Science & Technologyz

left brain world

Regenerating damaged tissues: Bioscaffolds promote growth of joints in rabbits

A team of researchers has successfully regenerated rabbit joints using a cutting-edge process to form the joint inside the body, or in vivo. Regenerative in vivo procedures are performed by stimulating previously irreparable organs or tissues to heal themselves. In this study, bioscaffolds, or three-dimensional structures made of biocompatible and biodegradable materials in the shape of the tissue, were infused with a protein to promote growth of the rabbit joint.

Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Aug 2010 | 12:00 pm

Emerging E. coli strain causes many antimicrobial-resistant infections in US

A new, drug-resistant strain of E. coli is causing serious disease, according to a new study. The new strain, ST131, was a major cause of serious antimicrobial-resistant E. coli infections in the United States in 2007, researchers found. This strain has been reported in multiple countries and encountered all over the United States.

Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Aug 2010 | 12:00 pm

'Sea urchin'-shaped nanostructures grown in the lab

Researchers have succeeded in growing sea-urchin shaped nanostructures from minute balls of polystyrene beads using a simple electrochemical process. The spines of the sea urchin consist of zinc oxide nanowires. The structured surface should help increasing the efficiency of photovoltaic devices.

Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Aug 2010 | 12:00 pm

New theory of why midcontinent faults produce earthquakes

A new theory may solve the mystery of why the New Madrid fault, which lies in the middle of the continent and not along a tectonic plate boundary, produces large earthquakes such as the ones that shook the eastern United States in 1811 and 1812.

Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Aug 2010 | 12:00 pm

Reading terrorists minds about imminent attack: Brain waves correlate to guilty knowledge in mock terrorism scenarios

Imagine technology that allows you to get inside the mind of a terrorist to know how, when and where the next attack will occur. That may not be as far-fetched as it sounds. Northwestern brain wave research suggests that if the lab test had been employed in the real world with the same type of outcome, law enforcement officials ultimately may be able to confirm details about an attack that emerges from terrorist chatter.

Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Aug 2010 | 12:00 pm

Tuberculosis advance: Existing drugs can potentially target the disease's ability to spread

Often causing no symptoms in carriers of the disease, worldwide tuberculosis infects eight to ten million people every year, kills two million, and it is highly contagious as it is spread through coughing and sneezing. Now, researchers in Canada have found that existing drugs can potentially target the disease's ability to spread.

Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Aug 2010 | 12:00 pm

Mechanism uncovered behind Salmonella virulence and drug susceptibility

Researchers have discovered a novel mechanism in Salmonella that affects is virulence and its susceptibility to antibiotics. The mechanism changes the bacteria's production of proteins in a previously unheard of manner. It allows Salmonella to selectively change its levels of certain proteins to respond to inhospitable conditions. Although the mechanism had not been recognized before, scientists found evidence of a similar mechanism in all five kingdoms of life. The mechanism appears to have been conserved throughout the course of evolution.

Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Aug 2010 | 6:00 am

Memory's master switch: Molecular power behind memory discovered

A new study describes GABA, a natural molecule that occurs in the brain, which could be the main factor in regulating how many new memories we can generate. The understanding of these mechanisms might lead to the development of new memory enhancers and new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.

Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Aug 2010 | 6:00 am

Next generation sequencing establishes genetic link between two rare diseases

Scientists have successfully used "next generation sequencing" to identify mutations that may cause a rare and mysterious genetic disorder. The research demonstrates that sequencing an affected individual's entire "exome"; that is, all of the genes that carry instructions for producing proteins, can reveal critical genes that when mutant, cause inherited disorders.

Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Aug 2010 | 6:00 am

Ultra-strong interaction between light and matter realized: One more step on the path to quantum computers

Researchers around the world are working on the development of quantum computers that will be vastly superior to present-day computers. The strong coupling of quantum bits with light quanta plays a pivotal role. Researchers have now realized an extremely strong interaction between light and matter that may represent a first step in this direction.

Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Aug 2010 | 6:00 am

Purple light means go, ultraviolet light means stop

A new membrane developed at the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics blocks gas from flowing through it when one color of light is shined on its surface, and permits gas to flow through when another color of light is used. It is the first time that scientists have developed a membrane that can be controlled in this way by light.

Source: EurekAlert! - Breaking News | 31 Jul 2010 | 10:00 pm

Short and long sleep durations are independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease

The risk of any cardiovascular disease for adults who reported sleeping five hours per day or less was more than two times higher than that of people who reported a daily sleep duration of seven hours (adjusted odds ratio = 2.20). Participants who reported sleeping nine hours or more per day also had an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease (adjusted OR = 1.57). Results were adjusted for potential confounders including smoking, diabetes, hypertension and depression.

Source: EurekAlert! - Breaking News | 31 Jul 2010 | 10:00 pm

Negative effects of sleep restriction may linger after 1 night of recovery sleep

Neurobehavioral impairments such as delayed reaction times accumulated across a period of five days when sleep was restricted to less than four hours per night. Measures of alertness improved significantly after a night of recovery sleep, with larger doses of sleep producing greater gains. Yet some neurobehavioral deficits continued to linger after the maximum recovery dose of 10 hours in bed, during which participants slept for an average of about nine hours.

Source: EurekAlert! - Breaking News | 31 Jul 2010 | 10:00 pm

'Guardian of the genome': Protein helps prevent damaged DNA in yeast

Like a scout that runs ahead to spot signs of damage or danger, a protein in yeast safeguards the yeast cells' genome during replication -- a process vulnerable to errors when DNA is copied -- according to new Cornell research.

Source: EurekAlert! - Breaking News | 31 Jul 2010 | 10:00 pm

SIDS surprise: Study finds that infant boys are more easily aroused from sleep than girls

At 2 to 4 weeks of age, the mean strength of a pulsatile air-jet stimulus that was required to induce arousal during quiet sleep was significantly lower in male infants than female infants. At 2 to 3 months of age when the SIDS risk peaks, this gender difference in arousal threshold was no longer significant. Results suggest that there are no gender differences in arousability that could increase the vulnerability of male infants to SIDS.

Source: EurekAlert! - Breaking News | 31 Jul 2010 | 10:00 pm

Purple light means go, ultraviolet light means stop

(University of Rochester) A new membrane developed at the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics blocks gas from flowing through it when one color of light is shined on its surface, and permits gas to flow through when another color of light is used. It is the first time that scientists have developed a membrane that can be controlled in this way by light.

Source: EurekAlert! - Chemistry, Physics and Materials Sciences | 31 Jul 2010 | 10:00 pm

Gene variant role in Parkinson's uncovered

An RNA fragment known to be implicated in Parkinson's has been shown to cause the death of neurons in the brains of fruit flies

Source: New Scientist - Current Issue Articles | 31 Jul 2010 | 5:00 am

Google tracks political allegiances

Search engines provide a rough and ready way to map political relationships

Source: New Scientist - Current Issue Articles | 31 Jul 2010 | 4:00 am

Solar cycle may drive Venice's floods

If you want to see Venice with dry feet, don't go when the sun has lots of spots. Peaks in solar activity cause the city to flood more often

Source: New Scientist - Current Issue Articles | 31 Jul 2010 | 3:00 am

Red blood cells have a tiny but effective protector -- microRNA

Pediatric researchers have discovered a new biological pathway in which small segments of RNA, called microRNA, help protect red blood cells from injury caused by chemicals called free radicals. The microRNA seems to have only a modest role when red blood cells experience normal conditions, but steps into action when the cells are threatened by oxidant stress. The study illustrates how microRNA fine-tunes gene activity.

Source: EurekAlert! - Breaking News | 30 Jul 2010 | 10:00 pm

UT Southwestern researchers find key step in body's ability to make red blood cells

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have uncovered a key step in the creation of new red blood cells in an animal study.

Source: EurekAlert! - Breaking News | 30 Jul 2010 | 10:00 pm

Missing Puma reveals cancer conundrum

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers in Melbourne, Australia, have made a discovery that has upended scientists' understanding of programmed cell death and its role in tumor formation.

Source: EurekAlert! - Breaking News | 30 Jul 2010 | 10:00 pm

Quantum electron 'submarines' help push atoms around

Injecting electrons beneath the surface of a silicon wafer could move us closer towards building things atom by atom

Source: New Scientist - Current Issue Articles | 30 Jul 2010 | 10:30 am

Team-working robots huddle together to boost comms

Combining radio transmissions can help robots maintain communications, confounding hostile jammers and overcoming obstacles

Source: New Scientist - Current Issue Articles | 30 Jul 2010 | 7:12 am

Cosmic Trojans may sneak comets towards Earth

A collection of asteroids that orbit the sun along roughly the same path as Neptune may be a source of comets that could hit Earth

Source: New Scientist - Current Issue Articles | 30 Jul 2010 | 4:37 am

US food waste worth more than offshore drilling

A study of the energetic value of food wasted in the US each year shows the scale of the problem

Source: New Scientist - Current Issue Articles | 30 Jul 2010 | 3:31 am

Some like it hot: How to heat a 'nano bathtub' the JILA way

(National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)) Researchers at JILA have demonstrated the use of infrared laser light to quickly and precisely heat the water in "nano bathtubs" -- tiny sample containers -- for microscopy studies of the biochemistry of single molecules and nanoparticles.

Source: EurekAlert! - Chemistry, Physics and Materials Sciences | 29 Jul 2010 | 10:00 pm

Bringing academic insights to the software industry

(EUREKA) Model-based testing at an industrial scale offers a time-saving and cost-effective approach to software development. Results of a European research project are already enabling a wide arrange of European industries to improve their productivity and global competitiveness.

Source: EurekAlert! - Chemistry, Physics and Materials Sciences | 29 Jul 2010 | 10:00 pm

New biodegradable compound facilitates bone regeneration in cases of substantial loss

(Elhuyar Fundazioa) Bones have a capacity to regenerate themselves after suffering partial damage. However, it is really quite another thing when a serious break or tumour lesion occurs and the loss of tissue is substantial. Today these cases are treated with various kinds of grafts, but they have a number of disadvantages, such as rejection, contamination or limitations on donors.

Source: EurekAlert! - Chemistry, Physics and Materials Sciences | 29 Jul 2010 | 10:00 pm

New approach to Alzheimer's therapy

(Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres) Researchers from the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat in Munich have shown that the ADAM10 protein can inhibit the formation of beta-amyloid, which is responsible for Alzheimer's disease. ADAM10 acts like a pair of molecular scissors to cut the protein from which beta-amyloid is formed, effectively preventing the formation of beta-amyloid. This makes ADAM10 a key molecule in Alzheimer's therapy.

Source: EurekAlert! - Chemistry, Physics and Materials Sciences | 29 Jul 2010 | 10:00 pm

Reading terrorists minds about imminent attack

(Northwestern University) Imagine technology that allows you to get inside the mind of a terrorist to know how, when and where the next attack will occur. That may not be as far-fetched as it sounds. Northwestern brain wave research suggests that if the lab test had been employed in the real world with the same type of outcome, law enforcement officials ultimately may be able to confirm details about an attack that emerges from terrorist chatter.

Source: EurekAlert! - Chemistry, Physics and Materials Sciences | 29 Jul 2010 | 10:00 pm

How to detect malnutrition in patients effectively?

Malnutrition is a common problem in patients with cancer and is associated with a poor outcome. The assessment of nutritional status and its evaluation plays an important role in tailoring nutritional support. A study from South Korea evaluates the relationships between objective and subjective nutritional assessment of gastric cancer patients and suggests that a specific tailored nutritional assessment is needed for accurate measurement of the nutritional status of gastric cancer patients.

Source: EurekAlert! - Breaking News | 29 Jul 2010 | 10:00 pm

Case Western Reserve awarded $4.7 million from Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

(Case Western Reserve University) Jonathan Stamler, M.D., Director of the Institute for Transformative Molecular Medicine at the Case Western Reserve University has recently received a $4.7 million contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to fund the development of a new class of drugs that will selectively dilate blood cells under hypoxia (lack of oxygen in the body's tissues) and thereby enhance soldiers' performance at high altitude.

Source: EurekAlert! - Chemistry, Physics and Materials Sciences | 29 Jul 2010 | 10:00 pm

New theory of why midcontinent faults produce earthquakes

(Purdue University) A new theory developed at Purdue University may solve the mystery of why the New Madrid fault, which lies in the middle of the continent and not along a tectonic plate boundary, produces large earthquakes such as the ones that shook the eastern United States in 1811 and 1812.

Source: EurekAlert! - Chemistry, Physics and Materials Sciences | 29 Jul 2010 | 10:00 pm

California is the primary US stop for LHC's ALICE data

(DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) One month a year, the nuclei of lead atoms traveling near the speed of light will collide in the Large Hadron Collider's (LHC) ALICE experiment. Ten percent of all of the data collected in this month will travel from Switzerland to NERSC at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Northern California via the Energy Sciences Network. These facilities will provide the primary computing and storage resources for the ALICE collaboration in North and South America.

Source: EurekAlert! - Chemistry, Physics and Materials Sciences | 29 Jul 2010 | 10:00 pm

Body of evidence: New fast, reliable method to detect gravesoil

(National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)) Finding bodies buried by someone who wanted them to stay undiscovered can be difficult. However a new technique developed by scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, can reliably detect biochemical changes in a decomposing cadaver.

Source: EurekAlert! - Chemistry, Physics and Materials Sciences | 29 Jul 2010 | 10:00 pm

New 'armor' developed to avoid infection from AIDS virus

The doors are closing on the AIDS virus. A study by the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas has developed a method of attack against the AIDS virus The method involves creating a prevention system, i.e. an "armor" in the cells that are likely to be infected and thus impede, de facto, the virus from accessing them and starting to act on their immunological system.

Source: EurekAlert! - Breaking News | 29 Jul 2010 | 10:00 pm

This is a test of the emergency broadcast system. This is only a test… beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!