July 21, 2008 Science NewsThe International Space Station, a test-bed for future space exploration Joint statement by the International Space Station Heads of Agency ESA PR 33-2008. The Heads of the International Space Station (ISS) Agencies from Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia and the United States met today at ESA Headquarters in Paris, France, to review ISS cooperation. A dash of lime -- a new twist that may cut CO2 levels back to pre-industrial levels Scientists say they have found a workable way of reducing CO2 levels in the atmosphere by adding lime to seawater. And they think it has the potential to dramatically reverse CO2 accumulation in the atmosphere, reports Cath O'Driscoll in SCI's Chemistry & Industry magazine published today. Calcium may be the key to understanding Alzheimer's disease Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have shown that mutations in two proteins associated with familial Alzheimer's disease disrupt the flow of calcium ions within neurons. The two proteins, called PS1 and PS2 (presenilin 1 and 2), interact with a calcium release channel in an intracellular cell compartment. Lionfish decimating tropical fish populations, threaten coral reefs The invasion of predatory lionfish in the Caribbean region poses yet another major threat there to coral reef ecosystems - a new study has found that within a short period after the entry of lionfish into an area, the survival of other reef fishes is slashed by about 80 percent. Massive greenhouse gases may be released as destruction, drying of world wetlands worsens: UN Leading world scientists convene in Brazil July 21-25 amid growing concern that evaporation and ongoing destruction of world wetlands, which hold a volume of carbon similar to that in the atmosphere today, could cause them to exhale billows of greenhouse gases. "Nanosculpture" Could Enable New Types of Heat Pumps and Energy Converters A new technique for growing single-crystal nanorods and controlling their shape using biomolecules could enable the development of smaller, more powerful heat pumps and devices that harvest electricity from heat. Stem cell chicken and egg debate moves to unlikely arena: the testes Logic says it has to be the niche. As air and water preceded life, so the niche, that hospitable environment that shelters adult stem cells in many tissues and provides factors necessary to keep them young and vital, must have emerged before its stem cell dependents. Predicting acute GVHD by gene expression could improve liver stem cell transplant outcomes Many cell transplants involve the use of stem cells from another human being (known as an allograft), which raises the major concern of the potential for acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). A viral cloaking device Viruses achieve their definition of success when they can thrive without killing their host. Now, biologists Pamela Bjorkman and Zhiru Yang of the California Institute of Technology have uncovered how one such virus, prevalent in humans, evolved over time to hide from the immune system. HIV conquers immune system faster than previously realized New research into the earliest events occurring immediately upon infection with HIV-I shows that the virus deals a stunning blow to the immune system earlier than was previously understood. Closing the hydrogen economic loop The inventor of the nickel metal hydride (NiMH) technology used for building batteries for countless portable electronic gadgets and now hybrid gas-electric cars believes the hydrogen economy is already upon us. Saharan dust storms sustain life in Atlantic Ocean Research at the University of Liverpool has found how Saharan dust storms help sustain life over extensive regions of the North Atlantic Ocean. Digital cameras, remote satellites measure crop water demand Horticultural crops account for almost 50% of crop sales in the United States, and these crops are carefully managed to ensure good quality. Nature publishes new evidence about the deep biosphere written by biogeoscientists Biogeoscientists show evidence of 90 billion tons of microbial organisms-expressed in terms of carbon mass-living in the deep biosphere, in a research article published online by Nature, July 20, 2008. New indicator uncovered that can predict coral health A new indicator of coral health has been discovered in a community of microscopic single-celled algae called dinoflagellates. Standards in stem cell research Standards in stem cell research help both scientists and regulators to manage uncertainty and the unknown, according to new research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. Coffee and cigarette consumption are high among AA attendees More than one million Americans currently participate in the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) program. While AA participants are reportedly notorious for their coffee drinking and cigarette smoking, very little research has quantified their consumption of these two products. CSHL scientists correlate enzyme expression levels with chemotherapy drug response Why do cancer patients develop resistance to chemotherapy drugs, sometimes abruptly, after a period in which the drugs seem to be working well to reduce tumors or hold them in check? Although largely a mystery to scientists, the result when this occurs is all too familiar: patients relapse and in many cases die when their cancers become resistant. Still puzzling: Best care for the frail and elderly with coronary artery disease A new study from Duke University Medical Center finds that patients treated solely with medications after suffering from chest pain, heart attack or coronary artery disease are more likely to die during the first year following their initial hospitalization. Researchers grow human blood vessels in mice from adult progenitor cells For the first time, researchers have successfully grown functional human blood vessels in mice using cells from adult human donors - an important step in developing clinical strategies to grow tissue, researchers report in Circulation Research: Journal of the American Heart Association. Loud music can make you drink more, in less time, in a bar Commercial venues are very aware of the effects that the environment - in this case, music - can have on in-store traffic flow, sales volumes, product choices, and consumer time spent in the immediate vicinity. Water-diffusion technology identifies brain regions damaged by prenatal alcohol exposure Scientists know that children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) often have structural brain damage. Yet little is known about how white matter connections, and deep gray matter structures that act as relay stations, are affected in children with FASD. Class of antibiotics can enhance gene-silencing tool A way to turn off one gene at a time has earned acceptance in biology laboratories over the last decade. Doctors envision the technique, called RNA interference, as a tool to treat a variety of diseases if it can be adapted to humans. Study Shows Cost-Effectiveness of 64-Slice CT Scanner in Emergency Department Chest Pain Patients A recent study led by Rahul Khare, MD, emergency department physician and assistant director of operations at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, sought to determine the cost-effectiveness of utilizing a CT scanner to evaluate low-risk chest pain patients in the emergency room. Complex questions asked by defense lawyers linked to convictions in child abuse trials Defendants in child abuse cases are more likely to be convicted if their defense lawyer uses complicated language when interrogating young victims according to new research out of the University of Toronto and the University of Southern California. PCI preference -- will that be an arm or a leg? When it comes to stenting - using metal tubes to prop open blocked arteries - physicians are continuing to choose to gain entry to the circulatory system through an opening in the leg instead of the arm, even though the latter option appears to be safer, with fewer side effects, say researchers at Duke Clinical Research Institute. Discovery of a mechanism that regulates cell movement A study performed by researchers at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), in collaboration with researchers at the Instituto de Biología Molecular of the CSIC, reveal a mechanism that controls the movement of cells in a tissue by regulating cell adhesion. Bullying-suicide link explored in new study by researchers at Yale Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have found signs of an apparent connection between bullying, being bullied and suicide in children, according to a new review of studies from 13 countries published in the International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health. Prenatal drinking, environmental enrichment: effects on neurotrophins are independent of each other Prenatal alcohol exposure may be particularly destructive for neurotrophins, a family of peptides that influence the growth, development and functional plasticity of the fetal brain. Good breeding increases shelf life The lettuce cut and packaged for food service and salad mixes is an increasingly important component of the produce industry. Lettuce is highly perishable, and the cutting required in processing further shortens its shelf life. Study: Migrant laborers valuable to horticulture industry Despite tremendous growth in mechanization and technological advances, nursery, greenhouse, and sod production in the U.S. are still extremely labor-intensive. Averting postsurgical infections in kids: Give antibiotics within hour before first incision Giving children preventive antibiotics within one hour before they undergo spinal surgery greatly reduces the risk for serious infections after the surgery. iTunes allows radiologists to save, sort and search personal learning files iTunes has the ability to manage and organize PDF files just as easy as music files, allowing radiologists to better organize their personal files of articles and images, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at Renji Hospital and Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine in Shanghai, China. |
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