NASA has awarded a total of $28 million in research grants to study the effectiveness of existing materials and develop new, multifunctional spacecraft materials with high radiation shielding capabilities. The grants will help reduce crew health risks from space radiation and improve understanding of radiation health effects.
The DEEP2 Redshift Survey has produced the first detailed maps of galaxy distribution in the early universe, revealing large-scale structures and differences in galaxy clustering. These maps show similar structures to those seen in the local universe but at an earlier stage of development.
Scientists have discovered a tumor-suppressor gene in fruit flies called hippo that controls cell production and death. The researchers found that removing the hippo gene led to tumor formation in every organ of the fruit fly, highlighting its crucial role in regulating cell growth.
A 17-year study published by Dartmouth College researchers confirms that lead in forests in the Northeast moves very slowly through the soil. The study found that lead applied to a mountain forest in Vermont had only moved down into the soil about seven centimeters, and will likely move even slower due to denser soil.
A team led by Dr. Loretta Dunne has discovered a thousand times more cosmic dust than previously detected in the remnant of a supernova explosion in our own Galaxy. This finding solves the riddle of how large quantities of dust were formed in the early universe and provides evidence for supernovae as efficient dust factories.
Research finds African dust particles act as kernels for precipitation in low clouds, but suppress rainfall in high clouds. The study also suggests a link between increased dust levels and drought conditions.
Dr. Peter Ward, a renowned U-M pathologist, has received the American Thoracic Society's highest honor for his pioneering research on inflammation and lung biology. His work has significantly broadened the understanding of lung health and disease, influencing the career development of many clinicians and scientists worldwide.
A study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry found that patients taking citalopram scored lower on a scale measuring compulsive shopping tendencies compared to those on a placebo. The majority of participants reported significant improvement in their symptoms, including reduced urges and interest in shopping.
Scientists found that galaxies and extremely massive black holes seem to grow together, with rapidly growing black holes fueling faster galaxy growth. This discovery sheds light on an astrophysical mystery and reveals a crucial link between the two cosmic phenomena.
In a laboratory experiment using rotifers and algae in chemostats, rapid evolution allowed prey to adapt and outnumber their predators. This phenomenon, predicted by computer models, demonstrates how evolution can play a crucial role in ecological dynamics and could have implications for understanding diseases like HIV.
A large study of 100,544 ICU admissions found that septic shock mortality decreased from 62.1% in 1993 to 55.9% in 2000, but its frequency increased due to more multi-resistant bacterial strains. The use of vasopressor therapy and mechanical ventilation also increased during this period.
A team of researchers has discovered twenty gassy galaxies with vast discs of hydrogen weighing over a billion suns. The galaxies have few stars, and scientists are unsure why they haven't transformed their gas into stars like other galaxies.
A study by Michael Peterson found that teenagers perceive themselves as heavier than they actually are, leading to poor eating patterns, extreme dieting, and lower self-esteem. Health professionals can address these issues to help young people avoid unhealthy behaviors and reduce the risk of associated illnesses.
Researchers at Purdue University have developed a software that can create realistic animations of clouds and other gaseous phenomena. The interactive system allows artists to control the animation in real-time, making it ideal for applications such as movie special effects and video games.
Neurons in the striatum, responsible for emotions and movement, are selectively killed in Huntington's disease due to abnormally high calcium levels caused by mutant huntingtin protein. This discovery opens new areas for treatment of the disease.
Researchers have identified a population of globular star clusters drifting freely through the vast expanse of intergalactic space, revealing insights into the origins of these ancient structures. The discovery is thought to be the result of galaxy collisions or gravitational pulls that tore these star clusters from their parent galaxies.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania identified Pim-2 as a critical enzyme in the survival of cancer cells. The study found that Pim-2 operates independently from the Akt pathway, allowing cancer cells to survive even when starved or deprived of growth factors.
The FDA has approved a safety trial for the second component of a three-part HIV vaccine developed at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The vaccine aims to overcome viral diversity with a multi-envelope approach, and includes three components: DNA, genetically modified vaccinia virus, and purified HIV envelope protein.
Researchers found that people can pay attention to multiple stimuli simultaneously, challenging the traditional 'spotlight of attention' model. This discovery has implications for understanding attention-deficit conditions like autism and ADHD.
A study by Vanderbilt University researchers found that tracking the motion of larger objects is more difficult than smaller ones. The center-surround receptive field organization in the brain's visual area helps filter out spurious signals, making it harder to distinguish moving objects from their background.
The RADAR project aims to develop a system that can save time for its user while improving decision quality. The system will handle routine tasks autonomously, ask for confirmation on others, and produce suggestions that users can modify.
Researchers predict fewer asteroids with diameters over 200 meters will hit the surface, approximately once every 160,000 years, and many more will explode in the atmosphere, lowering the hazard posed by impact-generated tidal waves or tsunamis.
A study by Dr. Thomas Scharf reveals that 30% of older people in deprived areas experience no form of exclusion, while 40% report multiple exclusions. The research highlights a significant disparity in poverty rates among Somali and Pakistani older people.
The Medicare waiting period affects 1.26 million seriously disabled Americans, with 400,000 having no health insurance. Eliminating the two-year wait could save states $1.8 billion per year and reduce federal Medicaid expenditures by $2.5 billion.
Researchers at UCSB have created an electronic detector for DNA that can identify specific types of genetic material without the need for reagents or lengthy processing times. This breakthrough aims to simplify diagnostic tests for diseases such as strep throat, potentially leading to faster and more accurate diagnoses.
Researchers from Cardiff University and the Royal Observatory Edinburgh found that some supernovae belch out huge quantities of cosmic dust. This discovery suggests that supernovae were responsible for producing the first solid particles in the Universe, shedding light on the origin of our planet.
A Canadian-led study found that about 83% of colon cancer patients benefit from traditional chemotherapy, while nearly 17% do not. Further research is needed to provide alternative treatments for those who don't respond to standard therapy.
The AMANDA II Telescope has produced a preliminary map of the high-energy neutrino sky, providing astronomers with their first glimpse of very high energy neutrinos. The map represents one year of data and shows that the detector works at the same sensitivity as telescopes used to detect gamma rays.
Researchers found that stimulating a small region of the cerebral cortex, known as the rostral agranular insular cortex (RAIC), can diminish pain in patients with chronic pain conditions. Increasing GABA levels in this area produced analgesia up to 10 days, suggesting a novel target for therapy.
Researchers at Emory University discovered a novel mechanism of how anthrax disables the immune response by compromising dendritic cell function. The study found that the lethal factor (LF) disrupts mitogen-activated protein kinase enzymes in dendritic cells, leading to lethargy and preventing the activation of the immune system.
Researchers found that lightning is the primary source of low-altitude ozone in the tropical Atlantic Ocean, defying previous expectations. The discovery was made using satellite data and computer models, which showed a significant increase in ozone levels near areas with intense lightning activity.