCS biologist George
Schaller reports surprising increase in Tibet's wildlife: Several
species of wildlife living on the windswept Tibetan plateau - including
the Tibetan antelope slaughtered by poachers to make luxury shahtoosh
shawls - have increased in number over the past decade, due to better
enforcement by wildlife officials. |
| Giant bloom fades,
science continues: The corpse flower that bloomed at
the University of California, Davis, Botanical Conservatory last week
is now fading. Ted the Titan, a specimen of Amorphophallus titanum
(titan arum), will rest until producing a leaf, or perhaps another
huge flower, next year. |
June 18, 2003 |
| The universe just
became a little simpler: Using images from the Hubble
Space Telescope, astronomers have concluded that two of the most common
types of galaxies in the universe are in reality different versions
of the same thing. |
| Millions of Americans
suffer from major depression: Millions of Americans suffer
from major depression each year, and most are not getting proper treatment
for this debilitating disorder, according to a two-year nationwide
study reported in the June 18 Journal of the American Medical Association. |
| Medication may
slow progression of Alzheimer disease: A medication used
to treat the symptoms of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer disease may actually
do more - it may be able to delay progression of the disorder, according
to a study conducted at the Indiana University School of Medicine. |
| Muscle protein
has role in nerve disorders: A protein that plays a role
in muscular dystrophies also may be involved in peripheral neuropathy – disorders
of the nerves that carry messages between the brain and the rest of
the body. |
| Scientists say
'save our seas': Humans are posing some of the biggest
threats yet to Europe's marine environment, according to an international
group of leading scientists who have compiled the first ever report
covering all of the continent's seas. |
| WorldÕs first tunable Ōphoton
copierÕ on a chip enables key function for all-optical network: A
research team has for the first time incorporated on a single chip
both a widely tunable laser and an all-optical wavelength converter,
thereby creating an integrated photonic circuit for transcribing data
from one color of light to another. |
June 17, 2003 |
| European experiment
hardware reaches the International Space Station: Preparations
for the Spanish Soyuz mission on the International Space Station (ISS)
in October took another step forward with the docking of an unmanned
Progress M1-10 spacecraft with the International Space Station, on
11 June at 13:17 Central European Time. |
| Plant diversity
threatened by climate change and buildup of greenhouse gas: Doubling
the amount of carbon dioxide in the air significantly reduces the number
of plant species that grow in the wild, according to a newly released
study on climate change in California. |
| Body's internal
clock is set by newly discovered light detection system in the eye: Researchers
reveal that the eye's brightness detection system helps set the body's
internal clock, regulate general activity levels and control the size
of the pupil. |
| Scientists build
a bridge for new bone: University of Toronto scientists
have developed a biodegradable scaffold, similar in structure to a
dish sponge, that significantly speeds the rate of bone healing. |
| Historian finds treasure
in Douglass' cycloscope: A science historian has discovered
how a famous early University of Arizona scientist used his amazing
contraption called the cycloscope in a long but futile quest to discover
predictable cycles of solar activity in tree rings. |
June 16, 2003 |
| 160,000-year-old
fossilized skulls from Ethiopia are oldest modern humans: The
fossilized skulls of two adults and one child discovered in the Afar
region of eastern Ethiopia have been dated at 160,000 years, making
them the oldest known fossils of modern humans, or Homo sapiens. |
| Preparing a human
mission to Mars via Antarctica and Toulouse: A human
mission to Mars may still be some time away, but scientists are already
aware of the many hazards that must be overcome if the dream is to
become a reality. |
| Imaging Lithium
Atoms: For the first time researchers have used a transmission
electron microscope, the One Angstrom Microscope, to image lithium
atoms. Only atoms of hydrogen and helium are smaller and lighter than
those of lithium, which under ordinary conditions is not a gas but
a soft, white metal. |
| New owl species discovered
in Brazil: A newly described and critically endangered
pygmy-owl species discovered in Brazil was named today after Intel
founder Gordon Moore and his wife Betty Moore, announced Conservation
International. |
| Researchers able
to monitor hurricanes' effects on North Carolina's barrier islands: Predictions
call for more hurricanes in the Atlantic than usual this season, which
could mean big changes are in store for the coastline and sounds, Duke
University professors say. |
| Exciting first results
from deuteron-gold collisions at Brookhaven: The latest
results from the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), strengthen
scientists' confidence that RHIC collisions of gold ions have created
unusual conditions and that they are on the right path to discover
a form of matter called the quark-gluon plasma, believed to have existed
in the first microseconds after the birth of the universe. |
| Researchers identify
gene involved in bipolar disorder: Researchers at the
University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have
identified a specific gene that causes bipolar disorder in a subset
of patients who suffer from this debilitating psychiatric illness. |
June 13, 2003 |
| SARS death rate
lower in countries responding aggressively to initial outbreak: Three
months after SARS began its spread out of southern China, it is clear
that a country's response to the epidemic can have a major impact on
the percentage of infected people who die, according to epidemiologists. |
| New UK study of nanotechnology
- the small-scale science: The UK Government has today
launched a new independent study to examine in detail the benefits
and risks of nanotechnology. The technology involves working with materials
on the nanoscale - 80,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. |
| A new category of
antibiotics may present a fresh threat to public health: Bacteria
have developed resistance to all antibiotics in use today, and this
is causing a major health problem. However, a remarkable range of new
antibiotics, called cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), is attracting
increasing interest as a key weapon in the fight against bacterial
infection. |
| Scientists close
in on understanding learning and memory: For decades,
scientists have proposed that learning occurs and memories are stored
when connections among nerve cells are weakened or strengthened, but
there's been no direct way to prove it. |
| Changing global nitrogen
cycle impacting human health: Despite greatly increasing
food production for humans, the growing use of nitrogen as a nutrient
is affecting people's health far beyond just the benefits of growing
more crops. |
| Helios status update
- Planning for next Helios check flight underway: The
NASA - AeroVironment flight test team is reviewing data from the first
of several planned checkout flights of the Helios Prototype solar-electric
flying wing, now equipped with a revolutionary fuel cell system for
night time flight. |
June 12, 2003 |
| Earliest Homo sapiens
fossils discovered in Ethiopia: Scientists have uncovered
fossils of the earliest modern human, Homo sapiens, estimated at 154,000
to 160,000 years old, the findings provide strong evidence that Homo
sapiens and Neanderthals co-existed, rather than the former descending
from the latter. |
| Researchers use
T-rays to uncover defects in space shuttle foam sample: Using
a technique pioneered by researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,
terahertz (THz) radiation has been used to uncover small defects in
a sample of space shuttle foam. |
| Portable CT scanner
joins hunt for alternative energy sources: Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) scientists have developed the world's
first x-ray computed tomography (CT) scanner capable of examining entire
core samples at remote drilling sites. |
| Optical biopsies
on horizon using noninvasive biomedical imaging technique: A
new imaging technique that could lead to optical biopsies without removal
of tissue is being reported by biophysical scientists at Cornell and
Harvard universities. |
| Atmospheric mercury
has declined: The amount of gaseous mercury in the atmosphere
has dropped sharply from its peak in the 1980s and has remained relatively
constant since the mid 1990s. This welcome decline may result from
control measures undertaken in western Europe and North America. |
| Possible new cell
type found in developing inner ear: The answer to how
the complex, cavernous inner ear forms from a mostly homogenous group
of cells may be that it doesn’t, says a Medical College of Georgia
researcher who has found a new cell type that appears to migrate to
the developing ear. |
June 11, 2003 |
| XMM-Newton makes
the first measurement of a dead starÕs magnetism: Using
the superior sensitivity of ESA’s X-ray observatory, XMM-Newton,
a team of European astronomers has made the first direct measurement
of a neutron star’s magnetic field. |
| Barrel structure
in globular proteins may transport small molecules: The
ability of proteins to guide small molecules to reaction sites and
across membranes is essential to many metabolic pathways, but the process
is not well understood. Now, scientists have shown that a globular
protein with a barrel structure can direct small molecules in much
the same fashion as a membrane protein. |
| Flattest star ever
seen: Recent observations with the VLT Interferometer
(VLTI) at the ESO Paranal Observatory have allowed a group of astronomers
to obtain by far the most detailed view of the general shape of a fast-spinning
hot star, Achernar (Alpha Eridani), the brightest in the southern constellation
Eridanus (The River). |
| Headless comets
survive plunge through Sun's atmosphere: On May 24, 2003,
a pair of comets arced in tandem towards the Sun, their paths taking
them to just 0.1 solar radii above the Sun's surface, deep within the
searing multimillion-degree solar atmosphere (corona). |
| Researchers learning
how food-borne bacteria make you sick: Whether food-borne
bacteria make people sick depends on a variety of factors, and better
understanding of the infection process could lead to ways to stop such
illnesses from occurring. |
| Cracking the nanonewton
force barrier: How do you weigh a dust mite? Or determine
the force required to pull a molecule apart? Such tasks require a device
that measures nanonewtons---forces 1 billion times smaller than the
force required to hold an apple against Earth's gravity. |
| International Space
Station Status Report: An unmanned Russian resupply craft
successfully docked to the International Space Station this morning,
delivering more than two tons of food, fuel, water, supplies and scientific
gear to the Expedition 7 crew aboard the complex. |
June 10, 2003 |
| Powering Fuel Cells
- Oxide materials that 'exhale and inhale' may facilitate small-scale
hydrogen production: A unique group of oxide materials
that readily gives up and accepts oxygen atoms with changes in temperature
could be the basis for a small-scale hydrogen production system able
to power fuel cells in homes -- and potentially in automotive applications. |
| NASA's newest unmanned
aircraft makes successful first flight: A milestone in
the development of high-altitude, long-endurance, remotely operated
aircraft occurred today with the successful flight of NASA's Altair. |
| Neural stem cells
take a step closer to the clinic: Scientists working
with cells that may someday be used to replace diseased or damaged
cells in the brain have taken neural stem cell technology a key step
closer to the clinic. |
| Anthropologist
predicts major threat to species within 50 years: If
the world’s human population continues to rise at its current
rate, the planet will increase the numbers of threatened species at
least 7 percent worldwide in the next 20 years and twice that many
by the year 2050. |
| Scientists find the
root of learning in the brainÕs hippocampus: Neuroscientists
have identified how the brain’s hippocampus helps us learn and
remember the sights, sounds and smells that make up our long-term memory
for the facts and events, termed declarative memory. |
| Antarctic research
vessel heads north to map Arctic waters: An ice-breaking
Antarctic research vessel will sail to the Arctic for the first time
this summer to conduct a comprehensive survey of the chemistry, temperature
and other characteristics of the waters off Alaska. |
| Salt levels in
rain provide clues to hurricane formation: Scientists
are testing the waters – literally – with a new salt-detection
device specially designed to collect data from rain and water vapor
in tropical cyclones, all in an effort to better understand how tropical
storms form and intensify into hurricanes. |
June 9, 2003 |
| Researchers discover
new class of human stem cells: Scientists with University
Health Network have discovered a new class of human stem cells that
rapidly grow when implanted in the bone marrow of mice. The findings
are a major advancement in human stem cell research with possible significant
clinical implications for designing more effective cancer therapies. |
| Astrophysicists
simulate comet X-ray emissions in laboratory: Physicists
from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have produced X-ray
emissions in a laboratory setting by recreating the conditions that
exist when solar winds collide with gases surrounding comets. |
| New range of antibiotics
may present a threat to public health: A remarkable range
of antibiotics under development may compromise our natural defences
against infection. |
| NIF project sets
records for laser performance: The National Ignition
Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory recently produced
10,400 Joules or 10.4 kiloJoules (kJ) of ultraviolet laser light in
a single laser beamline, setting a world record for laser performance. |
| Protein role required
for normal brain development: An essential step in understanding
how the brain develops and related brain disorders that occur when
the movement of neurons is defective, has been announced by researchers
at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine. |
| International Space
Station Status Report: An unmanned Russian resupply craft
successfully blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan
on Sunday, carrying more than two tons of food, fuel, water, supplies
and scientific gear for the Expedition 7 crew aboard the International
Space Station. |
June 6, 2003 |
| Odyssey thermal
data reveals a changing Mars: The first overview analysis
of a year's worth of high-resolution infrared data gathered by the
Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) on NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft
is opening Mars to a new kind of detailed geological analysis and revealing
a dynamic planet that has experienced dramatic environmental change. |
| Global garden grows
greener: A NASA-Department of Energy jointly funded study
concludes the Earth has been greening over the past 20 years. As climate
changed, plants found it easier to grow. |
| Million-star cluster
in nearby galaxy reported: A small, bizarre cluster of
a million young stars, enshrouded in thick gas and dust in a nearby
dwarf galaxy, has been confirmed by Jean Turner, UCLA professor of
physics and astronomy, and her colleagues. |
| WorldÕs most endangered
alligator released in China: Three adult Chinese alligators – the
world's most endangered crocodilian species – were successfully
released in China recently by a team of biologists in an effort to
help restore the species to the Yangtze River valley. |
| New Soyuz TMA spacecraft
cleared for next mission with ESA astronaut: The new
Soyuz TMA spacecraft, which will carry ESA astronaut Pedro Duque to
the ISS and back in October 2003, has been fully approved for operations. |
| UNEP urges action
to better manage the globeÕs groundwaters: Many of the
world’s 'natural underground reservoirs' upon which two billion
people depend for drinking water and irrigation are under increasing
stress and strain, a new report launched on World Environment Day (WED)
shows. |
| Researchers offer
new theories about memory: For decades, scientists have
disagreed about the way the brain gathers memories, developing two
apparently contradictory concepts. |
June 5, 2003 |
| Nottingham academics
develop new nanotechnology to treat brain tumors: Academics
at The University of Nottingham are developing new nanotechnology that
could be used to treat brain tumours more effectively by reducing the
serious side-effects associated with anti-cancer drugs. |
| NASA prepares two
robots for Mars exploration: NASA's Mars Exploration
Rover (MER) project kicks off by launching the first of two unique
robotic geologists on June 8. The identical rolling rovers see sharper
images, can explore farther and examine rocks better than anything
that's ever landed on Mars. |
| Health system unprepared
for water terrorism: National public health experts reported
today that front-line health care responders are not adequately prepared
to identify and control major outbreaks of waterborne disease, including
outbreaks resulting from acts of terrorism. |
| Spinal cord injury: Manufacturing
motor nerve cells may someday be possible to help restore function in victims
of spinal cord injury or such diseases of motion as Parkinson’s and
Lou Gehrig’s disease or post-polio syndrome. |
| Ocean policies
haven't kept up with science: Scientific knowledge about
the oceans has increased tremendously in the last quarter century but
U.S. policy for managing its territorial waters has lagged far behind
the science, experts say, leading to resource depletion, pollution,
habitat destruction and political polarization. |
| Ancient pollen yields
insight into forest biodiversity: By analyzing data on
tree pollen extracted from ancient lake sediments, ecologists have
sharpened the understanding of how forests can maintain a diversity
of species. |
| Vitamin D analog
found to boost radiation: A form of vitamin D has been
found to greatly enhance radiation treatment for tumors associated
with breast cancer. The findings support the potential benefits of
combining a vitamin D analog with radiation to wipe out radiation-resistant
cancer cells. |
June 4, 2003 |
| Leading scientists
issue unprecedented plan for protecting ocean and marine life: For
the first time ever, the world's largest environmental organizations,
working with scientists, the business community and international governments,
met specifically to develop a comprehensive and achievable agenda to
reverse the decline in health of the world's ocean. |
| Cloning embryos
from cancer cells: St. Jude researchers say reprogrammed
nucleus model could offer valuable clues to how certain influencing
factors combine with DNA mutations to cause tumors. |
| Study finds space
shuttle exhaust creates night-shining clouds: Exhaust
from NASA's space shuttle, which is almost 97 percent water vapor,
can travel to the Arctic in the Earth's thermosphere where it forms
ice to create some of the Earth's highest clouds that literally shine
at night. |
| New nanoscale device
reveals behavior of individual electrons: While engineers
have a great grasp of how to control electrical charge in circuits,
they have a hard time getting rid of the heat created by flowing electrons. |
| High gene mutation
rate may contribute to hereditary skin cancers: Researchers
have discovered a high rate of ultraviolet light (UV)-inducible mutations
among people with hereditary--but not sporadic--melanoma, a finding
that may explain why people genetically predisposed to this deadly
skin cancer are particularly sensitive to sun exposure. |
| Short-term exposure
to estrogen cuts fish fertility: While several studies
have focused on how estrogen from contraceptives may alter sex organs
of juvenile fish, few studies have analyzed how exposure to estrogen
affects adult fish as they make their way through rivers, lakes and
streams to spawn. |
| Bizarre bug wears
hostÕs skin: Oxford scientists have discovered a particularly
macabre method one parasite (Strepsiptera) has for disguising itself
in its insect host: it wraps itself in a piece of the host’s
own body tissue. |
June 3, 2003 |
| Mars Express en route
for the Red Planet: The European Mars Express spaceprobe
has been placed successfully in a trajectory that will take it beyond
the terrestrial environment and on the way to Mars – getting
there in late December. |
| Schizophrenia study
to hunt for genetic causes: Specific information processing
abnormalities and brain-related circuit dysfunction in schizophrenia
patients may be the keys to finding the genetic basis of this puzzling,
devastating mental illness that affects more than two million Americans
and one percent of the world’s population. |
| Findings may help
preserve Dungeness crab: A recent Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory study has found that salinity levels in the Columbia River
estuary may affect crab abundance in the river, a finding that may
help protect Dungeness crab in the Columbia. |
| New study uses
genetic profiling to predict breast cancer patients: Researchers
have developed a new test to predict which breast cancer tumors will
respond to chemotherapy, potentially reducing unnecessary treatment
for women with breast cancer. |
| Yeast, wormwood & bacterial
genes combine in microbial factory to make antimalarial drug: By
combining genes from three separate organisms into a single bacterial
factory, chemical engineers have developed a simpler, less expensive
way to make an antimalaria miracle drug that is urgently needed. |
June 2, 2003 |
| Scientists uncover
HIV escape route from drugs and vaccines: Virologists
at Jefferson Medical College may have discovered a new way by which
HIV, the AIDS virus, can evade both anti-viral drugs and vaccines. |
| Mosquitoes infected
with La Crosse encephalitis found in four Southwest Virginia counties: Virginia
Tech entomologists have documented for the first time the presence
of mosquitoes infected with La Crosse virus in four Southwest Virginia
Counties. |
| Possible diagnosis,
treatment, vaccine for mad cow, prion diseases: Scientists
have uncovered the basis for a diagnostic, immunotherapy and vaccine,
providing a way to detect and treat the brain-wasting damage of infectious
prions like those found in mad cow disease and its human version, Creutzfeldt-Jakob
Disease. |
| Seaweed uses chemical
warfare to fight microbes: Scientists have discovered
that seaweeds defend themselves from specific pathogens with naturally
occurring antibiotics. The finding helps explain why some seaweeds,
sponges and corals appear to avoid most infections by fungi and bacteria. |
| Melanoma vaccine
demonstrates promising results: Results from the largest
multi-site study to date evaluating a peptide-derived therapeutic vaccine
for melanoma, have demonstrated a correlation between tumor growth
(progression free survival) and immune response for patients with advanced
disease who received the vaccination. |
| International Space
Station Status Report: Science, maintenance and training
for spacewalks was the focus of attention this week for the Expedition
Seven crew of Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA International Space
Station Science Officer Ed Lu as they complete their fifth week in
space aboard the orbiting laboratory. |
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