A pair of researchers have developed a model that suggests shuffling emerged millions of years ago as a precursor to walking on two feet as a way of saving metabolic energy by a common ancestor of today's primates. Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 30 May 2008 | 9:00 pm
A new vegetarian food that boosts the uptake of iron and offers a good set of proteins. The food, called tempe, is moreover a whole-grain product with high folate content. It is generally accepted in medicine that whole-grains reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and it is also believed that it protects against age-related diabetes and certain forms of cancer. The B vitamin folate is the natural form of folic acid and, among other things, is necessary for normal fetal development. Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 30 May 2008 | 9:00 pm
The old saying, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder," has been scientifically shown to be true. A study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery found that variations in eyebrow shape, eyelid position, and wrinkles significantly impact how your facial expressions, and subsequent mood, are perceived by others. Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 30 May 2008 | 9:00 pm
A new study investigated the association between short-term exposure to ambient fine particulate matter and the risk of stroke. Researchers found that recent exposure to fine particulate matter may increase the risk of ischemic cerebrovascular events. Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 30 May 2008 | 9:00 pm
Researchers have discovered the genetic cause of a type of childhood epilepsy called childhood absence epilepsy, which accounts for 10-12 percent of epilepsy cases in children under age 16. The finding may explain why CAE mysteriously disappears in adulthood. In addition, the study may provide insight into developing treatments and cures for CAE and other forms of epilepsy. Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 30 May 2008 | 9:00 pm
Researchers have demonstrated a simpler and potentially lower-cost method for distributing cryptographic keys using quantum cryptography, the most secure method of transmitting data. The new method minimizes the required number of detectors, by far the most costly components in quantum cryptography. Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 30 May 2008 | 9:00 pm
New research from the Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute about mutations in melanoma may bring a wellspring of hope to many patients. Researchers have discovered that there are several different kinds of DNA abnormalities that can occur in a gene called the KIT gene. These abnormalities are associated with different kinds of acral and mucosal melanomas, which are less common, but highly malignant forms of skin cancer. Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 30 May 2008 | 6:00 pm
Amyloid deposits in tissues and organs are linked to a number of diseases, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, type II diabetes, and prion diseases such as BSE. However, amyloids are not just pathological substances; they have potential as nanomaterials. Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 30 May 2008 | 6:00 pm
Researchers have simulated in the lab the process that can turn ordinary volcanic eruptions into so-called "supervolcanoes." Supervolcanoes are orders of magnitude greater than any volcanic eruption in historic times. They are capable of causing long-lasting change to weather, threatening the extinction of species, and covering huge areas with lava and ash. Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 30 May 2008 | 6:00 pm
Researchers have identified genetic markers in cancer cells that predicted the benefit of a novel cancer drug prior to chemotherapy. Specific genetic profile within tumor cells may indicate increased patient benefit from a particular drug. Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 30 May 2008 | 6:00 pm
AFP - The US space agency on Friday began final preparations the day before liftoff of the space shuttle Discovery, which will carry a massive Japanese laboratory to the International Space Station.
AFP - Italy declared a state of emergency in the north of the country Friday after flooding and mudslides left at least three people dead in heavy rains that also hit Belgium, Britain, France and Germany.
LiveScience.com - I was recently sequestered for three days at the Mall of America outside Minneapolis, Minnesota. I was there to cover an event, and I figured, "Cool, three days to shop." After all, The Mall of America is the size of nine football fields, a consumer's paradise, and I expected to spend my time weaving in and out of those shops picking up goodies. Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 30 May 2008 | 2:05 pm
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Amazon Indians from one of the world's last uncontacted tribes have been photographed from the air, with striking images released on Thursday showing them painted bright red and brandishing bows and arrows.
AFP - British oil and gas giant BG Group said Friday that it was "surprised" after Australia's Origin Energy rejected its bid worth 13.6 billion Australian dollars (13 billion US dollars, 8.4 billion euros).
They have developed a computer model that can identify the words a subject is thinking from an MRI brain scan Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 30 May 2008 | 11:16 am
The steeply accelerating decline of the natural world is already costing hundreds of billions of pounds a year, say leading economists Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 30 May 2008 | 11:11 am
The fastest spinning natural object in the Solar System is discovered by a British amateur astronomer. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 30 May 2008 | 11:00 am
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of uninsured U.S. young adults, who already represent a major chunk of the American population without health coverage, rose again in 2006, according to a study released on Friday.
AFP - China's world-famous Wolong Giant Panda Reserve has been so badly damaged by this month's earthquake that it will probably have to be relocated, state media reported Friday.
AP - Brazil's Supreme Court ruled Thursday that scientists can conduct embryonic stem cell research, which holds the promise of curing Parkinson's disease and diabetes but raises ethical concerns about the limits on human life.
LONDON (Reuters) - A Mediterranean diet rich in fruits and vegetables -- already known to protect against heart disease -- also appears to help ward off diabetes, Spanish researchers said on Friday.
TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - The U.S. treasure hunting company Odyssey Marine Exploration said on Thursday it had found two shipwreck sites near the English Channel with artifacts from the colonial period.
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Using only its brainpower, a monkey can direct a robotic arm to pluck a marshmallow from a skewer and stuff it into its mouth, researchers said on Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A computer has been trained to "read" people's minds by looking at scans of their brains as they thought about specific words, researchers said on Thursday.
Nasa's Mars lander Phoenix has unstowed its robotic arm - one of the key tools in its mission. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 29 May 2008 | 11:42 pm
AP - England's enigmatic Stonehenge served as a burial ground from its earliest beginnings and for several hundred years thereafter, new research indicates.
10-year study at Great Ormond Street hospital supports association between SIDS and presence of bacterial infection Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 29 May 2008 | 11:07 pm
Scientists urge politicians to deliver 'stringent emissions cuts and major adaptation efforts' to minimise damage Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 29 May 2008 | 11:03 pm
Company stops organising arms trade fairs following sustained campaign by international writers and shareholders Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 29 May 2008 | 11:02 pm
The third and final Skynet satellite - part of Britain's single biggest space project - is launched on Friday. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 29 May 2008 | 10:33 pm
AP - The Phoenix lander is getting ready to flex its muscles on Mars. The spacecraft successfully freed its 8-foot robotic arm from the restraints that kept it folded up and protected from vibrations during the launch and landing, scientists said Thursday. Preparations are now under way to partially flex the arm.
AP - The world's rarest rhino does not like the limelight. A Javan Rhino was captured on video attacking a camera set up in an Indonesian jungle to study the habits of the animal, apparently because she sensed the lens was a threat to her calf, the WWF said Thursday.
AP - Egypt plans to conduct a DNA test on a 3,500-year-old mummy to determine if it is King Thutmose I, one of the most important pharaohs, the country's chief archaeologist said Thursday. Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 29 May 2008 | 9:36 pm
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The trouble with tiny bubbles is they pop, but U.S. researchers have made bubbles that last as long as a year -- a finding that could improve many consumer and industrial products, they said on Thursday.
A strong earthquake measuring 6.1 hits southern Iceland, 50km (30 miles) from the capital, Reykjavik. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 29 May 2008 | 9:03 pm
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tiny freshwater organisms that have amazed scientists because of their sex-free lifestyle may have survived so well because they steal genes from other creatures, scientists reported on Thursday.
Hungary leads a push by several new EU member states to get the EU's CO2 emission targets recalculated. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 29 May 2008 | 6:19 pm
Stonehenge served as a burial ground for much longer than had previously been believed, new research suggests. Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 29 May 2008 | 4:29 pm
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Hidden cameras have captured rare footage of critically endangered Javan rhinos in the jungles of Indonesia, which will help understand the animal's behavior patterns, the wildlife conservation group WWF said on Thursday.
AFP - The US space agency on Friday began final preparations the day before liftoff of the space shuttle Discovery, which will carry a massive Japanese laboratory to the International Space Station.
AFP - Italy declared a state of emergency in the north of the country Friday after flooding and mudslides left at least three people dead in heavy rains that also hit Belgium, Britain, France and Germany.
AFP - British oil and gas giant BG Group said Friday that it was "surprised" after Australia's Origin Energy rejected its bid worth 13.6 billion Australian dollars (13 billion US dollars, 8.4 billion euros).
AFP - China's world-famous Wolong Giant Panda Reserve has been so badly damaged by this month's earthquake that it will probably have to be relocated, state media reported Friday.
AP - Brazil's Supreme Court ruled Thursday that scientists can conduct embryonic stem cell research, which holds the promise of curing Parkinson's disease and diabetes but raises ethical concerns about the limits on human life.
AP - England's enigmatic Stonehenge served as a burial ground from its earliest beginnings and for several hundred years thereafter, new research indicates.
AP - The Phoenix lander is getting ready to flex its muscles on Mars. The spacecraft successfully freed its 8-foot robotic arm from the restraints that kept it folded up and protected from vibrations during the launch and landing, scientists said Thursday. Preparations are now under way to partially flex the arm.
AP - The world's rarest rhino does not like the limelight. A Javan Rhino was captured on video attacking a camera set up in an Indonesian jungle to study the habits of the animal, apparently because she sensed the lens was a threat to her calf, the WWF said Thursday.