Cholesterol-lowering Drug Boosts Bone Repair

Lovastatin, a drug used to lower cholesterol and help prevent cardiovascular disease, has been shown to improve bone healing in an animal model of neurofibromatosis type 1. The research, reported today in the open access journal BMC Medicine, will be of great interest to NF1 patients and their physicians.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 31 Jul 2008 | 9:00 pm

Isthmus Of Panama Formed As Result Of Plate Tectonics, Study Finds

Contrary to previous evidence, a new University of Florida study shows the Isthmus of Panama was most likely formed by a Central American Peninsula colliding slowly with the South American continent through tectonic plate movement over millions of years.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 31 Jul 2008 | 9:00 pm

Nanojewels Made Easy

Researchers have developed a method that mimics nature's way of producing dazzling colors at the nanoscale level. Their work demonstrates how such a method can be used to produce new materials, and how different nanoparticles of various sizes can produce "nanojewels" that display different optical properties. The discovery opens potential for applications in photonics, drug delivery, special coatings, sensors and microfluidics.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 31 Jul 2008 | 9:00 pm

New Yeast Trick For Eating Favorite Food

Bioengineers have identified a previously unknown mechanism that allows yeast to shut down the metabolism of another sugar, galactose, when they sense glucose in the environment.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 31 Jul 2008 | 9:00 pm

Mechanism For Postpartum Depression Found In Mice

Researchers have pinpointed a mechanism in the brains of mice that could explain why some human mothers become depressed following childbirth. The discovery could lead to improved treatment for postpartum depression. After giving birth, female mice bred to be deficient in a suspect protein showed depression-like behaviors and neglected their newborn pups. Giving a drug that restored the protein's function improved maternal behavior and reduced pup mortality.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 31 Jul 2008 | 9:00 pm

Psychological Downside To Strike Action

While industrial action is largely perceived as a legitimate means of encouraging organizational change in Australia, research has shown industrial action can adversely affect those involved.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 31 Jul 2008 | 9:00 pm

Scientists Determine Strength Of 'Liquid Smoke'

Researchers have created a 3-D image of a material referred to as "liquid smoke." Aerogel, also known as liquid smoke or "San Francisco fog," is an open-cell polymer with pores smaller than 50 nanometers in diameter. For the first time, Lawrence Livermore and Lawrence Berkeley scientists have peered into this material and created three-dimensional images to determine its strength and potential new applications.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 31 Jul 2008 | 6:00 pm

First Indication For Embalming In Roman Greece

Researchers have found indications of embalming in Roman Greek times. By means of physico-chemical and histological methods, it was possible to show that various resins, oils and spices were used during embalming of a ca. 55 year old female in Northern Greece. This is the first ever multidisciplinary-based indication for artificial mummification in Greece at 300 AD.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 31 Jul 2008 | 6:00 pm

Fat Around The Heart May Increase Risk Of Heart Attacks

When it comes to risk for a heart attack, having excess fat around the heart may be worse than having a high body mass index or a thick waist, according to researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues reporting in the August issue of the journal Obesity.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 31 Jul 2008 | 6:00 pm

Drinking In Excess Associated With Increased Risk For Metabolic Syndrome

Those who drink in excess of the US Dietary Guidelines (i.e., men who usually drink more than two drinks per day or women who usually drink more than one drink per day) or those who binge drink are at increased risk for the metabolic syndrome, according to a new study accepted for publication in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 31 Jul 2008 | 6:00 pm

Ancient Greeks used "computer" to set Olympics date

LONDON (Reuters) - A mechanical brass calculator used by the ancient Greeks to predict solar and lunar eclipses was probably also used to set the dates for the first Olympic games, researchers said on Wednesday.


Source: Reuters: Science News | 31 Jul 2008 | 11:29 am

Golden retriever adopts tiger cubs at Kansas zoo (AP)

Isabella, a golden retriever at the Safari Zoological Park, east of Caney, Kan. nurses Wednesday, July 30, 2008, three white tiger cubs she adopted after they were abandoned by their mother at the park. The cubs were born on Sunday. (AP Photo/The Daily Reporter, Rob Morgan)AP - A dog at a southeast Kansas zoo has adopted three tiger cubs abandoned by their mother. Safari Zoological Park owner Tom Harvey said the tiger cubs were born Sunday, but the mother had problems with them.



Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 31 Jul 2008 | 11:27 am

Total eclipse draws crowds to Siberia (AP)

AP - A rare total solar eclipse will pass just west of Russia's third-largest city Friday, but crowds of tourists in Novosibirsk to witness the event may find their view of the event obscured by clouds and rain.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 31 Jul 2008 | 11:14 am

Sapphire Energy uses single cell algae to produce 'green crude' that will help in the battle against climate change

A company in San Diego claims to have developed a sustainable version of oil it calls 'green crude'
Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 31 Jul 2008 | 11:09 am

Giant lake flowing on surface of Saturn moon, says Nasa

Infrared light probe reveals first evidence of standing water on object other than Earth, according to scientists
Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 31 Jul 2008 | 11:07 am

Adopt a Scientist: Lord of the Rings

SETI invites scuba divers on an expedition to a destination of your choice.
Source: Livescience.com | 31 Jul 2008 | 10:47 am

Signs of Life Found Inside Rock Salt

The finding may help scientists search for signs of life on other planets.
Source: Livescience.com | 31 Jul 2008 | 10:47 am

Adopt a Scientist: Lord of the Rings (SPACE.com)

SPACE.com - SETI Institute planetary astronomer Mark Showalter is rabid about rings.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 31 Jul 2008 | 10:46 am

NASA says liquid confirmed on Saturn's moon Titan (AP)

FILE *** This true-color image taken in visible wavelengths by the Cassini spacecraft on June 10, 2004 and released by NASA on Friday, July 2, 2004, shows Titan, a moon of Saturn, enveloped in a photochemical smog. At least one of many large, lake-like features on Saturn's moon Titan studied by the international Cassini spacecraft contains liquid hydrocarbons, making it the only body in the solar system besides Earth known to have liquid on its surface, NASA said Wednesday July 30, 2008. (AP Photo/NASA, FILE) (AP Photo/ NASA, JPL, FILE)AP - At least one of many large, lake-like features on Saturn's moon Titan studied by the international Cassini spacecraft contains liquid hydrocarbons, making it the only body in the solar system besides Earth known to have liquid on its surface, NASA said Wednesday.



Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 31 Jul 2008 | 10:34 am

Mainly quiet tropics (weather.com)

weather.com -
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 31 Jul 2008 | 10:06 am

Shell profits surge 33% in second quarter (AFP)

The Shell logo is displayed in Kuala Lumpur, March 2008. Anglo-Dutch energy giant Royal Dutch Shell said its net profits jumped by a third to 11.556 billion dollars (7.409 billion euros) in the second quarter owing to record high oil prices.(AFP/File/Tengku Bahar)AFP - Anglo-Dutch energy giant Royal Dutch Shell said on Thursday that net profit jumped by a third to 11.556 billion dollars (7.409 billion euros) in the second quarter owing to record high oil prices.



Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 31 Jul 2008 | 9:11 am

2,100-year-old gadget tracked Olympics (AP)

A visitor looks at a model replica of an ancient astronomical calculator, known as the Antikythera Mechanism, at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, Wednesday, July 30, 2008. Experts from Britain, Greece and the United States say they have found evidence that the ancient device was also used to track dates of the ancient Olympic Games. (AP Photo/Losmi Chobi)AP - An astronomical calculator, considered a technological marvel of antiquity, was also used to track dates of the ancient Olympic games, researchers have found.



Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 31 Jul 2008 | 5:14 am

Incredible Discoveries Made in Remote Caves

In a bone-dry desert, scientists find water. And lot of bones.
Source: Livescience.com | 31 Jul 2008 | 5:05 am

Live fish caught at record depth

Scientists capture deep-sea fish at 2,300m and pull them to the surface alive in a special container.
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 31 Jul 2008 | 3:58 am

Eclipse revives homemade telescopes

BARNAUL, Russia (Reuters) - From a garden bursting with roses, violets, burgeoning cabbages and broken furniture in the remote West Siberian town of Barnaul rises a rickety wooden tower capped with an aluminum dome.


Source: Reuters: Science News | 31 Jul 2008 | 12:55 am

Jim Al-Khalili: While our scientists struggle with ethics, the Islamic world forges ahead

Jim Al-Khalili: Stem cell researchers are branded by the Catholic church as playing God, but Iran's geneticists are unhindered by doctrine
Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 30 Jul 2008 | 11:07 pm

UK is second in the world at research

UK scientists publish more research than any other country in the world except the United States
Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 30 Jul 2008 | 11:07 pm

Fears of complications with IVF babies dismissed in new study

Statistics show no link between premature birth, stillbirth, low birth weight with assisted fertilisation
Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 30 Jul 2008 | 11:03 pm

Obituary: Richard Lower

Obituary: Pioneering US surgeon behind human heart transplant operations
Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 30 Jul 2008 | 11:03 pm

What is going to power our cars, aks Danny Bradbury

With oil supplies a continuing concern, focus is switching to lithium for electric vehicles. But debate rages about how much of it is available
Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 30 Jul 2008 | 11:02 pm

Newsbytes: July 31

Electronic reader | Orwell, the blog | Big Brother for birds | Breast pink | Hello Tosh, gotta Camelio? | Game to watch | Free ESX!
Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 30 Jul 2008 | 11:02 pm

Sweet peas make a second skin

Enzymes from sweet pea pods combined with polymers may be the perfect wound dressing for burn victims, writes Michael Pollitt
Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 30 Jul 2008 | 11:02 pm

Olympic link to early 'computer'

A 2,100-year-old "computer" found in a Roman shipwreck may have acted as a calendar for the Olympic Games.
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 30 Jul 2008 | 10:26 pm

Europe's Mars Express probe gets an eyeful of the Red Planet's major moon, Phobos

Europe's Mars Express spacecraft returns some remarkable close-up images of the Red Planet's Phobos moon.
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 30 Jul 2008 | 10:06 pm

Ocean mission delivers first maps

The Jason-2 satellite, which was launched to measure the shape of the world's oceans, sends back its first maps.
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 30 Jul 2008 | 9:51 pm

Being Single in Midlife Could Raise Risk for Dementia Later

But worrying about things could be protective, a second study suggests
Source: Livescience.com | 30 Jul 2008 | 8:53 pm

Moms With Alzheimer's May Pass on Risk to Kids

The genetic link isn't there for fathers, researchers say
Source: Livescience.com | 30 Jul 2008 | 8:52 pm

Earthquake strongly jolts "lucky" L.A.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An earthquake struck just east of Los Angeles on Tuesday, rocking tall buildings and rattling nerves across Southern California, but causing no serious injuries or major structural damage.


Source: Reuters: Science News | 30 Jul 2008 | 8:11 pm

Now What? Californians to Rehearse 'The Big One' (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - Some Southern Californians are said to have stampeded yesterday as they tried to evacuate a high-rise during the 5.4-magnitude quake outside Los Angeles.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 30 Jul 2008 | 8:11 pm

Now What? Californians to Rehearse 'The Big One'

Stampeding during an earthquake is exactly what people tend to do and shouldn't.
Source: Livescience.com | 30 Jul 2008 | 8:08 pm

Nano-foods: The next consumer scare?

ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - Those consumers already worried about genetically engineered or cloned food reaching their tables may soon find something else in their grocery carts to furrow their brows over -- nano-foods.


Source: Reuters: Science News | 30 Jul 2008 | 7:53 pm

Religion Plays Strong Role in Gay Unions

Same-sex couples with strong religious beliefs most likely to ritualize their partnerships.
Source: Livescience.com | 30 Jul 2008 | 7:50 pm

Researchers find 3 new genes for schizophrenia (Reuters)

This undated illustration shows the DNA double helix. Three studies published on Wednesday unveil flaws in several chromosomes that highlight an inherited vulnerability to schizophrenia.(AFP/HO/File)Reuters - International researchers have identified three new DNA variations that increase the risk of schizophrenia and said on Wednesday they were some of the strongest genetic links yet found to the disease.



Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 30 Jul 2008 | 6:15 pm

Researchers find 3 new genes for schizophrenia

LONDON (Reuters) - International researchers have identified three new DNA variations that increase the risk of schizophrenia and said on Wednesday they were some of the strongest genetic links yet found to the disease.


Source: Reuters: Science News | 30 Jul 2008 | 6:15 pm

Hidden Van Gogh Double-Painting Revealed

New X-ray tech reveals a hidden portrait beneath a Van Gogh landscape.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 30 Jul 2008 | 6:02 pm

Seven-Square-Mile Ice Chunk Breaks Off Arctic

A massive sheet of ice broke from the north coast of Canada's Ellesmere Island.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 30 Jul 2008 | 5:23 pm

Ancient Greek 'computer' displayed Olympics calendar

Hidden inscriptions reveal that the mechanism – which was used to calculate the movements of heavenly bodies – incorporated a sporting calendar
Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 30 Jul 2008 | 5:13 pm

Giant Lake Confirmed on Saturn's Moon Titan

A giant lake full of ethane and methane has been confirmed to exist on Titan.
Source: Livescience.com | 30 Jul 2008 | 5:10 pm

Genes for schizophrenia uncovered

Genetic flaws are linked to schizophrenia - but experts warn a complete analysis is likely to remain elusive.
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 30 Jul 2008 | 5:09 pm

Ancient Olympic Calculator Discovered

Ancient astronomy calculator shows early Greek Olympics
Source: Livescience.com | 30 Jul 2008 | 5:03 pm

How Snakes Got Their Fangs

The bioweapons hidden inside the mouths of snakes had a common origin.
Source: Livescience.com | 30 Jul 2008 | 5:00 pm

Blue Sharks Beat the Odds, by Tasting Bad

The foul taste of blue shark meat may be the declinig species' saving grace.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 30 Jul 2008 | 4:02 pm

BLOG: Of News Cycles and Six-Legged Deer

What does a six-legged deer have to do with earthquakes? Larry O'Hanlon muses.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 30 Jul 2008 | 3:41 pm

Russian lake mission put off after accident: media

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian scientists suspended a mission to explore the world's biggest lake on Wednesday after one of their submarines collided with a floating platform, media reported.


Source: Reuters: Science News | 30 Jul 2008 | 3:01 pm

Robot Baby Programmed to Cuddle

A robotic baby and other devices are designed to appeal to emotion.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 30 Jul 2008 | 2:07 pm

Did Supercontinents Drive Oxygen?

The shaping and breaking of supercontinents may have given life a boost.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 30 Jul 2008 | 1:41 pm

British NASA hacker to face U.S. trial

LONDON (Reuters) - A British computer expert lost his appeal on Wednesday against extradition to the United States where he is accused of "the biggest military hack of all time" and could face up to 70 years in prison.


Source: Reuters: Science News | 30 Jul 2008 | 1:06 pm

People Who Live in Town Slim Down

A new study finds a direct link between neighborhoods and lower body weight.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 30 Jul 2008 | 12:41 pm

Bangladesh landmass 'is growing'

Bangladesh may not be as vulnerable to rising sea levels caused by climate change as previously feared, scientists say.
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 30 Jul 2008 | 11:55 am

Robots aid nuclear clean-up

A small army of machines and ROVs is aiding in the demolition and clean-up of a Scottish nuclear plant.
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 30 Jul 2008 | 11:45 am

Prehistoric land

Marine biologists map an underwater mystery
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 30 Jul 2008 | 11:09 am

There's life in space, says someone who's been there

TOKYO (Reuters) - The U.S. commander of space shuttle Discovery believes life probably exists somewhere in outer space, but there is a simple reason why aliens have not visited earth -- the journey is too tough.


Source: Reuters: Science News | 30 Jul 2008 | 10:51 am

Canadian Arctic sheds ice chunk

A large chunk of the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf has broken free of the northern Canadian coast, scientists say.
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 30 Jul 2008 | 10:39 am

Up in the air

Can China conquer its smog problems before Olympics?
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 30 Jul 2008 | 10:34 am