Fullerenes, also fondly known as buckyballs, are showing an ugly side. It appears that the hydrophobic, or water hating, carbon molecules clump together in water, forming aggregates of thousands of molecules. And there are reports that these aggregates can be toxic. Now researchers have demonstrated that this behavior can be changed.
Archaeologists have reconstructed the history of the evolution of human population and answered questions about history, using DNA extracted from skeleton remains at the Aldaieta necropolis. It is clear that the genetic analysis of skeleton remains, despite the labor-intensive work involved and the problem of authenticity of the results, has provided an essential contribution in the reconstruction of the biological history of human populations.
In a world without human-produced pollution, biological productivity controls cloud formation and may be the lever that caused supergreenhouse episodes during the Cetaceous and Eocene, according to paleoclimatologists.
Researchers report the discovery of a critical early player in the path that turns cells to fat. Given that obesity is a major health concern, such a fuller understanding of the molecular processes governing fat tissue formation could ultimately hold clinical importance.
Computer science and engineering researchers revealed that the answer quality provided by online question-and-answer Web sites, such as Yahoo! Answers and Google Answers, depends on two factors -- how much you pay and how many people contribute to your answer.
Researchers have identified a key mechanism by which the protein sludge that kills brain cells accumulates in Alzheimer's disease. Their findings in mice offer clues to treating AD and also could explain why memory centers of the brain are most affected in the disease.
The public won't take kindly to having Phorm thrust upon them when there are no obvious consumer benefits Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 11 Apr 2008 | 12:21 pm
BERLIN (Reuters) - German lawmakers voted on Friday to ease restrictions on stem cell research although the approved changes did not go as far as many scientists had hoped.
A team has solved important puzzles concerning how certain proteins guide the reproduction of bacteria. Solving the Z ring's mysteries may lead to new antibiotics.
With a bit of genetic trickery, researchers have turned normal skin cells into cancer stem cells, a step that will make these naturally rare cells easier to study.
Despite oil prices that hover around $100 a barrel, it may take at least 10 or more years of intensive research to reduce the cost of solar energy to levels competitive with petroleum, according to a leading expert on the topic.
A new study mapping the evolutionary history of animals indicates that Earth's first animal -- a mysterious creature whose characteristics can only be inferred from fossils and studies of living animals -- was probably significantly more complex than previously believed.
The German parliament votes to ease restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, after a heated debate. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 11 Apr 2008 | 11:37 am
The BBC Scotland news website examines the challenges involved in decommissioning the Dounreay plant. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 11 Apr 2008 | 9:41 am
BEIJING (Reuters) - China is preparing an arsenal of rockets and aircraft to protect the Olympics opening ceremony from rain, hoping to disperse clouds before they can drench dignitaries at the roofless "bird's nest" stadium.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A rare and primitive frog living in a remote Borneo stream has no lungs and apparently absorbs oxygen through its skin, researchers reported on Wednesday.
KOROLYOV, Russia (Reuters) - A 29-year-old nanotechnology engineer became the first South Korean aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday, when a Russian space rocket successfully docked with the orbiting platform.
BBC Radio 4 is to air a documentary about UFOs co-presented by Robbie Williams and documentary-maker Jon Ronson. By Ben Dowell Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 10 Apr 2008 | 11:18 pm
Discovery could improve treatment of cancer and help prevent sickness after nuclear accident or attack Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 10 Apr 2008 | 11:18 pm
Forensic science regulator rules that tiny samples of DNA evidence are safe to use in criminal prosecutions Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 10 Apr 2008 | 11:17 pm
BRASILIA (Reuters) - A Catholic Church watchdog group in Brazil on Thursday criticized President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government over the record number of murders of tribal Indians last year.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Thursday may fine Florida Power & Light Co $130,000 after security officers at the company's Turkey Point nuclear power plant near Miami were found sleeping on the job.
Gadgets with vastly bigger memory capacities could result from research by IBM scientists. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 10 Apr 2008 | 6:20 pm
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian scientists say they have obtained the most detailed pictures so far of the insides of a prehistoric animal, with the help of a baby mammoth called Lyuba found immaculately preserved in the Russian Arctic.
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter takes stunning images of the Red Planet's major moon, Phobos. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 10 Apr 2008 | 2:01 pm
A Russian capsule carrying South Korea's first astronaut docks with the International Space Station. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 10 Apr 2008 | 1:29 pm
