Science Headlines for October 7, 2008

Metabolic Syndrome Ups Colorectal Cancer Risk

In a large US population-based study, metabolic syndrome patients had a 75 percent higher risk of colorectal cancer compared to those without metabolic syndrome.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 6:00 pm

Is It A Planet? Exotic Object Orbiting Star Stirs Exoplanet Classification Rethink

The European spacecraft COROT has discovered a massive planet-sized object orbiting its parent star closely, unlike anything ever spotted before. It is so exotic, that scientists are unsure as to whether this oddity is actually a planet or a failed star.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 6:00 pm

Girls Have Harder Time Than Boys Adjusting In Language-learning Environment, Study Finds

Girls who don’t share a common language may have more difficulty adjusting socially than boys, according to surprising new research looking at language acquisition among young children.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 6:00 pm

Impact Of Geology On The U.S. Civil War: War From The Ground Up

The connection between geology and the history of the Civil War has fascinated some researchers. Now they take history, military history in particular, a step deeper -- into the geology beneath the soldiers' feet.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 6:00 pm

Gene That May Contribute To Improved Rice Yield Identified

Biologists have identified a gene in rice that controls the size and weight of rice grains. The gene may prove to be useful for breeding high-yield rice and, thus, may benefit the vast number of people who rely on this staple food for survival.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 6:00 pm

Air Pollution May Increase Risk Of Appendicitis

Could there be a link between high levels of air pollution and the risk of appendicitis? New research suggests a novel connection.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 6:00 pm

Spotless Sun: Blankest Year Of The Space Age

Astronomers who count sunspots have announced that 2008 is now the "blankest year" of the Space Age. An image taken on Sept. 27, 2008 by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) shows a solar disk completely unmarked by sunspots. For comparison, a SOHO image taken seven years earlier on Sept. 27, 2001, is peppered with colossal sunspots, all crackling with solar flares.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 3:00 pm

Oral Vitamin D May Help Prevent Some Skin Infections

A study led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine suggests that use of oral vitamin D supplements bolsters production of a protective chemical normally found in the skin, and may help prevent skin infections that are a common result of atopic dermatitis, the most common form of eczema.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 3:00 pm

Receptor Could Halt Blinding Diseases, Stop Tumor Growth, Preserve Neurons After Trauma

Researchers have discovered what promises to be the on-off switch behind several major diseases. They report how the GPR91 receptor contributes to activate unchecked vascular growth that causes vision loss in common blinding diseases. These findings could also have wide-ranging and positive implications for brain tissue regeneration.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 3:00 pm

Using A Fan During Sleep Associated With Lower Risk Of SIDS

Fan use appears to be associated with a lower risk of sudden infant death syndrome in rooms with inadequate ventilation, according to a new report.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 3:00 pm

Plain sailing

Delegates arrive for key conservation summit
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 7 Oct 2008 | 12:57 pm

Household winter heat costs to rise 15 percent (Reuters)

Reuters - Average household heating fuel costs this winter will be 15 percent higher than last year, with heating oil and natural gas users taking the biggest hit due to more expensive crude oil and colder weather than last winter, the government's top energy forecasting agency said Tuesday.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 12:49 pm

Turn Your Cubicle into a Gym

This kit provides a full range of arm, leg and back exercises.
Source: Livescience.com | 7 Oct 2008 | 12:44 pm

Two Japanese and American win physics Nobel

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Two Japanese scientists and a Tokyo-born American shared the 2008 Nobel Prize for physics for discoveries in sub-atomic particles, the prize committee said on Tuesday.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 12:32 pm

Common Dietary Supplements Don't Help Arthritis

The natural supplement combo of glucosamine and chondroitin, taken to relieve arthritis pain, has struck out again.
Source: Livescience.com | 7 Oct 2008 | 12:28 pm

3 win Nobel for subatomic physics research (AP)

AP - Two Japanese citizens and a Japanese-born American won the 2008 Nobel Prize in physics for discoveries in the world of subatomic physics, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced Tuesday.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 11:49 am

Collecting 50 Years of NASA Space History

The public has long desired to own a piece of NASA's adventures.
Source: Livescience.com | 7 Oct 2008 | 11:16 am

Millions of Names Sent to Space (SPACE.com)

SPACE.com - There was a time when the only interaction the general public had with space exploration was passively via the media. Consequently, many people felt indifferent to space missions as they just didn't connect with them on a personal level.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 11:16 am

NASA's Legacy: The Quest for the Moon

NASA's Apollo moon treks evolved from Mercury and Gemini during the Space Race.
Source: Livescience.com | 7 Oct 2008 | 11:16 am

Millions of Names Sent to Space

The names of millions of individuals sit on Mars or cling to an asteroid. And more will go up soon.
Source: Livescience.com | 7 Oct 2008 | 11:14 am

Options for Chocolate-Lovers Tripled (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - For chocolate lovers out there, your options just tripled.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 11:05 am

The Nation's Weather (AP)

AP - Severe weather was to continue sweeping across the Plains on Tuesday, while thunderstorms slipped over the Mississippi Valley and high pressure kept the interior West clear.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 10:59 am

'Deepest ever' living fish filmed

The "deepest ever" living fish are discovered 7.5km down, scientists say.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 7 Oct 2008 | 10:57 am

Options for Chocolate-Lovers Tripled

Scientists have discovered 10 new genetic types of cacao, the chocolate plant.
Source: Livescience.com | 7 Oct 2008 | 10:57 am

Nobel prize for physics goes to work on fundamental laws of nature

Three physics share prize for work on processes in the very early universe
Source: Science | guardian.co.uk | 7 Oct 2008 | 10:53 am

Particle physics celebrates Nobel

The Nobel Prize in physics is shared by two Japanese citizens and an American, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announces.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 7 Oct 2008 | 10:33 am

Humans have reached a genetic zenith, says evolution expert

Humans have reached a genetic utopia due to high life expectancy and racial mixing
Source: Science | guardian.co.uk | 7 Oct 2008 | 10:10 am

Telescope detects odd-ball object

The European planet-hunter Corot has spotted an object orbiting a star that is quite unlike anything seen before.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 7 Oct 2008 | 10:07 am

Gene discovery may help hunt for blindness cure

LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have discovered a gene mutation linked to the most common cause of blindness in the developed world, holding out the prospect of better treatments and perhaps eventually a cure.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 9:34 am

India's first moon mission to take off on October 22

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India will launch a locally built rocket for the country's first unmanned mission to the moon on October 22, the head of the project said on Tuesday. "If at all there is any delay, it will be because of the weather, otherwise I don't foresee any technical difficulties," M. Annadurai told Reuters.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 6:45 am

Indonesia raises alert level of Sulawesi volcano

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia has raised the alert level for a volcano on Sulawesi island after it began spewing hot clouds and lava, a vulcanology official said on Tuesday.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 5:07 am

Solar Goes From Gardens to Gigabucks

FREMONT, California -- Scientists' solar cells have been converting sunlight into electricity for years, but are much worse at turning that science into money.

Now, in a staid Bay Area office park, a converted hard-drive factory with a shiny new façade has begun churning out unconventional solar tubes that could change the economics of solar power.

The highly-automated factory belongs to Solyndra, a three-year-old company that's received $600 million in venture capital and $1.2 billion in orders for its new modules, which look like curtain rods. Those big investors are betting the company's unique product will soon blanket commercial buildings across the world.

Instead of the standard panels mounted on racks that have dominated solar for the last 20 years, Solyndra's cylindrical solar modules collect sunlight more efficiently across a broader range of angles and catch light reflected off the roof itself. The solar cells also contain no silicon, which has been a costly component of most solar systems.

Targeted at a highly specific market — office and big-box rooftops — and with signed contracts in hand, the company, along with a small cadre of other well-funded solar startups, are racing to turn their scientific and engineering marvels into profitable businesses.

The scramble, the money, and the size of the prize — a big slice of the trillions of dollars made in energy — remind the company's founder, Chris Gronet, of his earlier experience in the industry that became the basis for the information revolution.

"We think the solar industry or market look very similar to the way semiconductor manufacturing was 20 years ago," Gronet, Solyndra's CEO, told Wired.com. "We say, 'Wow this is familiar. We've been through this before.'"

All types of solar power have experienced growth in the wake of increasing awareness of the risks of climate change and the rising costs of fossil fuels. A report released last week by Lux Research, a solar-focused analysis firm, predicts that the total solar market will grow from $33.4 billion in 2008 to $100.4 billion in 2013. While traditional silicon-based solar cells continue to underpin most solar systems, there is a broad expectation among industry analysts and insiders that these new thin-film solar cells, such as Solyndra is making, will experience rapid growth. While thin-film cells aren't as efficient at using the sun's energy as their silicon competitors, they cost less to produce.

Instead of using wafers of material, a la computer chips or traditional solar PV, thin-film solar cells use tiny amounts of material deposited in ultra thin layers along the surface of glass or metal. In Solyndra's case, vice president of business development Kelly Truman said that their process uses just a bit more than a micron of copper indium gallium diselenide, or CIGS. Using less of the expensive photovoltaic material drives the cost of their production down.

For years, CIGS technology had appeared the most promising for cheap solar power. The National Solar Technology Roadmap, created by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, states that steady efficiency improvement "could ultimately allow CIGS to achieve the lowest module costs and levelized cost of energy among all PV technologies."

The total solar market can be broken into three main pieces: solar for utilities, residential installations and commercial buildings. Solyndra is focusing exclusively on the commercial side. What Gronet envisions is solar panels installed on your average Home Depot or Ikea, generating a substantial percentage of the company's power needs right on site.

On the roof of the Solyndra office buildings, they've installed the first Solyndra array. What's striking about the system is how simple it appears. The solar tubes look like reverse fluorescent light bulbs that generate electricity rather than using it. The mounting system is also light and small, as you can see in the image. They don't have to be bolted to roofs because the spacing between the cylinders makes them less susceptible to wind damage than traditional flat solar panels.

But despite the industry's high hopes, CIGS solar cells have proven very difficult to manufacture at industrial scales. Greentech Media analyst Michael Kanellos said that the risks for CIGS thin-film players have "increased dramatically" over the last few months with the worsening financial system and increased competition.

"Some CIGS will survive, but a lot of these companies might only leave a wet spot on the pavement," Kanellos wrote in an e-mail to Wired.com.

Kanellos noted that Solyndra's cylindrical design was advantageous, but also the most difficult to manufacture.

"Everyone else is having trouble making efficient flat CIGS panels. Curving adds another layer of complexity," Kanellos wrote. "It is part of the reason that their contracts call for the delivery of their solar panels from now to 2012."

Only two other CIGS-based thin-film manufacturers have managed to start cranking out actual saleable product. Nanosolar and Global Solar started selling cells last year. Solyndra, after hundreds of millions of dollars of investment, generated its first revenue in the third quarter of this year.

If Gronet and his team can work out the manufacturing challenges and navigate the difficult financial waters, their unique design and tightly focused business model could lead them to profitability, even after government subsidies in Europe phase out.

"In any unsubisidized world, which is a few years down the road, you need a cost structure that allows you to compete," Gronet said. "Our panel, because it's CIGS and thin film, will beat the costs of any silicon system."

WiSci 2.0: Alexis Madrigal's Twitter , Google Reader feed, and webpage; Wired Science on Facebook.

Source: Wired: Wired Science | 7 Oct 2008 | 4:00 am

Europe follows fusion twin track

An alternative fusion project is initiated in Europe that would seek abundant clean energy using a colossal laser.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 7 Oct 2008 | 3:57 am

Genes Give Clues to Age-Linked Eye Trouble (HealthDay)

HealthDay - MONDAY, Oct. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Variants in the gene that helps produce vital proteins in the eye have been linked to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a major source of blindness, a new report says.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 3:47 am

Success for plants' pest control

Researchers develop a potential new method of making plants significantly more resistant to pests.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 7 Oct 2008 | 2:56 am

UK 'needs tougher climate target'

The UK's official climate advisers say an 80% emissions cut by 2050 should include international aviation and shipping.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 7 Oct 2008 | 1:24 am

Researchers devise safer Down's syndrome test

If successful it would eliminate the small risk to the foetus posed by invasive testing methods
Source: Science | guardian.co.uk | 7 Oct 2008 | 1:09 am

Penguins ride air force jet to South Atlantic (AP)

AP - More than 370 penguins that mysteriously washed up on Brazil's equatorial beaches were flown south on a huge air force cargo plane and released closer to the frigid waters they call home, animal advocates said Monday.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 7 Oct 2008 | 12:55 am

Video Podcast #5: Rainforests of The World

Rainforests are scattered across the globe from Brazil to Madagascar, but there is one place where you can see them all at once.

In the fifth installment of Wired Science's video podcast, we check out the four-story living rainforest at the new California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, which combines aspects of rainforests from around the world.

From top to bottom, this giant, hot and humid greenhouse dome is filled with living plants, frogs, birds, reptiles, butterflies and fish that visitors can experience at every level from the canopy to the flooded forest below.

Every week, Wired Science will bring you videos on the latest in science, medicine, energy, and space. You can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, too, so check us out there.

See Also:

Source: Wired: Wired Science | 7 Oct 2008 | 12:27 am

Tim Dowling: The scientific application of nun testing

Tim Dowling: Why pester the nuns? One obvious reason is that the strictures of convent lifestyle make for an ideal control group
Source: Science | guardian.co.uk | 6 Oct 2008 | 11:02 pm

Letters: Pink positivity and breast cancer

Letters: Sadly, Brooks propels one such myth when she describes stress as a known causal factor in breast cancer
Source: Science | guardian.co.uk | 6 Oct 2008 | 11:02 pm

Study says fans may reduce risk of cot death

Findings build on previous work suggesting that sleeping on the stomach and in soft bedding increases risk
Source: Science | guardian.co.uk | 6 Oct 2008 | 11:02 pm

Nobel awards revive HIV discovery row

John Gallo controversially excluded as French pair recognised alongside German
Source: Science | guardian.co.uk | 6 Oct 2008 | 11:02 pm

Small asteroid headed for light show over Africa (AP)

AP - A small asteroid was headed for a fiery but harmless dive into Earth's atmosphere early Tuesday morning over Africa, astronomers said in a first of its kind advance warning.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 6 Oct 2008 | 10:21 pm

Diary Survived Shuttle Accident, Goes On Display

Although only 40 percent of the Space Shuttle Columbia and its contents were recovered, 37 pages of first-time Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon's diary were found mostly intact two months after the 2003 crash.

His was the only diary found. Yesterday, select pages went on display for the first time in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem as part of an exhibit to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the country.

The diary, a cardboard-covered, three-ring bound book, was found wet and crumpled in a field outside the small town of Palestine, Texas. The tracker recognized it from the NASA logo on its cover. NASA returned the diary to Ramon's wife, Rona, who asked Israeli experts to help restore the book.

Using image enhancement technology and infrared light, the scientists were able over four years to piece together much of what was on the 18 recovered pages of handwritten Hebrew. Ramon had written in the book with a NASA space pen, a pencil and a felt tip pen, however all of the felt tip notes washed away. The Sabbath kiddush, the blessing for wine, is still very clearly readable and it a center piece of the display. The prayer had been written into the diary so that Ramon could offer it during his space Sabbath which he read over the radio to Earth. Eight pages are his personal diary from before launch, six pages are of technical notes, and four pages are notes Ramon took during the 16 day mission.

On day six of the mission Ramon wrote:

"Today is maybe the first day that I really feel like I live in space. I turned out to be a man who lives and works in space, just like in the movies."

He also writes:

"We wake up in the morning with a light hovering and in a circular motion (we go) to the 'family room' - brushing my teeth, my face and to work. A little bit of coffee to go,"

"One experiment and then another… a little cleaning and storing. A few days later another experiment, a press conference with the prime minister, and the days of work continue."

"I have a beautiful view of a mighty lightning storm over India, Tibet, Nepal and Japan."

Ilan Ramon, 48, the son of Holocaust survivors, perished along with six other crew members when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon reentry just 16 minutes before they were expected to land at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on February 1, 2003. He is survived by his wife, Rona, and their four children.

Rona Ramon agreed to have portions of the diary go on display saying, "This is a small miracle that needs to be shared."

Astronaut's Diary Goes on Display in Jerusalem [AP]
3D art to salvage astronaut's last words on life in space [Jerusalem Post]
Astronauts Ilan Ramon Diary Restored [Israel News Agency]
Israel Museum Documents Exciting 60th Anniversary With Ilan Ramon, Yitzhak Rabin [Israel News Agency]

Photo: Israel News Agency, NASA

Source: Wired: Wired Science | 6 Oct 2008 | 10:12 pm

Meteor Predicted to Hit Earth's Atmosphere Tonight

A meteoroid around the size of a Smart Car is predicted to burn up in Earth's atmosphere over Sudan tonight, marking the first time scientists have made such a forecast. There's no danger from an object this size, but the burn-up could be spectacular for those who witness it.

"A typical meteor comes from an object the size of a grain of sand," Gareth Williams of the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center, which made the prediction, said in a statement Monday. Objects this size are what cause the nighttime streaks that many people think of as shooting stars. "This meteor will be a real humdinger in comparison!"

For perspective, the meteoroid that created Meteor Crater in Arizona was probably 150 feet across.

Astronomers at the Minor Planet Center are among the scientists working to keep track of any potentially dangerous asteroids, known as Near-Earth Objects. The Center is tasked with collecting all the observations from around the world, checking them, calculating orbits and then disseminating the information.

The small meteoroid was discovered earlier today by the Mt. Lemmon Observatory in Arizona, and quick calculations showed it was headed for Earth.

"We estimate objects this size enter Earth's atmosphere once every few months," Don Yeomans of the Near-Earth Object Office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said in a statement Monday. "The unique aspect of this event is that it is the first time we have observed an impacting object during its final approach."

This will give professional and amateur astronomers alike the chance to catch a close-up view of the event with their telescopes. The burn, a very bright fireball streaking across the sky, should be visible at 10:46 p.m. EDT from northern Africa, the Middle East and potentially southern Europe.

"We're eager for observations from astronomers near the asteroid's approach path," Williams said. "We really hope that someone will manage to photograph it."

Image: Kappa Cygnid meteor; NASA/Koen Miskotte, Dutch Meteor Society

Source: Wired: Wired Science | 6 Oct 2008 | 9:57 pm

Asteroid to burn up before hitting Earth

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A tiny asteroid discovered earlier Monday by an Arizona observatory will hit Earth's atmosphere over Sudan in a few hours but will burn up before it can hit the ground or endanger aircraft, astronomers said.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 6 Oct 2008 | 9:43 pm

Bad connection caused atom smasher shutdown (AP)

AP - A bad electrical connection likely caused the malfunction that sidelined the world's largest atom smasher days after it was launched with great fanfare, a senior scientist said Monday.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 6 Oct 2008 | 9:41 pm

1 Bad Connection Caused Atom Smasher Shutdown

A bad electrical connection likely sidelined the world's largest atom smasher.
Source: Livescience.com | 6 Oct 2008 | 9:25 pm

Arctic Grows Stormier

Warming ocean waters increase Arctic storminess, speed sea ice movement, possibly impact climate.
Source: Livescience.com | 6 Oct 2008 | 9:24 pm

Safer prenatal Down's syndrome test found in U.S

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A prenatal blood test can be used to determine if an unborn baby has Down's syndrome without the small risk to the fetus posed by invasive testing methods such as amniocentesis, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 6 Oct 2008 | 9:03 pm

ADHD drugs cut risk of drug abuse, smoking: study

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Girls who take stimulants to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are less likely than others with the condition to start smoking or to abuse alcohol or drugs, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 6 Oct 2008 | 8:08 pm

Climate Change vs. the Economy

The political landscape for dealing with climate change is shifting.
Source: Livescience.com | 6 Oct 2008 | 7:44 pm

Scientists develop solar cells with a twist

CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. researchers have found a way to make efficient silicon-based solar cells that are flexible enough to be rolled around a pencil and transparent enough to be used to tint windows on buildings or cars.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 6 Oct 2008 | 7:42 pm

Australian boy wreaks zoo havoc while feeding croc (Reuters)

Reuters - The parents of a 7-year-old boy who broke into an Australian outback zoo and fed a string of small animals to its resident crocodile are likely to be sued after police said the boy was too young to be held responsible.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 6 Oct 2008 | 7:39 pm

NASA spacecraft zooms above surface of Mercury

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A car-sized NASA spacecraft zoomed above the surface of Mercury on Monday, viewing rocky terrain never before seen up close on our solar system's sun-baked innermost planet, scientists said.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 6 Oct 2008 | 7:20 pm

Nature 'Soundscapes' Get Record Deal

A new audio clearinghouse features "ambient soundscapes" from the American West.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 6 Oct 2008 | 7:20 pm

Most Alaskan Glaciers Retreat and Thin

New U.S. Geological Survey book documents retreat of Alaskan glaciers.
Source: Livescience.com | 6 Oct 2008 | 7:14 pm

AIDS pioneers and cancer scientist win Nobel prize

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Two French scientists who discovered the AIDS virus and a German who bucked conventional wisdom to find a virus that causes cervical cancer were awarded the 2008 Nobel prize for medicine on Monday.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 6 Oct 2008 | 6:39 pm

The Cheapest Genome Sequence Ever: For Real?

This story has been updated.

A biotech startup company promises to decipher the human genome for $5,000 -- a price tag that could literally change the world, making high-resolution genetic scans available to relatively low-budget laboratories, and literally reshaping the questions that scientists can ask.

But is a $5,000 sequence, like a camera from a Times Square electronics store or a street-corner Rolex, just too cheap to believe? The test hasn't yet been independently validated, but scientists say the deal appears to be real.

"I have great confidence that it's right," said Lawrence Berkeley National Lab geneticist Michael Eisen. "I don't know exactly what the underlying method is, but George Church isn't a kidder."

George Church is a Harvard University geneticist who helped found the Human Genome Project and was responsible for the first commercial genome sequence. He's also an adviser to the Mountain View, California-based Complete Genomics, provider of the $5,000 genome — and joining Church is Illumina co-founder Mark Chee, Institute for Systems Biology president Leroy Hood and Massachusetts Institute of Technology bioengineer Douglas Lauffenburger.

It's a veritable Who's Who of genomic expertise, and the company's scientific director is Radoje Drmanac, a Human Genome Project group leader. It's an extremely credible bunch who've offered to bring the price of genome sequencing down from it's current $100,000 price tag and toward the long-awaited, near-mythological $1,000 genome.

And even at $5,000, the consequences would be enormous: Human genetic research, which is now focused on just a few genomic regions, and ignores types of variation that can't easily be measured, would finally be able to assume its full form.

"It's going to change again how we think about approaching biomedical research," said Jackson Laboratory genome informaticist Carol Bult, who called the implications "breathtaking."

The cost and difficulty of sequencing genomes has forced medical geneticists to take a painstaking and limited approach to their work, necessarily looking only at a few genes or mutations. Even whole genome association studies — the gold standard of modern genetics — are misleadingly named: Geneticists search for similarities and differences between people at a handful of genomic locations that are most likely to vary between people, but still ignore most of the genome. Truly-named whole genome associations don't yet exist.

"The remaining variation represents only a small fraction of the variation in the human genome," said Eisen, "but there's reason to suspect that there's important things contained in that variation."

Those variations, known as Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms, or SNPs, are but one type of genomic difference. There are also copy number variations and errors of insertion and deletion — the rough equivalent of having entire sentences, even pages, torn out or shoved into the "blueprint of life."

"There's a whole world of genetic variation that SNPs don't capture," said Eisen. "You're always going to have an incomplete view of the genome if you only have SNPs."

As researchers are able to measure non-SNP variations, they can connect them to health and development outcomes in the way that basic genetic mutations are now associated with disease or personal characteristics. This wouldn't give scientists a full picture of human health and development — far from it — but it's a key part of the foundation.

Once a more nuanced view of the genome is realized by researchers, it'll make its way to consumers.

"We're certain that research communities will adopt this, when it gets to an affordable cost," said Linda Avey, co-founder of personalized genomics company 23andMe. "We're energized that they're making the progress they are."

Bult and Eisen agreed that Complete Genomics' $5,000 genome is just a preview of what's coming.

"There's a real explosion coming in cheap genome sequencing technologies," said Bult. "This is probably just the first one to press."

See Also:

Image: New York State Department of Health

WiSci 2.0: Brandon Keim's Twitter stream and Del.icio.us feed; Wired Science on Facebook.

Source: Wired: Wired Science | 6 Oct 2008 | 6:34 pm

SLIDE SHOW: Threatened Mammals

A look at some of the 16,928 mammals that a new report says are at risk.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 6 Oct 2008 | 6:07 pm

Toy Robot Intended to Save Humans From Evil, Future Bots

When roboticist David Hanson thinks of the future, he fears that man will accidentally create a super-sentient artificial intelligence that is heartless and clinically insane.

So to save the world, he formed Hanson Robotics and built Zeno, a 17-inch robot boy, who smiles, laughs, recognizes your face and remembers your name.

Fending off the end of the world may be a heavy mantle to hang on the shoulders of a 17-inch robot that's still in prototype stage, but Hanson does call Zeno the superhero of the singularity.

"We want to be damn sure that by the time [robots] become as smart as we are, they have a conscience and compassion and that we are friends.," Hanson said. "There's no guarantee. They could be psychotic."

Zeno is himself a visitor from the future — a robot who reached consciousness in 2029, but is found by government web crawlers. From there he's put into a government academy for artificially intelligent robots, where those in charge may have nefarious motives.

"The world will need a superintelligent hero," Hanson said. "Superintelligent agents are also able to spawn technology that could destroy us all."

This narrative, crafted by Hugo award winner Tony Daniel and University of Texas performance professor Thomas Riccio, is intended to make Zeno into a character that people identify with and want to to see develop — something with the depth of a movie character or a figure from a Homerian epic.

That makes Zeno into as much of a sociological experiment as it is a technical marvel or fun toy.

"The idea is to create a cultural phenomenon and accelerate the use and humanization of the technology," Hanson said. "Robots have gotten steadily more capable but humans' expectations that robots should have minds keeps biting robot developers."

Which is to say that Hanson wants Zeno to change robots and humans.

Zeno has charmed visitors at Wired's NextFest tech celebration for the last two years, including an ongoing run in the 2008 pavilion in Chicago's Millennium park (open through Oct. 12).

Still, Zeno is clearly a work in progress, prone to hip problems, battery issues or overly long diatribes about the singularity, when a wink or smile would be more charming.

Zeno already does "know" people, and in his mind, has a knowledge container that stores a photo of the person and details about that person. The next step is getting Zeno to start making theories about the world, discarding the dumb ones and amplifying the plausible ones.

That, according to Hanson, is the essence of intelligence, and once a robot can combine that ability with the knowledge available on the internet, superintelligence won't be far off.

Hanson Robotics hopes to begin selling a mass market version of Zeno for about $300 starting sometime in 2010.

See Also:

Photo, Video: Wired NextFest

Source: Wired: Wired Science | 6 Oct 2008 | 6:05 pm

EU's climate package 'in crisis'

The EU's attempt to lead the world on climate change will crumble unless its current policy crisis is resolved, a study warns.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 6 Oct 2008 | 5:00 pm

Our radiation fears are being exploited, charity warns

Paper dispels public misconception over Wi-Fi, mobile phones and masts
Source: Science | guardian.co.uk | 6 Oct 2008 | 4:46 pm

Old Ships Provide Portable Water Source

Scientists have a new idea for desalination where you need it: old ships.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 6 Oct 2008 | 2:55 pm

Vote for the Nobel Prize in Physics

Nobel Prize week kicked off this morning with awards in Medicine given to discoverers of the viruses that cause AIDS and cervical cancer.

Up next: Physics. And if you'd like to test your significance-assessing chops against those snobs at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, now's your chance.

Leading the pack, according to business intelligence company Thomson Reuters, are the following physicists:

Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov, discovers of graphene.

Vera Rubin, provider of the best evidence yet of dark matter.

Roger Penrose and Dan Shechtman, discoverers of Penrose tilings and quasicrystals.

Vote below. And my apologies to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for the potshot taken in my lead: the assorted scientific Nobels are chosen by thousands of expert judges invited by the RSAS, and therefore tend to be free from the petty provincialism that attends voting for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

This year's winners in Medicine -- Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, Luc Montagnier and Harald zur Hausen -- are eminently worthy. Congratulations to them, and also to the invisible army of research assistants, postdocs, lab techs, lab workers, administrative helpers and everybody else who participated in their lifesaving work.

And if you have a moment, tell us why you voted the way you did! Those of us without physics degrees would love to know why quasicrystals could be more important than graphene, or dark matter a bigger deal than Penrose tilings.

Image: Alfred Nobel, from WikiMedia Commons

WiSci 2.0: Brandon Keim's Twitter stream and Del.icio.us feed; Wired Science on Facebook.

Source: Wired: Wired Science | 6 Oct 2008 | 2:37 pm

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

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