Latest Science News

A reconstructed partial skull (right) from a Chinese cave displays a peculiar mix of ancient and modern traits (seen in illustration, left), indicating that these late Stone Age people interacted little with nearby, modern-looking humans. Full Story D. Curnoe; Peter Schouten

SN Today:

• Evolution takes Asian refugeMultiple humanlike species may have arisen in cold-weather retreats and then interbred with ancient people.Read the full story. | Mar 16th 2012Found in: Anthropology and Humans
• Geneticists go ape for better primate family treeThe first gorilla genome and a more detailed look at chimp genetics provide new clues to evolution of humans and their closest relatives.Read the full story. | Mar 15th 2012Found in: Genes & Cells
• Retina can help reveal brain healthAmong older women, diseased blood vessels at the back of the eye are linked to lower scores on mental tests and other signs of possible ministrokes.Read the full story. | Mar 14th 2012Found in: Body & Brain
• Greek volcano reawakensPotential eruption wouldn’t be anything like Santorini’s storied Bronze Age blowout, scientists say.Read the full story. | Mar 14th 2012Found in: Earth and Earth Science
• Size doesn’t matter for crayfish’s one-two crunch Biological deception may give crustaceans an advantage during a fight.Read the full story. | Mar 14th 2012Found in: Life
• Teens win big at science competitionThe top awards in the 2012 Intel Science Talent Search go to young scientists working on cancer, innovative sources of energy and behavioral genetics.Read the full story. | Mar 13th 2012Found in: Science & Society
• Tracking the viral link to lymphomaA mutation in an anticancer gene in the Epstein-Barr virus may account for some of its malignant effect, research shows. Read the full story. | Mar 13th 2012Found in: Genes & Cells
• Pi master’s storied recallRemembering more than 60,000 consecutive numbers takes exhaustive practice at spinning yarns.Read the full story. | Mar 13th 2012Found in: Humans and Psychology

SN Multimedia:

Measuring the leap of a lizard Creatures use their tails to balance during complex maneuvers		Vying for the title of World’s Fastest Cell Scientists film 58 kinds of mobile cells to study movement		Back to the moon’s future Orbiter scouts oldest spots on the lunar surface for prospective landing sites

• Mild winters may shift spread of mosquito-borne illness

        3.13.12        –        Species that transmits brain virus in the Southeast may turn to mammals earlier in warmer years        Found in: Environment and Life

• Carnivores can lose sweet genes
          3.13.12        –        A string of mammals that eat a lot of meat have lost the power to detect sweetness        Found in: Genes & Cells and Life
• Science competition finalists go public
          3.12.12        –        Public day allows high school students to present their projects        Found in: Science & Society
• Polymer power drives tiny reactions
          3.12.12        –        Squeezing plastic ingredient in water creates enough energy to fuel chemical work        Found in: Matter & Energy and Molecules
• Microraptor’s true blue colors
          3.9.12        –        Dinosaur had black iridescent feathers         Found in: Life
• FOR KIDS: Ancient flower blooms again
          3.16.12        –        Fruit frozen underground for more than 31,000 years produce plants          Found in: Science News For Kids
• FOR KIDS: Too fast to be true
          3.16.12        –        Human error, not new physics, may explain surprising speeds of tiny neutrinos        Found in: Science News For Kids
• FOR KIDS: Speedy sharkskin
          3.14.12        –        Tiny, toothlike bumps boost sharks’ swiftness        Found in: Science News For Kids
• Triceratops reigns alone again
          3.9.12        –        Fossil comparison upholds dinosaur as separate species         Found in: Life and Paleontology
• Ancient impact may explain moon’s magnetic mystery
          3.9.12        –        Anomalies near crater suggest scattering of iron-rich debris         Found in: Astronomy and Atom & Cosmos
• Bee genes may drive them to adventure
          3.8.12        –        Scouting behavior linked to certain molecules in insect brains         Found in: Genes & Cells and Life
• FOR KIDS: Fishy chatter
          3.8.12        –        Scientists record unidentified noises in the deep sea        Found in: Science News For Kids

Related articles

• Tracking the viral link to lymphoma (sciencenews.org)
• Epstein Barr-like virus infects and may cause cancer in dogs (sciencedaily.com)
• This Is All That Greece Needs (zerohedge.com)
• Penn researchers find Epstein Barr-like virus infects and may cause cancer in dogs (eurekalert.org)
• A bird’s song may teach us about human speech disorders (eurekalert.org)
• Santorini: history’s most dreaded volcano awakes and is rapidly inflating warns geologist (theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com)
• Viruses inside your brain – Epstein-Barr virus and Multiple Sclerosis (sansscience.wordpress.com)
• New study: Gorilla genome calls common ancestry thesis into question (winteryknight.wordpress.com)
• Wistar Receives $4.7 Million From Wellcome Trust To Develop Drug Against Cancers Caused By Epstein-Barr Virus (medicalnewstoday.com)
• Scientists unlock genetic code for gorillas – and show the human link (smh.com.au)
• Latest Science News (theageofblasphemy.wordpress.com)
• Science competition finalists go public (sciencenews.org)
• Teens win big at science competition (sciencenews.org)
• Why science needs more than the private sector (uw20sciencemediaandculture.wordpress.com)
• Albany, Saratoga students in the top 10 of the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search (mercurynews.com)
• Science News (theageofblasphemy.wordpress.com)

Latest Science News

Latest Science News

This composite image captured by the Hubble shows the positions of the dark matter core (blue), galaxies (orange) and gas (green) in the train wreck cluster, formed by colliding galaxies. Full Story NASA, ESA, CFHT, CXO, M.J. Jee/UC Davis, A. Mahdavi/San Francisco State Univ.

SN Today:

• A dash of marrow helps kidney transplantA new approach enables researchers to wean some patients who receive poorly matched kidneys off immune-suppressing drugsRead the full story. | Mar 7th 2012Found in: Body & Brain

 

• Old memories interfere with remembering new onesScans in healthy people reveal how the brain juggles outdated versus fresh information.Read the full story. | Mar 7th 2012

 

• Exercise brings on DNA changesWorkouts and caffeine can turn on genes that make energy-regulating proteins.Read the full story. | Mar 7th 2012Found in: Genes & Cells

• Lose a memory, use energyLab experiment confirms link between erasing information and heat flow.Read the full story. | Mar 7th 2012Found in: Matter & Energy

 

• Galactic smashup leaves dark matter debrisFind in ‘train wreck’ cluster forces astronomers to re-think theories about relationship between mysterious dark matter and galaxies.Read the full story. | Mar 6th 2012Found in: Atom & Cosmos

 

• Excess salt may stiffen heart vesselsAs sodium in diet increases, a coronary risk factor independent of blood pressure escalates, according to a study in middle-aged U.S. men.Read the full story. | Mar 6th 2012Found in: Body & Brain and Nutrition

 

• Sawfish don’t sawSpiked snouts whack prey to the bottom, helping the predator better get its mouth around dinner.Read the full story. | Mar 6th 2012Found in: Life

 

• Fossil pushes back land-animal debutCreatures first squished mud through their five toes millions of years earlier than previously believed. Read the full story. | Mar 5th 2012Found in: Life

 

SN Multimedia:

Measuring the leap of a lizard Creatures use their tails to balance during complex maneuvers		Vying for the title of World’s Fastest Cell Scientists film 58 kinds of mobile cells to study movement		Back to the moon’s future Orbiter scouts oldest spots on the lunar surface for prospective landing sites

Plants’ reproductive weaponry unfurled

        3.5.12        –        Botanical tricks include adhesion and bubbles to spread their spores        Found in: Life and Matter & Energy

• Water not so squishy under pressure
          3.5.12        –        In planets’ cores, molecules may not compress tightly        Found in: Atom & Cosmos and Matter & Energy

• Technique may reveal where it all began
          3.2.12        –        Modeling strategy can help trace roots of widespread phenomena        Found in: Science & Society

• Modern era brings death to words
          3.1.12        –        Analysis of books identifies lexical victims of shifting social, technological influences        Found in: Humans and Science & Society

• After a breakup, coral embryos live on as clones
          3.1.12        –        Afloat in the ocean, the newly dividing cell masses shatter easy, die hard        Found in: Life

• Kids flex cultural muscles
          3.1.12        –        Preschoolers demonstrate humankind’s social-learning prowess        Found in: Humans and Psychology
• Hydrogen takes a new form
          3.1.12        –        High-pressure studies reveal long-sought phase        Found in: Matter & Energy
• Fault’s twists may shake up earthquake forecasts
          2.29.12        –        Deep angles along San Andreas mean temblors may be stronger than predicted        Found in: Earth
• FOR KIDS: Finding a home in science
          3.6.12        –        Homeless teen finds fame, refuge in marine biology research        Found in: Science News For Kids
• FOR KIDS: Losing control over sugar
          3.2.12        –        A common pollutant and sweetener mess with important hormones        Found in: Science News For Kids
• FOR KIDS: Sudden big chill
          2.29.12        –        Earth’s climate cooled quickly at the beginning of the Little Ice Age, hundreds of years ago
• FOR KIDS: The White House welcomes science
          2.29.12        –        Students are honored at a special science fair at the president’s home        Found in: Science News For Kids

Related articles

• Galactic smashup leaves dark matter debris (sciencenews.org)
• A Closer Look at Galaxy Cluster Abell 520 (unastronomy.com)
• Galactic Pile-Up Leaves Behind Mysterious Dark Matter Core (wired.com)
• Heart of Darkness (telescoper.wordpress.com)
• A Cosmic Smashup and a Dark Matter Mystery? (scienceblogs.com)
• Dark Matter Core Defies Explanation in Hubble Image (livescience.com)
• Dark Matter Core Defies Explanation (spacefellowship.com)
• Darkness visible in galactic train wreck (newscientist.com)
• Galactic Views (26) (theneteconomy.wordpress.com)
• Dark Matter Core Defies Explanation (physicsforme.wordpress.com)
• Mysterious dark matter isn’t elusive … it’s everywhere (mnn.com)

Science News

Hazy Titan and icy Dione, two of Saturn’s many moons, pose in front of the giant planet’s rings. Full Story NASA, JPL-Caltech, Space Science Inst.

More SN:-

• Saturn moons spied from the sideCassini captures Titan and Dione against the sixth planet’s rings.Read the full story. | Dec 23rd 2011Found in: Atom & Cosmos
• Early animals dethronedCell division patterns in controversial Chinese fossils place them outside the animal kingdom.Read the full story. | Dec 22nd 2011Found in: Earth, Life and Paleontology
• Groundwater dropping globallyNine-year record collected from orbit finds supply dropping mostly due to agriculture.Read the full story. | Dec 22nd 2011Found in: Earth
• Pigeons rival primates in number taskTrained on one-two-three, the birds can apply the rule of numerical order to such lofty figures as five and nine.Read the full story. | Dec 22nd 2011Found in: Life
• Network analysis predicts drug side effectsA computer technique can foresee adverse events before medications are widely prescribed.Read the full story. | Dec 21st 2011Found in: Biomedicine, Body & Brain and Science & Society
• Drugs activate dormant geneA compound that blocks DNA unwinding can spur production of a critical brain protein in mice, leading to hope for a therapy for Angelman syndrome.Read the full story. | Dec 21st 2011Found in: Genes & Cells
• Toasty planets circle stellar heartRoasted remains orbit former red giant.Read the full story. | Dec 21st 2011Found in: Astronomy
• First Earth-sized planets nettedThe Kepler space telescope gets one step closer to its mission of discovering habitable worlds by finding two orbs of terrestrial proportions orbiting a distant sunlike star.Read the full story. | Dec 20th 2011Found in: Astronomy and Atom & Cosmos

SN Multimedia:

Wasps airlift annoying ants In a scrap over food, being big and able to fly is an advantage

Related articles

• Titan, Dione, Tethys, and Saturn: A Christmas gift from Cassini (extremetech.com)
• NASA Spacecraft Beam Space Christmas Photos to Earth (space.com)
• Absolutely Stunning Photos of Saturn’s Moon Titan [Space Porn] (io9.com)
• Nasa’s Latest Pictures Of Saturn Moon Dione (news.sky.com)
• Holiday goodies from deep space (photoblog.msnbc.msn.com)
• I Would Sell My Soul To See This With My Own Eyes [Astronomy] (gizmodo.com)
• I Would Sell My Soul To See This With My Own Eyes (gizmodo.com.au)
• Holiday goodies from deep space (photoblog.msnbc.msn.com)
• Astronomers have discovered the first Earth-sized planets, which are orbiting … – BBC News (bbc.co.uk)
• Flying By Saturn’s ‘Death Star’ Moon Mimas (revolutionizingawareness.com)

Terminator-Style Lenses a Step Closer

Terminator-style lenses a step closer

Thursday, 24 November 2011 Alyssa Danigelis Discovery News

---

The lens is currently made from a hard plastic that doesn’t allow airflow to the eye, limiting usage to only a few minutes (Source: University of Washington)

Related Stories

• Trial of bionic eye within three years, Science Online, 31 Mar 2010
• Nanotechnology may tap into your mind, Science Online, 25 Feb 2010
• Bionic lens spies virtual world, Science Online, 06 Feb 2008

Terminator lenses The latest steps in the development of a computerised contact lens that could be used for navigation, health monitoring or even to sneak access to information, has been unveiled by US researchers.

A paper describing the lens appears in the latest issue of the Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering.

“Some day maybe we’ll have full-fledged streaming in your contact lenses,” says co-author Associate Professor Babak Amir Parviz, from electrical engineering at the University of Washington (UW).

Parviz along with an international team of engineers has constructed a contact lens embedded with a tiny LED that can light up when a wireless signal is sent to it.

He collaborated on the device with UW ophthalmologist Tueng Shen and researchers from Aalto University in Finland led by optoelectronics professor Dr Markku Sopanen.

Parviz’s group specialises in incorporating miniaturised devices into unconventional materials and has been working on functional contact lenses for a while, he says.

“If we can make very small devices of various sorts, if we have the ability to put them into different materials, what can I do with this contact lens that I stare at every morning?”

The engineers took an extremely small custom-designed LED made with sapphire and embedded it in the centre of a plastic contact lens.

They also embedded a circular antenna around the inside lip of the lens. A miniature integrated circuit connects the antenna and the blue LED. Using remote radio frequency transmission, the group was able to control a single pixel.

With this setup, a human eye still wouldn’t be able to distinguish that pixel due to the minimum focal distance required to see anything

Related articles

• Wireless Display on a Contact Lens (spectrum.ieee.org)
• Bionic contact lens could project floating emails (cbsnews.com)
• Terminator-Style Contact Lens Projects Info Before Your Eyes (healthland.time.com)
• Computerized Contact Lenses Could Enable In-Eye Augmented Reality (blogs.scientificamerican.com)
• Successful test for electronic contact lens (zdnet.com)
• Bionic contact lens ‘to project emails before eyes’ (thebeerevelation.wordpress.com)
• We may soon be able to see like cyborgs (theinformativereport.com)
• Prototype contact lens brings Terminator-esque vision a little closer (gizmag.com)

DNA Discovery May Boost Stem Cell Safety

Monday, 28 November 2011 Sarah Kellett ABC

---

Stem cells need to be grown in the best possible way to stop gene mutations(Source: iStockphoto)

Related Stories

• Heart heals itself, with a little help, Science Online, 09 Jun 2011
• US doctors usher in ‘dawn of stem cell age’, Science Online, 12 Oct 2010
• Skin cells transformed into nerve cells, Science Online, 28 Jan 2010

Regenerative medicine A region of DNA that can boost the growth of stem cells has been found in the largest ever study of human embryonic stem cells.

The discovery could lead to safer cell therapies, says  study co-author Dr Andrew Laslett from CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering.

The research by the International Stem Cell Initiative involved 38 laboratories across the globe studying 125 ethnically diverse cell lines in parallel experiments.

Study findings, reported in today’s issue of Nature Biotechnology , uncover changes that arise from how cells are grown.

Embryonic stem cells are powerful for their ability to become any other cell in the body.

Stem cell therapy, which is entering early-stage human trials, turns stem cells into other cell types, like healthy nerve cells, to treat spinal cord injury, blindness and other ailments.

The cells need to be grown in nutritious culture to produce enough cells for therapy. Many stem cells die when they are first moved to a new culture, leading to natural selection and adaptation.

Cells with a growth advantage expand faster and dominate. However, this can come at the price of genetic mutation, so growing fast is not always desirable.

“It’s the small fraction of cells that become abnormal that can be dangerous in a clinical situation,” says Laslett. “If they find growth situations that suit them, they could grow into cancers.”

One in five cell-lines mutated a particular region of chromosome 20. Gaining extra copies of the region seemed to give them a growth advantage.

From the three genes in the region, it’s likely the advantage is from BCL2L1. It’s known to stop controlled cell death, or apoptosis. The same mutation is also found in some cancer cells.

By targeting this region of chromosome 20, Laslett says we can “develop better tests to tell more quickly if the cells are going bad in culture.”

Scientists could use these tests to improve current techniques used to grow stem cells.

“Embryonic stem cells walk a tightrope with maintaining their normal genetic nature,” he says. “We need to culture them in the best possible way so they keep those genes normal.”

International collaboration

Associate Professor Paul Thomas at the University of Adelaide, who was not involved in the study, says the research is impressive in its scale.

“This kind of paper wouldn’t be possible without international collaboration.”

“One of the interesting findings is that most of the embryonic stem cells are normal, even though they have been cultured for a long period. About two thirds were unchanged,” he says.

Related articles

• Stem cell study advances regenerative medicine research (physorg.com)
• A Leap Forward for Stem Cells (time.com)
• Researchers engineer blood stem cells to fight melanoma (medicalxpress.com)
• Landmark Spinal Repair Stem Cell Trial (medicalnewstoday.com)

Cannibal Mouse: The MythBusters Episode You Never Saw

 

Co-host Adam Savage tells – in grizzly detail – why Discovery Channel banned a compelling installment of their show. Presented at Maker Faire Bay Area 2010. [Click for full version of Adam’s talk]

Credit: FORA.tv