The first comprehensive analysis of the clinical effects of genetic mutations involved in Rett syndrome will enable affected families to receive a more accurate indication of their child's prognosis.
Rough-skinned newts harbor in their skin massive doses of the same deadly toxin found in blowfish. Garter snakes that dine on the newts have evolved resistance to the toxin, spurring greater toxicity in the newts by natural selection. But now researchers report that in some areas, the snakes have somehow evolved levels of resistance far beyond what the newts are capable of countering.
Researchers have made an important neurobiological discovery of how humans learn to predict risk. The research, appearing in the Journal of Neuroscience, will shed light on why certain kinds of risk, notably financial risk, are often underestimated, and whether abnormal behavior such as addiction (e.g. to gambling or drugs) could be caused by an erroneous evaluation of risk.
NOAA has just deployed the final two tsunami detection buoys in the South Pacific, completing the buoy network and bolstering the U.S. tsunami warning system. This vast network of 39 stations provides coastal communities in the Pacific, Atlantic, Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico with faster and more accurate tsunami warnings.
Ultracold atoms moving through a carefully designed arrangement of laser beams will jiggle slightly as they go, two NIST scientists have predicted. If observed, this never-before-seen "jitterbug" motion would shed light on a little-known oddity of quantum mechanics arising from Paul Dirac's 80-year-old theory of the electron.
Myostatin, a protein that blocks muscle growth, has shown promising results as a potential therapeutic target for treating muscular dystrophy in animal studies, where its inhibition led to increased muscle mass and strength. A new study, the first to evaluate a myostatin inhibitor in patients, assessed its safety in adults with muscular dystrophy and found that it was well-tolerated.
Male smokers who consume more magnesium appear to have a lower risk for cerebral infarction, a type of stroke that occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked, according to a new report.
There is increasing evidence that high rates of illness in Persian Gulf War veterans can be explained, in part, by exposure to certain chemicals, including pesticides and nerve agents.
Bipolar Disorder (BPD or manic-depressive illness) is one of the most serious of all mental disorders, affecting millions of individuals worldwide. Affected individuals alternate between states of deep depression and mania. Now, a mouse model of the disease has been developed. Researchers found that the glutamate receptor 6 (GluR6) gene is associated with bipolar disorder. Mice that were missing the GluR6 gene underwent a series of tests designed to approximate the symptoms of mania. These mice showed many of the symptoms of mania, including hyperactivity, aggressiveness, driven or increased goal-directed pursuits, risk-taking, and super-sensitivity to amphetamine. The researchers also found that treating the mice with lithium -- the classic treatment for bipolar disorder -- reduced these symptoms.
A clever new microscope design allows nanotechnology researchers to track the motions of nanoparticles in solution as they dart around in three dimensions. The researchers hope the technology, which NIST plans to patent, will lead to a better understanding of the dynamics of nanoparticles in fluids and, ultimately, process control techniques to optimize the assembly of nanotech devices.
The US shuttle Endeavour docks with the International Space Station on a mission to deliver a Japanese space lab. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 13 Mar 2008 | 11:49 am
Space shuttle Endeavour completes 'textbook' docking at international space station to install Japanese lab Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 13 Mar 2008 | 11:42 am
Hundreds of Kenyans by Mombasa port say they have become ill after chemical containers were dumped nearby. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 13 Mar 2008 | 11:16 am
The US introduces tougher air quality standards for the first time in 10 years, to improve public health. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 13 Mar 2008 | 11:07 am
Climate change, energy security and reform are set to dominate an EU summit in Brussels. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 13 Mar 2008 | 10:07 am
A device designed to guide warships through mine fields could help reduce by-catch of dolphins and whales. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 13 Mar 2008 | 9:37 am
HOUSTON (Reuters) - Astronauts from space shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station greeted one another with hugs and smiles on Thursday to begin a joint 12-day mission to install a Japanese laboratory and Canadian robotic system.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China will tolerate experiment failures by its scientists to ease pressure, encourage innovation and cut the chances of fraud, a top official said on Thursday.
Poorer countries face starvation if a disease called Ug-99 hits wheat yields hard enough to push up prices. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 13 Mar 2008 | 6:01 am
Tim Radford: Grey goo is journalistic shorthand for the hazards of nanotechnology: engineering at the scale of a billionth of a metre Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 13 Mar 2008 | 12:07 am
BOSTON (Reuters) - A widely used device that employs brainwaves to help doctors prevent patients from waking up during surgery is no more effective than an older, far less costly technique, researchers said on Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A spacecraft whizzed past Saturn's moon Enceladus on Wednesday and through a huge geyser spurting from its south pole, collected samples of ice and gas shooting about 500 miles into space.
BOSTON (Reuters) - When her son Alex was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder at the age of 10, Karen George was reluctant to put him on medication.
The Peruvian meteorite impact that sparked mass panic last year has provided some tantalising new science. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 12 Mar 2008 | 6:00 pm
DIAVIK MINE, Northwest Territories (Reuters) - Once a hotbed of gold mining, Canada's far north is now unearthing riches from a different precious commodity: diamonds.
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Clarissa Poon was one of an estimated 50 million people who contracted mosquito-borne dengue fever last year. She spent an agonizing week on a drip in a Bangkok hospital as she battled the potentially deadly disease.
Remains of tiny ancient humans found on a Pacific island raise new issues over the Indonesian "Hobbits". Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 12 Mar 2008 | 10:45 am
