December 10, 2004 |
| Spitzer
and Hubble capture evolving planetary systems: Two of NASA's
Great Observatories, the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope,
have provided astronomers an unprecedented look at dusty planetary debris
around stars the size of our sun. |
| Global
warming good news for coral reefs: Coral reefs around the world
could expand in size by up to a third in response to increased ocean warming
and the greenhouse effect, according to Australian scientists. |
| New
antibiotic target could mean the end of pneumonia: Scientists
have found a 'molecular Achilles heel' in the organism that causes pneumonia,
providing a target for the development of a new class of antibiotics that
could eventually eradicate the disease. |
| Injectable
gel could speed repair of torn cartilage: In a project that
will likely be watched by football players, runners and other athletes,
researchers at MIT and Harvard Medical School say they are developing an
injectable gel that could speed repair of torn cartilage, a common sports
injury, and may help injured athletes return to competition sooner. |
| Deep
tremors under San Andreas fault could portend earthquakes:
University of California, Berkeley, seismologists have discovered mysterious
tremors deep under the San Andreas Fault that may portend future earthquakes. |
| Nuclear-powered
mission to Neptune could answer questions about planetary formation:
In 30 years, a nuclear-powered space exploration mission to Neptune and
its moons may begin to reveal some of our solar system's most elusive secrets
about the formation of its planets -- and recently discovered ones that
developed around other stars. |
December 6, 2004 |
| Conditions
on vast plain on Mars could have been suitable for life, Cornell rover scientist
Squyres states in special Science issue: Scientists have long
been tantalized by the question of whether life once existed on Mars. Although
present conditions on the planet would seem to be inhospitable to life,
the data sent back over the past 10 months by NASA's two exploration rovers,
Spirit and Opportunity, showed a world that might once have been warmer
and wetter -- perhaps friendly enough to support microbial organisms. |
| Carnegie
Mellon scientist develops way to deliver promising genetic tool into living
cells: By exploiting an HIV protein that readily traverses
cell membranes, Carnegie Mellon University scientists have developed a new
way to introduce a gene-like molecule called a peptide nucleic acid (PNA)
directly into live mammalian cells, including human embryonic stem (ES)
cells. |
| Chimpanzee
brains are asymmetrical in key areas and their handedness reflects it:
New MRI-based studies present more evidence that the brains of chimpanzees
are human-like in terms of the relationships among brain asymmetry, handedness
and language, according to research undertaken at the Yerkes National Primate
Research Center in Atlanta. |
| Eating
leafy green vegetables to help prevent cataracts: A new study
from Ohio State University provides the first laboratory evidence that certain
antioxidants found in dark leafy green vegetables can indeed help prevent
cataracts. |
| Sacrificial
burial deepens mystery at Teotihuacan, but confirms the city's militarism:
A spectacular new discovery from an ongoing excavation at the Teotihuacan's
Pyramid of the Moon is revealing a grisly sacrificial burial from a period
when the ancient metropolis was at its peak, with artwork unlike any seen
before in Mesoamerica. |
| Low
platelet counts linked to decreased survival in HIV-infected women:
HIV-positive women with low blood platelet counts face significantly higher
risk of death compared to women with normal counts, according to a study
presented today at the 46th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology. |
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