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Cancer Requires Support From Immune System To DevelopTumors that grow around nerves in a rare genetic disease need cooperation from cells from the immune system in order to grow, according to scientists.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 31 Oct 2008 | 6:00 pm 'Living Fossil' Tree Contains Genetic Imprints Of Rain Forests Under Climate ChangeA "living fossil" tree species is helping a researcher understand how tropical forests responded to past climate change and how they may react to global warming in the future.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 31 Oct 2008 | 6:00 pm Negative Cues From Appearance Alone Matter For Real ElectionsBrain-imaging studies reveal that voting decisions are more associated with the brain's response to negative aspects of a politician's appearance than to positive ones, says researchers. This appears to be particularly true when voters have little or no information about a politician aside from their physical appearance.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 31 Oct 2008 | 6:00 pm Grapes May Aid A Bunch Of Heart Risk Factors, Animal Study FindsCould eating grapes help fight high blood pressure related to a salty diet? And could grapes calm other factors that are also related to heart diseases such as heart failure? A new study performed in animals suggests so.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 31 Oct 2008 | 6:00 pm Mathematician Cracks Mystery Beatles ChordIt's the most famous chord in rock 'n' roll, an instantly recognizable twang rolling through the open strings on George Harrison's 12-string guitar: the opening chord to the Beatles song "A Hard Day's Night." Now, a researcher has used a mathematical calculation known as Fourier transform to solve the Beatles' riddle. The process allowed him to decompose the sound into its original frequencies using computer software and parse out which notes were on the record.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 31 Oct 2008 | 6:00 pm High-fat Diet Could Promote Development Of Alzheimer's DiseaseResearchers have shown that the main neurological markers for Alzheimer's disease are exacerbated in the brains of mice fed a diet rich in animal fat and poor in omega-3s. Details of the study -- which suggests that diets typical of most industrialized countries promote the development of Alzheimer's -- are outlined in the journal Neurobiology of Aging.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 31 Oct 2008 | 6:00 pm Pneumococcal Vaccine Could Prevent Numerous Deaths, Save Costs During A Flu Pandemic, Model PredictsA new predictive model shows that vaccinating infants with 7 valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine -- the current recommendation--not only saves lives and money during a normal flu season by preventing related bacterial infections; it also would prevent more than 357,000 deaths during an influenza pandemic, while saving $7 billion in costs.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 31 Oct 2008 | 3:00 pm Evidence Of Tsunamis On Indian Ocean Shores Long Before 2004A quarter-million people were killed when a tsunami inundated Indian Ocean coastlines the day after Christmas in 2004. Now scientists have found evidence that the event was not a first-time occurrence.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 31 Oct 2008 | 3:00 pm Drinking Milk To Ease Milk Allergy? Oral Immunotherapy Study Shows Promise -- But Do Not Try This At HomeGiving children with milk allergies increasingly higher doses of milk over time may ease, and even help them completely overcome, their allergic reactions, according to the results of a new study. However, the researchers emphasize that the findings require further research and advise parents and caregivers not to try oral immunotherapy without medical supervision.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 31 Oct 2008 | 3:00 pm Clues To Planets' Birth Discovered In MeteoritesMeteorites that are among the oldest rocks ever found have provided new clues about the conditions that existed at the beginning of the solar system, solving a longstanding mystery and overturning some accepted ideas about the way planets form.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 31 Oct 2008 | 3:00 pm Hubble telescope back in business (Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 31 Oct 2008 | 12:37 pm West African pirates kidnap French oilmen (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 31 Oct 2008 | 11:48 am Rare, prehistoric-age reptile found in New Zealand (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 31 Oct 2008 | 11:31 am Vietnam floods kill 19, capital Hanoi under water (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 31 Oct 2008 | 8:26 am Australia opens national tsunami warning center (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 31 Oct 2008 | 7:54 am NASA regains contact with Mars spacecraft (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 31 Oct 2008 | 7:12 am Archaeologist says he found oldest Hebrew writing (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 31 Oct 2008 | 6:35 am Venus and the Moon to Treat or TrickVenus and the moon will deliver a Halloween treat visible this evening just as little ghosts and goblins head out to gather candy.Source: Livescience.com | 31 Oct 2008 | 4:27 am Top 5 Halloween Myths Debunked (LiveScience.com)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 31 Oct 2008 | 4:17 am Top 5 Halloween Myths DebunkedIn the darkness of the strange holiday of Halloween, five myths and urban legends can be debunked.Source: Livescience.com | 31 Oct 2008 | 4:13 am Scientists Spot 4 New Alzheimer's Genes (HealthDay)HealthDay - THURSDAY, Oct. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Four newly identified genes may be linked to the most common form of late-onset Alzheimer's disease, U.S. researchers report.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 31 Oct 2008 | 3:48 am Studies Find a Candidate's Looks MatterMen and women prefer female candidates who look both competent and attractive.Source: Livescience.com | 31 Oct 2008 | 2:34 am Hubble works but servicing slipsThe Hubble space telescope is working again but will have to wait longer for final servicing, Nasa officials say.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 31 Oct 2008 | 2:06 am DNA legacy of ancient seafarersScientists use DNA to trace the migrations of a civilisation which dominated the Mediterranean thousands of years ago.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 31 Oct 2008 | 1:26 am Looks count for women running for office: studyWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Women had better appear attractive as well as competent if they want to be elected to political office, according to research published on Thursday.Source: Reuters: Science News | 31 Oct 2008 | 1:22 am Giant bat makes comeback in TanzaniaOSLO (Reuters) - A giant bat with a wingspan up to 5.5 feet has made a comeback from the brink of extinction in Tanzania in a rare conservation success, an environmental group said on Friday.Source: Reuters: Science News | 31 Oct 2008 | 1:20 am Hubble telescope back in businessCAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - The Hubble Space Telescope is back in business after a month of problems, but preparing spare equipment to keep the orbital observatory running will force NASA to delay its final servicing mission beyond February, officials said on ThursdaySource: Reuters: Science News | 31 Oct 2008 | 12:44 am Dick Taverne: The prince has to chooseDick Taverne: If Charles wants to lecture us on the plight of the world he must renounce his claim to the throneSource: Science | guardian.co.uk | 31 Oct 2008 | 12:16 am Lost in showbiz: Marina Hyde on Paris Hilton's space flightHot on the heels of yesterday's blog special, Wordsworth with Lily Allen, comes a new celebucational series. Take your seats for Special Relativity with Paris Hilton. Paris is apparently booked to travel on the first commercial space flight next year in the Virgin Enterprise - Richard Branson's suborbital DeLorean. And it is with matters loosely connected with the plot of Back to the Future that our beloved celebutante is currently preoccupied. "I'm very scared to do it," she tells an interviewer, who may or may not have precipitated the question with some observation on the twin paradox, the Einsteinian thought experiment that explores notions of time dilation. "What if I don't come back?" Paris wonders. "With the whole light-years thing, what if I come back 10,000 years later, and everyone I know is dead? I'll be like, 'Great. Now I have to start all over.'" Are these not the risks the young Hilton must take if she wishes to explore the final frontier? Perhaps. But while this dystopian fate might seem to be the ultimate Running Man version of the fish-out-of-water TV formats that Paris has made her own, her critics should beware of assuming that being stranded in the future would be the end of the heiress. On the contrary, any serious study of Paris's oeuvre reveals that she has exceptional survival instincts, and would swiftly adapt to her new dimension. Sure, everyone in 12009 will be wearing lightweight Teflon exoskeletons, but just think how swiftly Paris would shed hers. She'd know that all it takes is one hologram amateur porno with some skeezy guy from the docking port, and she would explode into 121st century consciousness like the eternal star that she is. After that, it would simply be a matter of being sent to various red state reaches of the galactic confederacy with an equally gimlet-eyed sidekick, with whom she could giggle snobbishly as the pair are put to work on menial tasks such as moisture-farming or running a fly-thru spacecraft-wash. Of course, the great career arc will be slightly threatened in 12011, when Paris's decision to get behind the controls of a sports utility craft while under the influence of moon-sourced moonshine will see her sent to an intergalactic penal colony. But that isn't the end of Paris. Far from it, in fact, as well as far, far away, and all very much to be continued ... guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More FeedsSource: Science | guardian.co.uk | 31 Oct 2008 | 12:14 am Light drinking in pregnancy may be good for baby boys, says studyBoys born to mothers who drank lightly during pregnancy are better behaved and score more highly in tests at the age of three than the sons of women who abstained, according to a study published today. Researchers found there was no link between light drinking in pregnancy - defined as one to two units a week, or on occasion - and any behavioural or cognitive problems in children at the age of three. Surprisingly, the University College London study found that some of the children of light-drinking mothers appeared to be doing better than the babies of those who abstained. Boys born to mothers who drank lightly were 40% less likely to have conduct problems and 30% less likely to be hyperactive, even when the differences between social and economic circumstances were taken into account. They also scored more highly in vocabulary tests and were better able to identify shapes, colours, letters and numbers. The research has the authority of a large study - it involved 12,495 children - but is likely to further fuel the controversy over alcohol in pregnancy. The study also found that girls born to light drinkers were 30% less likely to have emotional and peer problems, compared with abstainers, but in their case this could not be extricated from their family backgrounds. Although allowances had been made for social circumstances, Dr Yvonne Kelly, the lead researcher, said they could not be completely certain that the children's better performance was not linked to their family background. "The reasons behind these findings might in part be because light drinkers tend to be more socially advantaged than abstainers, rather than being due to the physical benefits of low-level alcohol consumption seen, for example, in heart disease," said Kelly. "However, it may also be that light-drinking mothers tend to be more relaxed themselves and this contributes to better behavioural and cognitive outcomes in their children." The study aimed to fill the substantial knowledge gap on the impact of women's drinking on their babies, which has led to conflicting and confusing advice from health bodies and government. Although it has always been clear that heavy drinking can seriously damage babies, scientists have not had good evidence either to prove or disprove that light drinking does any harm. Doctors and other health experts have swung uneasily between condoning a drink or two each week and urging women to abstain. Led by the chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, the Department of Health has of late said that no alcohol is the best policy. However, the official guidance issued this year by the standard-setting National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) is that it is best not to drink at all for the first three months on the grounds of a risk of miscarriage, but that thereafter women who choose to take the occasional drink will not harm the foetus. Confusing The UCL researchers say there is inconsistency in public policy on light drinking in pregnancy which is confusing for health professionals as well as the public. A recent review by the national perinatal epidemiology unit and a statement from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists both called for population-based studies - which is what the UCL research is - to try to settle the question. "There is inconsistency in policy around this issue and studies such as this one are vital in light of the wider debate around drinking and pregnancy," said Kelly. "Our study's findings do raise questions as to whether the current push for policy to recommend complete abstinence during pregnancy is merited and suggest that further research needs to be done." Just because three-year-old children appear to be unharmed by their mothers' light drinking, that does not necessarily rule out any damage later on, she said. UCL is now assessing the impact on the same children at the age of five. It will also look at whether it made any difference whether the woman drank early or late in pregnancy. The Department of Health reiterated its position that pregnant women should not drink. "Pregnant women or women trying to conceive should avoid drinking alcohol," said Donaldson. "This advice is further strengthened by Nice's latest guidance that highlights this is most important at the beginning of pregnancy, when there may be an increased risk of miscarriage, and again reinforces that if they do choose to drink, to protect the baby, they should not drink more than one to two units of alcohol once or twice a week and should not get drunk." Foetal detractionPregnancy may be a normal state, but the list of food, drinks and activities to avoid gets longer. The Department of Health warns against: Soft and blue-veined cheese, such as Camembert, Brie and Stilton, pate, potato salad and coleslaw, ready meals and reheated food, in case they are contaminated with listeria, a bacterium which can cause miscarriage. Runny eggs and mayonnaise and undercooked meat, in case of salmonella. Unwashed raw fruit and vegetables, unpasteurised goat's milk and goat's cheese, which may be contaminated with the toxoplasmosis parasite. High-dose vitamin A. More than two portions a week of oily fish, which may contain dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls. Shark, swordfish and marlin, which contain high levels of mercury. More than 300mg of caffeine from coffee, tea, cola or chocolate, which limits the body's absorption of iron. Mountaineering and hot-air ballooning, because changes in oxygen levels can trigger premature labour. guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More FeedsSource: Science | guardian.co.uk | 31 Oct 2008 | 12:14 am Hubble Back to Taking Spectacular Images
The Hubble Space Telescope sent this spectacular image back to Earth to celebrate coming back online after nearly a month of down time following a mechanical breakdown. After a rocky start, Hubble's on-board back-up camera got up and running last week and began collecting images days later. The Hubble team celebrated the image calling it a "perfect 10," noting how much the colliding galaxies together look like a 10. The pair of galaxies, dubbed Arp 147, lie in the constellation Cetus, more than 400 million light-years away from Earth. Arp 147 appears in the Arp Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, a book published by Halton Arp in 1966. The image was created using blue, visible-light, and infrared filters represented by the colors blue, green, and red, respectively. The ring likely formed when the galaxy on the left tore a hole in the one on the right as they collided. The red bulge on the blue ring probably marks the location of the original center of that galaxy. But even amid the celebration, concerns for Hubble's future loom large. Flight International reports that the backup unit that has been in storage on the ground since the early 90's, and that was supposed to be delivered to Hubble by the Space Shuttle in February, failed its qualification testing. NASA said today that they have ruled out a February launch, but they are going ahead with plans to get the spare ground unit flight ready. The team working on the instrument estimates it will need around six and half months to be ready. Their goal is to be ready by around May 2009. The Space Shuttle team will be holding their own press conference later tonight to discuss how they'll handle the situation. And if the ground spare can't be fixed, it's conceivable that NASA would scrub the whole Hubble servicing mission. According to NASA, "We'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it." See Also:
Image: NASA, ESA, and M. Livio (STScI) Source: Wired: Wired Science | 30 Oct 2008 | 11:27 pm Frozen in timeWinning water snaps from new global photo prizeSource: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 30 Oct 2008 | 10:13 pm The Truth About Muslims in AmericaMuslim Americans are just like any other American.Source: Livescience.com | 30 Oct 2008 | 8:37 pm Nasty fungus may be killing thousands of batsWASHINGTON (Reuters) - A previously unknown fungus that thrives in chilly temperatures may be the culprit behind the deaths of at least 100,000 bats hibernating in caves in the northeastern United States, scientists said on Thursday.Source: Reuters: Science News | 30 Oct 2008 | 8:29 pm Cold Storage: Moon Might Preserve Alien LifeSome lunar craters may be perfect for preserving samples of life from Earth or Mars.Source: Livescience.com | 30 Oct 2008 | 8:26 pm Fiction to factScientists consider radical ideas to fight climate changeSource: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 30 Oct 2008 | 8:25 pm Do Overweight Women Skip Sex? Fat Chance!A woman's weight has no negative bearing on her sexual behavior.Source: Livescience.com | 30 Oct 2008 | 8:20 pm R.I.P. @MarsPhoenix: The Twitter Epitaph Contest
Mars Phoenix, NASA's immensely successful robotic lander, is on Two days ago, with winter already threatening to coat the lander in carbon dioxide, an ill-timed dust storm sent Mars Phoenix into hibernation as the solar energy hitting the bot's photovoltaic panels fell too far. NASA will make one last try to power the lander up this weekend, but it's likely that within days, Mars Phoenix's life will come to an end. To mark this exciting, crowd-pleasing, Tweeting trip to the Martian north pole, we thought it'd be fun to mark the occasion with a Mars Phoenix Twitter-style epitaph contest. That means that these particular virtual headstones must be under 140 characters. Beyond that, it's up to you how you want to memorialize the mission. And it's not just for pride: The voice of @MarsPhoenix, Veronica McGregor, has promised Wired Science official mission gear for the top three entries in the contest. Submit now, you've only got until Monday at 9 AM, Pacific time. Submit your Mars Phoenix Epitaph:
Vote on @MarsPhoenix Twitter Epitaphs: See Also: Image: Courtesy of NASA/JPL/University of Arizona. WiSci 2.0: Alexis Madrigal's Twitter , Google Reader feed, and webpage; Wired Science on Facebook. Source: Wired: Wired Science | 30 Oct 2008 | 8:08 pm Ancient Phoenician Genes Live on TodaySome modern Mediterranean people may be descended from the ancient Phoenicians.Source: Livescience.com | 30 Oct 2008 | 8:01 pm Researchers find more Alzheimer's genesWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers combing the human gene map have found four more areas that affect the risk of Alzheimer's disease and believe the studies are starting to point to new and better treatments.Source: Reuters: Science News | 30 Oct 2008 | 7:47 pm McCain leads Ohio's litter box 'Kitty Caucus' (AP)AP - To put it in a tasteful way, a vote in Ohio is determining which White House hopeful is the pick of the litter. The ballot boxes are cat litter boxes in the 2008 "Kitty Caucus" being conducted by the Capital Area Humane Society in Columbus and local radio station WBNS-FM, known as Mix 97.1.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 30 Oct 2008 | 7:46 pm What Halloween is Really AboutAll those Halloween ghosts and goblins apparently are scaring away the kids but not the consumers.Source: Livescience.com | 30 Oct 2008 | 7:46 pm Archaeologists report finding oldest Hebrew textJERUSALEM (Reuters) - Archaeologists in Israel said on Thursday they had unearthed the oldest Hebrew text ever found, while excavating a fortress city overlooking a valley where the Bible says David slew Goliath.Source: Reuters: Science News | 30 Oct 2008 | 7:06 pm Quakes give trampoline effect: Japanese studyHONG KONG (Reuters) - Earthquakes not only shake the ground from side to side, they hoist it up and down as though the earth is bouncing on a trampoline, researchers in Japan found.Source: Reuters: Science News | 30 Oct 2008 | 7:06 pm Hurricanes May Not Be Bigger and Badder in the Future After All
Previous research has linked rising sea surface temperatures with the increase in hurricane activity since the early 1990s. With those temperatures projected to continue rising as the climate warms, the future looks grim. However, scientists suggest in this week's Science that the uptick in hurricanes could also be due to the increase of the Atlantic ocean temperature relative to other oceans during the same time period. And that relative difference in temperatures is not expected to continue widening in the long term, which would be good news for the country's vulnerable coasts. Citation: "Whither Hurricane Activity?" See Also:
Image: Gabriel Vecchi, NOAA/GFDL Source: Wired: Wired Science | 30 Oct 2008 | 7:03 pm Pesticides, Fertilizers Linked to Frog DeclineA pesticide is found to promote parasites among amphibians.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 30 Oct 2008 | 6:54 pm Gene study shows the Phoenicians still with usWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The seafaring Phoenicians left the world more than a legacy of alphabets and purple dye -- they left their DNA scattered throughout Mediterranean men, as well, according to a report published on Thursday.Source: Reuters: Science News | 30 Oct 2008 | 6:42 pm Turning Clocks Back May Help Your HeartTurning your clock back on Sunday may be good for your heart.Source: Livescience.com | 30 Oct 2008 | 6:39 pm Polar warming 'caused by humans'The rise in temperatures at Earth's poles has for the first time been attributed directly to human activities, a study says.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 30 Oct 2008 | 6:24 pm Mars Lander Goes InactivePoor weather, dwindling power at Phoenix landing site forces spacecraft into safe mode.Source: Livescience.com | 30 Oct 2008 | 6:22 pm Ancient iceman probably has no modern relativesLONDON (Reuters) - "Otzi," Italy's prehistoric iceman, probably does not have any modern day descendants, according to a study published Thursday.Source: Reuters: Science News | 30 Oct 2008 | 6:21 pm Video Podcast No. 9: The Agroterror Lab Just Off Long Island
For 50 years, the Plum Island Animal Disease Center has researched dangerous pathogens like foot-and-mouth disease on a small island off the tip of Long Island. Founded by the Army in the 1950s and run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture until the Department of Homeland Security took the reins in 2002, Plum Island has been the premiere research facility on biological threats to livestock and the humans who eat them. With agricultural terrorism seen as an increasingly real threat, the U.S. government says that the aging center is in need of a major upgrade. The Department of Homeland Security is looking to build a new National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility that will handle even nastier biosafety threats like the Nipah and Hendra viruses and Plum Island is on the shortlist of locations for the lab. But some question the wisdom of locating a Bio Safety Lab 4 facility, which can handle airborne pathogens like ebola that have no known cure, so close to New York City. The DHS is also considering sites in Mississippi, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina and Kansas.
This video delves into the issues surrounding Plum Island as a biosafety research institution. For even more information, check out the recent congressional reports, "The National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility: Issues for Congress" (pdf) and "Agroterrorism: Threats and Preparedness" (pdf).
Image: 1. Composite image created from 1956 USDA document on the original Plum Island research facility and goals. 2. Map drawn from the same document. Courtesy of the University of North Texas digital library. See Also:
WiSci 2.0: Alexis Madrigal's Twitter , Google Reader feed, and webpage; Wired Science on Facebook. Source: Wired: Wired Science | 30 Oct 2008 | 6:02 pm Hubble Telescope Taking Photos AgainThe Hubble Space Telescope is once again snapping stunning photos of the universe.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 30 Oct 2008 | 5:54 pm Phoenicians Live on in People's GenesOne in 17 Mediterranean men may be descended from ancient Phoenicians.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 30 Oct 2008 | 4:54 pm 'Oldest Hebrew script' is foundFive lines of ancient script on a pottery shard could be the oldest Hebrew writing ever discovered, an archaeologist says.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 30 Oct 2008 | 4:52 pm Eight-Armed Animal Preceded DinosaursWhat may be one of Earth's first animals was no bigger than a coaster and had eight arms.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 30 Oct 2008 | 3:27 pm Astro touristMeet the man who paid £17m to go into spaceSource: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 30 Oct 2008 | 3:00 pm SLIDE SHOW: Landscapes of TerrorWhat makes a place feel scary? There are scientific explanations.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 30 Oct 2008 | 2:27 pm Mercury Spewed Mysterious Blue MaterialNew close-up images of Mercury suggest it had lots of volcanic activity.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 30 Oct 2008 | 1:40 pm Wyoming Tries to Broaden Wolf ProtectionWyoming attempts to ease concerns that it is not offering enough protection to wolves.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 30 Oct 2008 | 1:07 pm Rocket scienceThe German site which paved the way to spaceSource: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 30 Oct 2008 | 12:32 pm
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