Add BrightSurf on Google Email

Science News Archive April 2009 - Page 17


Page 17 of 24

Diet secrets of 'the Royals'

Researchers used GPS tracking collars and analyzed carbon isotopes in elephant tail hair to monitor the elephants' movements and diet. The study found that when rains begin, satellite measurements show increasing greenness as grasses grow, indicating peak levels of high-protein grass in the elephants' diet.

SourceUniversity of Utah·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateApr 13, 2009

Active optical clock

Researchers have proposed a novel optical clock concept that enables more stable clocks, sub-natural linewidth laser spectroscopy, and long coherence time lasers. The lasing behavior of the active optical clock is described by the modified Schawlow-Townes linewidth formula, which narrows the linewidth due to collective emission from ga...

SourceScience China Press·JournalChinese Science Bulletin·DateApr 12, 2009

A healthy color

Researchers at Temple University have found a simple color-changing oral strip can help detect gum disease more quickly and easily than traditional methods. The strips change color based on levels of microbial sulfur compounds in saliva, providing a comparable screening method.

Molecule prompts damaged heart cells to repair themselves after a heart attack

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center found that the protein Thymosin beta-4 initiates migration of heart cells and blood vessel growth after a heart attack, encouraging new growth and repair of damaged heart cells. The molecule affects developmental gene expression as early as 24 hours after systemic injection.

SourceUT Southwestern Medical Center·JournalJournal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology·DateApr 10, 2009

Hispanics appear to face poorer quality nursing home care

A study by Brown University researchers found that nursing homes serving primarily Hispanic residents provided poorer quality care, including higher rates of bed sores. The study looked at data from California, New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, and Colorado and found disparities in care related to racial segregation.

SourceBrown University·JournalJournal of the American Medical Directors Association·DateApr 10, 2009

Mount Sinai researchers discover novel mechanisms that might causally link type 2 diabetes to Alzheimer's disease

A recent study by Mount Sinai faculty suggests that a gene associated with type-2 diabetes decreases in Alzheimer's disease dementia cases. The research found that promoting PGC-1 content in brain cells attenuates hyperglycemic-mediated β-amyloid production, linking type-2 diabetic metabolic defects to increasing dementia.

Scorpion biodiversity

A study in Evolution Canyon, Israel, shows that scorpion species exhibit different distributions on the south-facing and north-facing slopes, despite identical regional geology. The results suggest that environmental pressures, such as sunlight and drought, can lead to local changes in biodiversity.

SourcePLOS·JournalPLOS ONE·DateApr 9, 2009

Public trust doctrine could aid management of US oceans

Establishing a public trust doctrine for federal waters could provide a practical legal framework for regulating ocean-based commerce while protecting marine species and habitats. The doctrine would obliges governments to manage natural resources in the best interests of citizens, without sacrificing future generations' needs.

SourceDuke University·JournalScience·DateApr 9, 2009

Physicists discover important step for making light crystals

Researchers at Ohio State University have discovered a method to compress atoms in an optical lattice until heat is squeezed out and into a surrounding ultra-cold Bose-Einstein condensate, which can absorb and evaporate the heat away. This new approach aims to overcome temperature as a bottleneck for the creation of light crystals.

SourceOhio State University·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateApr 9, 2009

The 'myths' of Coca-Cola

A recent editorial in The Lancet critiques Coca-Cola's marketing tactics, drawing parallels with the tobacco industry. The company is accused of using celebrity endorsements and blaming shifting to avoid responsibility for its products' impact on health.

SourceThe Lancet_DELETED·JournalThe Lancet·DateApr 9, 2009

Novel method predicts impact of a covert anthrax release

A new statistical method estimates the source location and geographic extent of an aerosolized anthrax release based on early cases and weather information. This enables public health decision makers to identify people at risk and treat them promptly to save lives.

SourcePLOS·JournalPLOS Computational Biology·DateApr 9, 2009