| February 27, 2004 |
| Evidence
of a 'lost world' - Antarctica yields two unknown dinosaur species:
Against incredible odds, researchers working in separate sites, thousands
of miles apart in Antarctica have found what they believe are the fossilized
remains of two species of dinosaurs previously unknown to science. |
| Astrophysicists
observe anomalies in makeup of interplanetary dust particle:
Scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Washington University
have seen carbon and nitrogen anomalies on a particle of interplanetary
dust that provides a clue as to how interstellar organic matter was incorporated
into the solar system. |
| New
findings on memory could enhance learning: New research in
monkeys may provide a clue about how the brain manages vast amounts of information
and remembers what it needs. |
| Seamless
circular 'nanorings' could be nanoscale sensors, resonators & transducers:
An article to be published in the February 27 issue of the journal Science
introduces 'nanorings' as the newest member of a growing family of nanometer-scale
structures based on single crystals of zinc oxide, a semiconducting and
piezoelectric material that has important technological applications. |
| Mars
Sunset Clip Tells Dusty Tale: Dust gradually obscures the Sun
during a blue-sky martian sunset seen in a sequence of newly processed frames
from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. |
| International
Space Station Status Report: The residents of the International
Space Station today conducted the first ever two-man spacewalk without a
crewmember inside, but the planned five and a half hour-spacewalk to support
technology experiments and prepare for a future visit from a cargo vehicle
was cut short by a cooling system problem with one of the two crewmembers'
Russian Orlan suits. |
February 25, 2004 |
| Exploring
small RNA function: Regulation of gene expression--deciding
how much of what proteins are produced in the cell--is controlled by a myriad
of different molecules. |
| Insights
gained from molecular modeling may lead to better insecticides:
One of the most damaging crop pests, the corn earworm, may be outwitting
efforts to control it by making structural changes in a single metabolic
protein, but new insights uncovered by molecular modeling could pave the
way for more efficient insecticides. |
| Atmospheric
water clusters provide evidence of global warming: Researchers
at Hamilton College have identified several methods for successfully determining
the structures and thermodynamic values for the formation of atmospheric
water clusters, which scientists have speculated may accelerate global warming. |
| Antibiotic
provides promise in treatment of spinal cord injuries: Researchers
at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and Children's Hospital Boston (CHB)
have found that a commonly prescribed antibiotic could be used to help prevent
paralysis and other long-term functional deficits associated with a partial
spinal cord injury (SCI). |
| Thawing
subarctic permafrost increases greenhouse gas emissions: The
permafrost in the bogs of subarctic Sweden is undergoing dramatic changes.
The part of the soil that thaws in the summer, the so-called active layer,
has become thicker since 1970, and the permafrost has disappeared altogether
in some locations. |
| New
Seascape initiative stretches from Costa Rica to Ecuador and protects key
marine habitats: Partners to invest $3.1-mln in marine initiative
that encompasses five protected areas & safeguards threatened species in
Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia & Ecuador. |
February 24, 2004 |
| OHSU
researchers discover way to grow silicon nanowires: Oregon
Health & Science University researchers have discovered a new way to
accurately grow silicon nanowires on an electrode for use in fabricating
transistors. |
| Fuel-cell
microbes' double duty: treat water, make energy: Something
big may be brewing on the sewage treatment circuit thanks to a new design
that puts bacteria on double-duty-treating wastewater and generating electricity
at the same time. |
| Once
a myth, now an object of study: In February 2004, Rosetta will
be setting off on its long journey through our solar system to meet up with
Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. |
| Study
moves in on why astronauts suffer bone loss: A new study by
researchers at San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) moves in on the
physiological basis for the bone density loss experienced by people subjected
to prolonged periods of bed rest and by astronauts who fly lengthy missions
under the weightless conditions of space. |
| Scientists
watch 'movie' of neutron star explosion in real time: A neutron
star halfway across the Milky Way galaxy is ready for its close-up. A rare
and massive explosion on this star illuminated the region and allowed scientists
to view details never seen before. |
| Genetically
modified fish could damage ecology: The genetic modifications
that improve animals for human consumption also could doom populations if
released into the wild, according to a Purdue University research team. |
February 23, 2004 |
| Ancient
desert markings imaged from orbit: Visible from ESA's Proba
spacecraft 600 kilometres away in space are the largest of the many Nasca
Lines; ancient desert markings now at risk from human encroachment as well
as flood events feared to be increasing in frequency. |
| New
clues about the nature of dark energy - Einstein may have been right after
all: A strange form of energy called 'dark energy' is looking
a little more like the repulsive force Einstein theorized in an attempt
to balance the universe against its own gravity. |
| Lehigh
researchers hone radiation source for THz devices: A world
that consumes information in gigabytes may one day find terahertz-sized
solutions for some of its most pressing problems. |
| Predators
and human health: Lyme disease, bubonic plague, and hantavirus
pulmonary syndrome--all potentially serious disease threats to people--are
carried by non-human vertebrates, most often rodents, who are the host species
for a plethora of pathogens. |
| Food
tastes stronger when you're hungry: Hunger could increase your
ability to taste, by increasing the sensitivity of the taste receptors on
your tongue, or by changing the way you perceive the same taste stimuli. |
| International
Space Station Status Report: All systems remain 'go' for the
only planned spacewalk by the International Space Station's Expedition 8
crewmembers. |
February 20, 2004 |
| Life
in the universe takes orders from space: A century ago, when
biologists used to talk about the primordial soup from which all life on
Earth came, they probably never imagined from how far away the ingredients
may have come. |
| Veterinarians,
wildlife experts applaud China's ban of wild bird trade: A
group of scientists and veterinarians from the New York-based Wildlife Conservation
Society (WCS) today applauded China's decision to ban trade in wild birds
to help prevent the spread of Avian Flu. |
| UK
scientists countdown to launch of Europe's comet chaser mission:
In a week's time the European Space Agency's pioneering Rosetta mission
will begin its 12-year expedition to orbit and land on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. |
| NASA's
SORCE satellite celebrates one year of operations: Having marked
its first anniversary on orbit, NASA's Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment
(SORCE) satellite has hit its stride. |
| Study
provides new insights about brain organization: New evidence
in animals suggests that theories about how the brain processes sight, sound
and touch may need updating. |
| Evolution
caught in the act: An experiment which forced E. coli bacteria
to adapt or perish showed that, in a pinch, they were capable of improvising
a novel molecular tool to save their skins. |
February 19, 2004 |
| Giant
black hole rips star apart: A super-massive black hole has
ripped apart a star and consumed a portion of it, according to data from
ESA's XMM-Newton and NASA's Chandra X-ray observatories. |
| Sandia's
miniSAR offers great promise for reconnaissance and precision-guided weapons:
Within a year the National Nuclear Security Administration's Sandia National
Laboratories will be flying the smallest synthetic aperture radar (SAR)
ever to be used for reconnaissance on near-model-airplane-sized unmanned
aerial vehicles (UAVs) and eventually on precision-guided weapons and space
applications. |
| 'Remarkable
chemical transformation,' new method for converting nitrogen to ammonia:
A research team at Cornell University has succeeded in converting nitrogen
into ammonia using a long-predicted process that has challenged scientists
for decades. |
| Slow-moving
ground water slows down water-quality improvements in Chesapeake Bay:
Slow-moving ground water slows down water-quality improvements in Chesapeake
Bay Ground water supplies about half of the water and nitrogen to streams
in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and is therefore an important pathway for
nitrogen to reach the bay. |
| Question
about fundamental chemistry of water answered: Water is simple,
right? It is a simple, stable molecule - two hydrogen atoms strongly bonded
to an oxygen atom. It is common in the universe, existing at a wide range
of temperatures. As a liquid, it has interesting properties that allow it
to dissolve many substances. It is basic to life, and it makes up most of
your body. |
| What
are your odds of surviving into your hundreds?: A genetic factor
that protects you against heart disease during middle age could reduce the
odds that you'll celebrate your hundredth birthday. |
February 18, 2004 |
| Opportunity
Digs; Spirit Advances: NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity
has scooped a trench with one of its wheels to reveal what is below the
surface of a selected patch of soil. |
| Effectiveness
of chickenpox vaccine decreases after one year: The effectiveness
of the chickenpox vaccine decreases significantly in the first year after
vaccination, and also appears lower if the vaccine is administered to children
younger than 15 months of age. |
| Traditional
Inuit ice treks guided from space: Each Arctic spring the waters
at the ice edge become rich with life, and for thousands of years the Inuit
of northern Canada have been going there for fishing and game. |
| Astrophysicists
listen to loops shivering on the sun: You would imagine that
a 500,000 kilometre long arch of super heated plasma releasing energy equal
to the simultaneous explosion of 40 billion Hiroshima atomic bombs would
be as easy to 'hear' as it is to 'see' - but it is not. |
| Stem
cells found in adults may repair nerves: It used to be considered
dogma that a nerve, once injured, could never be repaired. Now, researchers
have learned that some nerves, even nerves in parts of the brain, can regenerate
or be replaced. |
| Increased
temperature may prevent winter flounder from rebounding in east coast estuaries:
Increased levels of water temperature can have critical effects on predator-prey
interactions in the marine environment. |
February 17, 2004 |
| Hubble
and Keck find farthest known galaxy in the Universe: An international
team of astronomers may have set a new record in discovering what is the
most distant known galaxy in the Universe. |
| Approved
drug blocks deadly anthrax toxin: Researchers at the University
of Chicago have found that a drug approved in 2002 for treatment of chronic
hepatitis B can block the action of an anthrax toxin. |
| Global
warming to squeeze western mountains dry by 2050: Global warming
will diminish the amount of water stored as snow in the Western United States
by up to 70 percent in the coastal mountains over the next 50 years, according
to a new climate change model released here today. |
| Discovery
could lead to better treatment for cryptosporidum infections:
In 1993, a water-borne parasite in Milwaukee was responsible for an estimated
403,000 cases of acute gastrointestinal disease, and the outbreak revealed
that patients with AIDS are at an especially grave risk. |
| Studies
offer new insight into HIV vaccine development: Mutations that
allow AIDS viruses to escape detection by the immune system may also hinder
the viruses' ability to grow after transmission to new hosts, scientists
at the University of Wisconsin-Madison announced this week in the journal
Nature Medicine. |
| Radioactive
and toxic waste site plans are a recipe for disaster, says Rutgers sociologist:
Federal government plans for more than 100 radioactive and toxic waste sites
are fantasy and wishful thinking. |
February 13, 2004 |
| Controlling
material structure at nanoscale makes better thermal insulator:
Heat may be essential for life, but in some cases -- such as protecting
the space shuttle or improving the efficiency of a jet engine -- materials
with low thermal conductivities are needed to prevent passage of too much
heat. |
| New
reactor puts hydrogen from renewable fuels within reach: The
first reactor capable of producing hydrogen from a renewable fuel source--ethanol--efficiently
enough to hold economic potential has been invented by University of Minnesota
engineers. |
| Hormone
released by bone marrow cells may hasten recovery from brain injury:
Bone marrow stromal cells release a blood vessel-dilating hormone found
in the brain -- a finding that suggests the hormone may be tapped to help
with recovery from stroke or other neurological injuries disrupting blood
flow to the central nervous system. |
| New
study suggests brains of autistic children can be trained to recognize faces:
Individuals with autism have been shown to have a difficult time recognizing
faces, but two University of Washington researchers now suggest that the
problem may be due to a lack of practice, rather than to abnormal functioning
of the affected region of the brain. |
| Copper
may play role in 'starving' cancer to standstill: Starving
a cancerous tumor of its blood supply might stop its growth while other
treatments aim to kill it. |
| New
technologies reveal mysteries of marine megafauna: High tech
tools may help find solutions to animal-human conflicts in the sea -- Sea
turtles, porpoises, albatrosses and tunas could see brighter days ahead. |
February 11, 2004 |
| Findings
of novel nanoproperties in selenium produced by bacteria open new area of
exploration: Working at the nexus of biology and nanotechnology,
a researcher and an alumnus from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have released
findings that could lead to the tailoring of bacterial processes for a host
of smaller, faster semiconductors and other electronic devices. |
| Comets
spread Earth-life around galaxy, say scientists: If comets
hitting the Earth could cause ecological disasters, including extinctions
of species and climate change, they could also disperse Earth-life to the
most distant parts of the Galaxy. |
| Los
Alamos leading fast-paced reactor research to power planned journey to Jupiter's
icy moons: A planned U.S. mission to investigate three ice-covered
moons of Jupiter will demand fast-paced research, fabrication and realistic
non-nuclear testing of a prototype nuclear reactor within two years, says
a Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist. |
| Imaging
technique discovered at Stanford monitors cancer cell proliferation:
A team of cell biologists at the Stanford University School of Medicine
has developed a new imaging technique using biosensors that precisely monitor
the timing of cell division. |
| Team
excavating mammoth on gulf coast: Excavation of what is believed
to be remains of the first-dated mammoth discovered on the Texas Gulf Coast
is in its initial phases but living up to the expectations of its researchers,
a team of students and archaeologists from Texas A&M University's Center
for the Study of the First Americans. |
| Etching
holes in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers creates better beam:
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have found
a way to significantly improve the performance of vertical-cavity surface-emitting
lasers by drilling holes in their surfaces. |
February 10, 2004 |
| A
common cleanser is cheaper and faster way to separate DNA for genetic analysis:
By identifying a 30-year-old mistaken assumption, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer
Center scientists have found that substituting a simple bleach solution
for more complex tools makes a DNA separation technique called electrophoresis
five times faster and less costly. |
| Scientists
find ozone-destroying molecule: Using measurements from a NASA
aircraft flying over the Arctic, Harvard University scientists have made
the first observations of a molecule that researchers have long theorized
plays a key role in destroying stratospheric ozone, chlorine peroxide. |
| Mars
rover pictures raise 'blueberry muffin' questions: NASA's Spirit
rover has begun making some of its own driving decisions while its twin,
Opportunity, is presenting scientists with decisions to make about studying
small spheres embedded in bedrock, like berries in a muffin. |
| Dinosaur
fossil record compiled, analyzed: A graduate student in earth
and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in
St. Louis has combed the dinosaur fossil record from T. Rex to songbirds
and has compiled the first quantitative analysis of the quality and congruence
of that record. |
| 'Heavy
metal' snow on blazing Venus is lead sulfide: Lead sulfide
- also known by its mineral name, galena - is a naturally occurring mineral
found in Missouri, other parts of the world, and now... other parts of the
solar system. |
| Researchers
pinpoint brain areas that process reality, illusion: Marvin
Gaye wailed in the '60s hit 'Heard it through the Grapevine' that we're
supposed to believe just half of what we see. |
February 9, 2004 |
| Newborn
brain injuries stem from infections, not delivery: Medical
malpractice cases frequently try to link injuries to the white matter of
a newborn's brain -- a precursor to cerebral palsy and other disorders --
to the baby's delivery, though a new Johns Hopkins study demonstrates that
such injuries are more closely associated with neonatal infections. |
| World
famous rock paintings three-times older than previously thought:
Some of the world's finest rock paintings are more than three times older
than previously believed, according to researchers from British and Australian
universities who used the latest radio-carbon dating technology. |
| Healthy
Spirit cleans a Mars rock; Opportunity rolls: NASA's Spirit
has returned to full health and resumed doing things never attempted on
Mars before. |
| Pesticide
exposure among agricultural workers varies by job task: Agricultural
workers who perform thinning - removing young buds from orchard trees to
increase the size of the remaining fruit - face a greater likelihood of
pesticide exposure than other farm workers, according to a new findings
from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center that appear in the February
issue of Environmental Health Perspectives. |
| New
data show botulinum toxin type A to be highly effective treatment for excessive
sweating: Results of a Phase III clinical study using botulinum
toxin type A to treat primary axillary hyperhidrosis, or excessive underarm
sweating, show that botulinum toxin type A is safe and effective for treatment
of hyperhidrosis and that it markedly improves quality of life in patients
who suffer from this medical condition. |
| International
Space Station Status Report: Aboard the International Space
Station, Mike Foale and Alexander Kaleri of the Expedition 8 crew spent
this week unpacking the first fresh supplies to arrive at the complex since
they began their mission more than three and a half months ago. |
February 6, 2004 |
| Unlocking
the secrets of the universe - Rosetta lander named Philae:
With just 21 days to the launch of the European Space Agency's Rosetta comet
mission, the spacecraft's lander has been named 'Philae'. Rosetta embarks
on a 10-year journey to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from Kourou, French
Guiana, on 26 February. |
| Researchers
determine reason for deadly spread of 1918 influenza: The explosive
spread of the influenza virus during the 1918 pandemic that killed some
20 million people worldwide was likely enabled by the unique structure of
a protein on the virus's surface, researchers are reporting. |
| MIT
team discovers memory mechanism: MIT neuroscientists have discovered
a new brain mechanism controlling the formation of lasting memories. This
mechanism explains how signals between neurons stimulate production of the
protein building blocks needed for long-term memory storage. |
| Century
may bring unprecedented climate change to southern hemisphere:
The new century may bring hundreds or even thousands of plant and animal
extinctions to the Andes Mountains of Peru according to new research by
Florida Institute of Technology Paleo-Ecologist Mark Bush. |
| Warm
water vibrates for longer: Dutch researcher Arjan Lock has
investigated the behaviour of vibrating water molecules. Using ultra-short
laser pulses, he found that hydrogen atoms in water molecules vibrate for
longer at higher temperatures. |
| Mars
Exploration Rover Mission Status: NASA's Opportunity rover
drove about 3.5 meters (11 feet) late Wednesday toward a rock outcrop in
the wall of a small crater on Mars, and mission controllers plan to send
it the rest of the way to the outcrop late Thursday. |
February 5, 2004 |
| Opportunity
sees tiny spheres in Martian soil: NASA's Opportunity has examined
its first patch of soil in the small crater where the rover landed on Mars
and found strikingly spherical pebbles among the mix of particles there. |
| Purdue
researchers create device that detects mass of a single virus particle:
Researchers at Purdue University have developed a miniature device sensitive
enough to detect a single virus particle, an advancement that could have
many applications, including environmental-health monitoring and homeland
security. |
| A
link between thimerosal and the brain: Can vaccines affect central nervous
system function?: According to new research from Northeastern
University pharmacy professor Richard Deth and colleagues from the University
of Nebraska, Tufts, and Johns Hopkins University, there is an apparent link
between exposure to certain neurodevelopmental toxins and an increased possibility
of developing neurological disorders including autism and attention-deficit
hyperactivity disorder. |
| University
of Colorado archaeologist, colleagues hot on the trail of ancient Persian
warships: An international research team including a University
of Colorado at Boulder professor has mounted a deep-water search off the
northern coast of Greece in search of a fleet of Persian warships presumed
lost in a massive ocean storm in 492 B.C. |
| New
MS research shows remarkable findings: New research findings
from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center (MUHC)
provide hope for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), one of the most
common and devastating diseases of the nervous system. |
| Landslide
warnings from satellites may save lives: As winter rains come,
thousands of square kilometres of territory across Europe's heart face a
looming threat: steep slopes and waterlogged soils combine to trigger landslides. |
February 4, 2004 |
| Scientists
find ozone-destroying molecule: For years, scientists theorized
that a molecule called ClOOCl in the stratosphere played a key role in destroying
ozone. Now, using measurements from a NASA aircraft laboratory flying over
the Arctic, Harvard scientist Rick Stimpfle and colleagues observed the
molecule for the first time. |
| Astronomers
unravel a mystery of the Dark Ages: Scientists at Cardiff University,
UK, believe they have discovered the cause of crop failures and summer frosts
some 1,500 years ago - a comet colliding with Earth. |
| Clouds
shield pollutants going out to sea: NASA scientists have the
first evidence more regional pollution lurks in clouds than in clear skies
off the Asian coastline. |
| New
study shows how black holes get their 'kicks': When black holes
collide, look out! An enormous burst of gravitational radiation results
as they violently merge into one massive black hole. The 'kick' that occurs
during the collision could knock the black hole clear out of its galaxy. |
| The
Rosetta space probeÍs long trek to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko:
The countdown to Rosetta's rendezvous in space began on 1 March 1997. At
the end of February 2004, seven years and not a few headaches later, the
European Space Agency (ESA) probe will at last be setting off on its journey
to meet 67P/Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. |
| New
'bumpy' jelly found in deep sea: Wart-like bumps of stinging
cells cover the feeding arms and bell of a newly described deep-sea jelly,
published by MBARI biologists in this month's issue of the Journal of the
Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. |
February 3, 2004 |
| Oxygen,
carbon found in exoplanet: An international team of astronomers
has for the first time detected oxygen and carbon in the atmosphere of a
planet beyond our solar system. |
| Opportunity
and Spirit reach out: Each of NASA's two Mars Exploration Rovers
is using its versatile robotic arm for positioning tools at selected targets
on the red planet. |
| Increasing
greenhouse gases lead to dramatic thinning of the upper atmosphere:
The highest layers of the Earth's atmosphere are cooling and contracting,
most likely in response to increasing levels of greenhouse gases, according
to a new study by scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory. |
| Nanoruler
a promising line of work: An MIT device that makes the world's
most precise rulers - with 'ticks' only a few hundred billionths of a meter
apart - could impact fields from the manufacture of computer chips to space
physics. |
| Livermore
scientists team with Russia to discover elements 113 and 115:
Scientists from the Glenn T. Seaborg Institute and the Chemical Biology
and Nuclear Science Division at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory,
in collaboration with researchers from the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research
in Russia (JINR), have discovered the two newest super heavy elements, element
113 and element 115. |
| Accelerate
global agreement to oversee exploitation of South Pole 'Extremophiles':
Work should be stepped up on international agreements to oversee prospecting
efforts in Antarctica by research institutions, universities and pharmaceutical
companies to discover and stake ownership to promising organisms and compounds
with genetic properties that make survival possible in extremely cold, arid
and salty conditions, says a new UN University report. |
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