 Superbugs from space offer new source of power
 22.02.2012 2:26  0 views  0 comments
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 Scientists have created a "designer slime" that can double the electrical output of existing microbial fuel cells. Bacillus stratosphericus -- a microbe commonly found in high concentrations in the stratosphere orbiting Earth with the satellites -- is a key component of a new 'super' biofilm. Read more »
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Cocaine and the teen brain: New insights into addiction
22.02.2012 2:26 0 views 0 comments
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 When first exposed to cocaine, the adolescent brain launches a strong defensive reaction designed to minimize the drug's effects, scientists have found. Now two new studies identify key genes that regulate this response and show that interfering with this reaction dramatically increases a mouse's sensitivity to cocaine. Read more »
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Neuroscientists identify how the brain works to select what we (want to) see
22.02.2012 2:26 0 views 0 comments
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 If you are looking for a particular object -- say a yellow pencil -- on a cluttered desk, how does your brain work to visually locate it? For the first time, neuroscientists have identified how different neural regions communicate to determine what to visually pay attention to and what to ignore. This finding is a major discovery for visual cognition and will guide future research into visual and attention deficit disorders. Read more »
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Caught in the act: Scientists discover microbes speciating
22.02.2012 2:25 0 views 0 comments
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 Not that long ago in a hot spring in Kamchatka, Russia, two groups of genetically indistinguishable microbes decided to part ways. They began evolving into different species – despite the fact that they still encountered one another in their acidic, boiling habitat and even exchanged some genes from time to time, researchers report. This is the first example of what the researchers call sympatric speciation in a microorganism. Read more »
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Stronger intestinal barrier may prevent cancer in the rest of the body, new study suggests
22.02.2012 2:23 0 views 0 comments
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Researchers have found that silencing a hormone receptor weakens the intestinal barrier, making the body more susceptible to cancer. Read more »
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How good cholesterol turns bad
21.02.2012 21:59 0 views 0 comments
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 Researchers have found new evidence to explain how cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) mediates the transfer of cholesterol from "good" high density lipoproteins (HDLs) to "bad" low density lipoproteins (LDLs). These findings point the way to the design of safer, more effective next generation CETP inhibitors that could help prevent the development of heart disease. Read more »
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Technique creates piezoelectric ferroelectric nanostructures
21.02.2012 21:58 0 views 0 comments
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Researchers have developed a “soft template infiltration” technique for fabricating free-standing piezoelectrically active ferroelectric nanotubes and other nanostructures from PZT – a material that is attractive because of its large piezoelectric response. Read more »
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Anticipation of stressful situations accelerates cellular aging
21.02.2012 21:58 0 views 0 comments
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 The ability to anticipate future events allows us to plan and exert control over our lives, but it may also contribute to stress-related increased risk for the diseases of aging, according to a new study. Read more »
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Injectable gel could repair tissue damaged by heart attack
21.02.2012 21:57 0 views 0 comments
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 Researchers have developed a new injectable hydrogel that could be an effective and safe treatment for tissue damage caused by heart attacks. Read more »
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Rare fungus kills endangered rattlesnakes in southern Illinois
21.02.2012 20:15 0 views 0 comments
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 A small population of rattlesnakes that already is in decline in southern Illinois faces a new and unexpected threat in the form of a fungus rarely seen in the wild, researchers report. The finding matches reports of rattlesnake deaths in the northeast United States. Read more »
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Gold coaxed into nanowires to allow inexpensive detection of poisonous industrial gases
21.02.2012 20:15 0 views 0 comments
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 Researchers have coaxed gold into nanowires as a way of creating an inexpensive material for detecting poisonous gases found in natural gas. Read more »
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Cell energy sensor mechanism discovered
21.02.2012 19:59 0 views 0 comments
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Researchers have discovered more details about how an energy sensing “thermostat” protein determines whether cells will store or use their energy reserves. The researchers have shown that a chemical modification on the thermostat protein changes how it’s controlled. Without the modification, cells use stored energy, and with it, they default to stockpiling resources. When cells don’t properly allocate their energy supply, they can die off or become cancerous. Read more »
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Seven adult-sized humanoid robots together for first time in the U.S.
21.02.2012 19:58 0 views 0 comments
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 Seven adult-sized humanoid robots took the stage during Drexel University's celebration of National Engineers Week in a first-of-its-kind assembly of robotic technology. Their presence -- together in one place -- is a unique event. Read more »
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Fastest wind from stellar-mass black hole
21.02.2012 19:58 0 views 0 comments
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Astronomers have clocked the fastest wind yet discovered blowing off a disk around a stellar-mass black hole. This result has important implications for understanding how this type of black hole behaves. Read more »
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Can consuming caffeine while breastfeeding harm your baby?
21.02.2012 17:54 0 views 0 comments
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 Babies are not able to metabolize or excrete caffeine very well, so a breastfeeding mother's consumption of caffeine may lead to caffeine accumulation and symptoms such as wakefulness and irritability, according to an expert. Read more »
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Tohoku grim reminder of potential for Pacific Northwest North American megaquake
21.02.2012 17:54 0 views 0 comments
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 The March 11, 2011 Tohoku earthquake is a grim reminder of the potential for another strong-motion mega-earthquake along the Pacific Northwest coast, geophysicists say. Read more »
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Origin of photosynthesis revealed: Genome analysis of 'living fossil' sheds light on the evolution of plants
21.02.2012 17:54 0 views 0 comments
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 Evolutionary biologists have shed light on the early events leading to photosynthesis, the result of the sequencing of 70 million base pair nuclear genome of the one-celled alga Cyanophora. They consider this study the final piece of the puzzle to understand the origin of photosynthesis in eukaryotes. Read more »
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Many young people don't know what constitutes sensible alcohol consumption
21.02.2012 17:52 0 views 0 comments
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 A new study reveals that young people do not possess the knowledge or skills required to adhere to U.S. government guidelines for responsible alcohol consumption. Read more »
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Plant toughness: Key to cracking biofuels?
21.02.2012 17:52 0 views 0 comments
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 Along with photosynthesis, the plant cell wall is one of the features that most set plants apart from animals. A structural molecule called cellulose is necessary for the manufacture of these walls. Cellulose is synthesized in a semi-crystalline state that is essential for its function in the cell wall function, but the mechanisms controlling its crystallinity are poorly understood. New research reveals key information about this process. Read more »
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Noninvasive method accurately and efficiently detects risk of Down syndrome, researchers say
21.02.2012 17:51 0 views 0 comments
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 Using a noninvasive test on maternal blood that deploys a novel biochemical assay and a new algorithm for analysis, scientists can detect, with a high degree of accuracy, the risk that a fetus has the chromosomal abnormalities that cause Down syndrome and a genetic disorder known as Edwards syndrome. The new approach is more scalable than other recently developed genetic screening tests and has the potential to reduce unnecessary amniocentesis or CVS. Read more »
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