Science Headlines for July 8, 2008

Japanese Encephalitis Virus Causes 'Double Trouble' To Brain

Recent research published in Journal of Neurochemistry, has shown that Japanese encephalitis virus, commonly known as brain fever, damages the brain in two ways -- not only killing brain cells but also preventing the birth of new cells from neural stem/progenitor cells and depleting the NPC pool in the brain.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 9 Jul 2008 | 3:00 am

Can You Hear Me Now? Primitive Single-Celled Microbe Expert In Cellular Communication Networks

When it comes to cellular communication networks, a primitive single-celled microbe that answers to the name of Monosiga brevicollis has a leg up on animals composed of billions of cells. It commands a signaling network more elaborate and diverse than found in any multicellular organism higher up on the evolutionary tree, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have discovered.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 9 Jul 2008 | 3:00 am

Slow Exercise (Not Fast) Is Better For Menopausal Women

As we get older, our muscles deteriorate and we become weaker, which has serious implications. We become clumsier and begin to have more falls, often resulting in broken bones or even more severe injuries. Researchers are examining the effects of different exercise regimes in menopausal women, with the aim of developing new strategies for delaying and reducing the initial onset of age related muscle deterioration.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 9 Jul 2008 | 3:00 am

Study Shows Rise In Cornwall's Dolphin, Whale, And Porpoise Deaths

A new study has revealed a disturbing rise in the number of whales, dolphins and porpoises found dead on Cornish beaches. The frequency of these mammals, collectively known as cetaceans, found stranded on beaches in Cornwall has increased with a sharp rise in the last eight years. After analyzing nearly 100 years of data, the researchers believe this could, in part, be due to more intensive fishing.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 9 Jul 2008 | 3:00 am

Adolescents Are Not Receiving Recommended Immunization In US, Report Shows

Vaccinating infants and toddlers is an almost universal practice in the United States. Vaccines to prevent flu are a regular part of medical care for senior citizens and at-risk patients. But, according to a study published in American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the US health care system is not very effective in getting vaccines to the adolescent population.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 9 Jul 2008 | 3:00 am

Creating A New Approach To Archiving Human Genetic Information

How a genomic code is deciphered is traditionally left to professional annotators who use information from a number of sources (for instance, knowledge about similar genes in other organisms) to work out where a gene starts, stops and what it does. Even the "gold standard" of professional annotation is an exceptionally slow process. However, new technology may provide a faster solution.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 9 Jul 2008 | 3:00 am

Baseball Diamonds: The Lefthander's Best Friend

Baseball diamonds are a left-hander's best friend. That's because the game was designed to make a lefty the "Natural," according to a professor of engineering and uber baseball fan. The professor is a mechanical engineer who specializes in aircraft and helicopter engineering and has a different approach to viewing America's Favorite Pastime.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 9 Jul 2008 | 12:00 am

Ice Creamier: 'Edible Antifreeze' Puts The Smooth In Smoothie

It's Friday night, and the movie's already spinning in the DVD player. You run to the kitchen to grab a gallon of ice cream and a spoon, but you find the tub nearly empty. What's left is an icy mess that crunches unappetizingly when you poke your spoon into it. Time to make popcorn.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 9 Jul 2008 | 12:00 am

Normal-looking Sperm May Have Serious Damage; Scientists Urge More Care In Selection

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) where a single sperm is injected into an egg to fertilize it, is increasingly used to help infertile men father children. Although the sperm chosen for the procedure may appear quite normal, researchers in the US have found that many of them in fact have DNA damage, which can decrease the chances of pregnancy and increase chances of later miscarriage if pregnancy does occur. In infertile men, between 20 and 66% of normal-looking sperm had DNA damage.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 9 Jul 2008 | 12:00 am

Some Antidepressants Associated With Gastrointestinal Bleeding

A class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors appear to be associated with bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The effects appear increased when antidepressants are combined with other stomach-harming medications and decreased when acid-suppressing agents are used.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 9 Jul 2008 | 12:00 am

G8 urged to do more for climate

Five of the biggest emerging economies urge the G8 to do more to combat climate change.
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 8 Jul 2008 | 3:03 pm

Live Longer: The One Anti-Aging Trick That Works

Anti-aging researchers have figured out how to add about 5 years to the human lifespan.
Source: Livescience.com | 8 Jul 2008 | 2:59 pm

Gels to protect women from HIV may help men more

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Gels aimed at helping women protect themselves from the AIDS virus may end up helping men as much or more, researchers predicted on Monday.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 8 Jul 2008 | 2:59 pm

Do Snakes Have Ears?

Snakes have no visible ear, so they don't hear sounds as we do.
Source: Livescience.com | 8 Jul 2008 | 2:55 pm

Hurricane Bertha begins to weaken in Atlantic

MIAMI (Reuters) - The first hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic storm season began to weaken on Tuesday in the open Atlantic as it headed in the direction of Bermuda, U.S. forecasters said.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 8 Jul 2008 | 2:54 pm

Homeland Secretary chief visits flooded Missouri (AP)

AP - U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff got a firsthand look at damage from recent Missouri flooding and an update about how recovery is going.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Jul 2008 | 2:50 pm

Mars Lander Works on New Dirt Sample (SPACE.com)

SPACE.com - NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander delivered a second sample of Martian dirt to its onboard wet chemistry laboratory, NASA officials said Monday.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Jul 2008 | 2:31 pm

Magnitude 6 quake startles southern Peru

AREQUIPA, Peru (Reuters) - A magnitude 6.0 earthquake rattled southern Peru early on Tuesday, startling residents in the Andean country's second-largest city, Arequipa, who ran out of their homes into the streets.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 8 Jul 2008 | 2:16 pm

New vaccine sneaks into body, then self-destructs

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new type of vaccine that sneaks into the body and then self-destructs -- all without needles -- may offer a new way to protect against a range of diseases, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 8 Jul 2008 | 2:14 pm

G-8 endorses halving global emissions by 2050 (AP)

AP - World leaders on Tuesday endorsed halving world emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050, edging forward in the battle against global warming but stopping short of tough, nearer-term targets.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Jul 2008 | 2:11 pm

FDA OKs Invitrogen genetic test for breast cancer

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved Invitrogen Corp's genetic test for determining whether patients with breast cancer are good candidates for treatment with the drug Herceptin.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 8 Jul 2008 | 2:06 pm

Grasslands Hold Up to Climate Change

When subjected to artificial warming, grasslands seem largely unaffected, shows research.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 8 Jul 2008 | 2:03 pm

EU includes aviation in CO2 curbs

The European Parliament backs a law to include aviation in the CO2 Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) for cutting greenhouse gases.
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 8 Jul 2008 | 1:54 pm

Pet Owners Favor McCain Over Obama

If the presidential election goes to the dogs, John McCain is looking like best in show.
Source: Livescience.com | 8 Jul 2008 | 1:37 pm

Evolution in Action

Evolution in Action
Source: Livescience.com | 8 Jul 2008 | 1:23 pm

Brown faces climate change revolt

Gordon Brown is facing the prospect of another significant backbench rebellion - this time over climate change.
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 8 Jul 2008 | 1:20 pm

Extreme Rain Grows Mountains

The more it rains on some mountains the faster they grow, say geologists.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 8 Jul 2008 | 1:18 pm

G-8 Endorses Halving Global Emissions by 2050

The Group of Eight leading industrial nations say they will cut global emissions.
Source: Livescience.com | 8 Jul 2008 | 12:37 pm

Russia faces disease, drought from global warming: WWF (AFP)

AFP - Russia faces an increase in disease, drought and damage to infrastructure because of climate change, the environmental group WWF said on Tuesday, urging the authorities to "take a lead" on the issue.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Jul 2008 | 12:22 pm

NASA sets date for final shuttle mission in 2010 (AP)

AP - NASA has tentatively set the final space shuttle mission for May 31, 2010, four months before the shuttle fleet retires.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Jul 2008 | 11:33 am

Mayor quashes £25 C-charge hike

London Mayor Boris Johnson quashes the proposed rise in congestion charge for vehicles deemed high polluters.
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 8 Jul 2008 | 11:16 am

Frozen embryos 'better for IVF'

Frozen is better than fresh when it comes to transplanting embryos in IVF treatment, a study shows.
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 8 Jul 2008 | 11:15 am

Nasa reveals final shuttle dates

The US space agency fixes the dates of its last shuttle missions - with Endeavour making the final flight in May 2010.
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 8 Jul 2008 | 11:04 am

What Makes Earth Special Compared to Other Planets

Earth has liquid water and plate tectonics, but its most special feature might just be us.
Source: Livescience.com | 8 Jul 2008 | 10:57 am

Most Sunscreens Fail to Protect (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - The simple rule of sunscreen - the higher the SPF and the thicker the slather, the better - has come under doubt.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Jul 2008 | 10:55 am

Most Sunscreens Fail to Protect

The simple rule of sunscreen — the higher the SPF and the thicker the slather, the better — has come under doubt.
Source: Livescience.com | 8 Jul 2008 | 10:54 am

Spider bot?

US scientists design robots that climb walls
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 8 Jul 2008 | 10:12 am

Climate 'shift'

The G8 changes the length of the global warming racetrack
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 8 Jul 2008 | 10:03 am

Temple spat rages in Thailand after UNESCO listing

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's top court questioned on Tuesday the legality of Bangkok's support for a Cambodian bid to list a disputed Hindu temple as a World Heritage site, giving the opposition another weapon to attack the government.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 8 Jul 2008 | 8:54 am

Reynolds' China

Can Beijing pass the air pollution test in time?
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 8 Jul 2008 | 8:17 am

Michigan stem cell research proposal advances (AP)

AP - Supporters of a ballot measure that would loosen Michigan's restrictions on embryonic stem cell research took a big step toward placing it on the November ballot.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Jul 2008 | 8:06 am

Final frontier

World heritage status for the 'other' Roman wall
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 8 Jul 2008 | 6:07 am

GM to build world's biggest rooftop solar station: report (AFP)

AFP - US automobile giant General Motors (GM) will announce on Tuesday that it will build the world's largest rooftop solar power station at its biggest factory in Europe, the Financial Times reported.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Jul 2008 | 2:33 am

How Baseball Is Rigged For Lefties

David Peters has come up with a laundry list of reasons to explain why.
Source: Livescience.com | 8 Jul 2008 | 2:15 am

Obituary: Harry Lange

Obituary: Nasa designer, he was recruited by Kubrick to create the look of 2001: A Space Odyssey
Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 7 Jul 2008 | 11:47 pm

The question: Men: is your clock ticking?

Alice Wignall: If you're in your mid-30s and you want to be a father at some point then the answer should, unfortunately, be yes
Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 7 Jul 2008 | 11:06 pm

IVF twins not as risky as thought, say doctors

Fertility clinics accused of misleading patients and encouraging unnecessary treatment by overstating dangers
Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 7 Jul 2008 | 11:02 pm

NOAA report: US coral reefs in severe decline (AP)

AP - Almost half the coral reef ecosystems in United States territory are in poor or fair condition, mostly because of rising ocean temperatures, according to a government report released Monday.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 7 Jul 2008 | 9:54 pm

Blogs : Humor pages | Norkay's Blog | Kids Stories | Indian Recipes | Database Tech Blog

Sundries : World Video Clips | Songs Clips | Indian Video Clips |