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Scientists Identify Machinery That Helps Make MemoriesResearchers have identified a missing-link molecule that helps to explain the process of plasticity in the brain during memory creation and that could lead to targeted therapies.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 2 Nov 2008 | 12:00 am A Pretty Face Can Make A Difference In Whom You Vote ForIt's not surprising that everyone is talking about the great looks of Sarah Palin. The decision to play up the looks of the former beauty queen is a winning strategy. A perception of competence is not enough to give women the winning edge in political contests. For both male and female voters, female political candidates needed to be seen as attractive as well as competent to get their votes.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 2 Nov 2008 | 12:00 am Sea Urchin Yields Key Secret Of BiomineralizationThe teeth and bones of mammals, the protective shells of mollusks, and the needle-sharp spines of sea urchins and other marine creatures are made-from-scratch wonders of nature.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 2 Nov 2008 | 12:00 am Grapes And Grape Extracts May Lower Cardiovascular Disease Risk, Review Article SuggestsA growing body of research data suggests that consuming foods rich in polyphenols from grapes, including red wine, helps reduce the risk of heart disease, according to a review article in Nutrition Research.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 2 Nov 2008 | 12:00 am Quantum Computers? Internet Security Code Of The Future CrackedComputer science experts have managed to crack the so-called McEliece encryption system. This system is a candidate for the security of Internet traffic in the age of the quantum computer -- the predicted super-powerful computer of the future.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 2 Nov 2008 | 12:00 am Inland Ants Often Prefer Salt Over Sugar, Implying Salt May Be A Limitation On Their ActivityMammals are limited by the availability of salt, and now researchers have shown that ants are too. In experiments in North, Central and South American, researchers have shown that plant-eating and omnivorous ants living more than 60 miles inland are more interested in salt than sugar, with the preference greater the farther they live from the coast. Carnivorous ants show no such preference.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 2 Nov 2008 | 12:00 am Interferon Could Be A Key To Preventing Or Treating Multiple SclerosisMultiple sclerosis results when the body's own defense system attacks nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. Now scientists have shown that interferon-gamma plays a deciding role in whether immune cells attack and injure the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) in mice.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Nov 2008 | 6:00 pm Presidential Candidates' Television Ads Most Negative In HistoryThe 2008 presidential campaign, as reflected in candidates' television spots, has been one of the most negative campaigns in history. A University of Missouri professor analyzed this year's candidates' television spots, including last night's 30-minute ad by Sen. Barack Obama, and found that only one other campaign matched this level of negativity.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Nov 2008 | 6:00 pm Cell Changes Leading To Impaired 'Artificial Kidney' Function IdentifiedMolecular targets identified by a Spanish research team may hold the key to freedom for some sufferers of kidney disease. A new study reveals the cellular signals which cause one treatment for kidney failure to lose its usefulness over time.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Nov 2008 | 6:00 pm Ancient Mummy, The Tyrolean Iceman, Has No Modern ChildrenResearchers have revealed the complete mitochondrial genome of one of the world's most celebrated mummies, known as the Tyrolean Iceman or Ötzi. The sequence represents the oldest complete DNA sequence of modern humans' mitochondria. It is highly unlikely that the Iceman has any modern day relatives, according to researchers.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Nov 2008 | 6:00 pm EPA curbs factory farm pollution (AP)AP - The Environmental Protection Agency issued new pollution control requirements for large livestock feedlots Friday that would allow farm operators to avoid having to get a permit if they claim the facility will not put harmful discharges into nearby waterways.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 1 Nov 2008 | 1:38 pm Neil Armstrong donating his papers to Purdue (AP)AP - Former astronaut Neil Armstrong has agreed to donate personal papers dating from the start of his flight career to his alma mater, Purdue University.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 1 Nov 2008 | 1:36 pm Iraq slashes 2009 budget in wake of oil price plunge (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 1 Nov 2008 | 1:34 pm New Televisions Could Have 30 Percent Energy Savings (LiveScience.com)LiveScience.com - Starting Saturday, you can find U.S. EPA-approved televisions in your favorite electronics stores as the new ENERGY STAR compliant TVs will be available for purchase.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 1 Nov 2008 | 1:31 pm Negotiator: China to give pandas to Taiwan (AP)AP - China and Taiwan plan to exchange rare animals in a sign of their increasingly warm ties, a Taiwanese negotiator said Saturday.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 1 Nov 2008 | 11:25 am Mud eruption 'caused by drilling'Leading geologists from around the world decide that a mud volcano disaster in Indonesia was triggered by oil and gas exploration.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 1 Nov 2008 | 8:02 am Scientists to measure quake effect on Acropolis (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 1 Nov 2008 | 6:02 am Vietnam issues new flood alert, death toll 20 (Reuters)Reuters - Vietnamese authorities warned of more flash floods in the north of the country Saturday and Sunday as the death toll from a week of heavy rains and floods rose to 20, the government said.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 1 Nov 2008 | 5:43 am Space Station Trash Plunging to Earth (SPACE.com)SPACE.com - A piece of space station trash the size of a refrigerator is poised to plunge through the Earth's atmosphere late Sunday, more than a year after an astronaut tossed it overboard.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 1 Nov 2008 | 3:31 am Judge gives red light to green cabs in NYC (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 1 Nov 2008 | 2:49 am Future of physics 'under threat'Leading physicists have told the BBC that long-term research is under threat because of a shortage of funding.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 1 Nov 2008 | 2:31 am Foul air fallaciesIt's always uncomfortable when we have to humour someone close to us in the name of avoiding conflict. Right now at Thames Valley University, entire science departments must be feeling slightly embarrassed about their degrees in quackery. Because despite the refusal of all universities to disclose what they teach on these, the leaks keep coming, and Prof David Colquhoun of UCL continues to archive the comedy on his website. The latest batch of lecture notes from TVU sound more like religious evangelism than science. "Students and practitioners alike are frequently subject to negative expressions and even frank hostility from relatives ... it is therefore best to be forewarned that your adherence to 'alternative' principles will be tested in these ways." This is not an isolated incident. There is a BSc degree available from the Centre for Nutrition Education and Lifestyle Management in Berkshire, ...#65279;whose prospectus reads: "Caring for and nurturing our future evolution through the successful support of our genetic code," which is validated by Middlesex University. It offers a mix of nutritionism and a self help method called "neurolinguistic programming", which developed out of the new age movement. The University of Westminster have consistently failed to offer me or Colquhoun meaningful information about their degree courses. But we do have - via Colquhoun - a leaked exam paper from its homeopathy BSc degree course finals, asking questions about miasma. Miasmatic theory originated in the middle ages and lasted until the middle of the 19th century, when diseases such as cholera and plague were believed to be spread by foul air, known as miasmas. John Snow showed in 1854 that cholera was spread through contaminated water - nothing to do with "miasmas" - and Robert Koch discovered the microbe that causes the disease in 1883. In fact, the story science can tell about cholera is well characterised and fiendishly fascinating. If you swallow some cholera bacteria, they shut down to pass through your murderously acidic stomach, and then, when they detect that they are in your small intestine, they start producing curly whip-like tails. These rotate to propel the bacteria through the pasty mucus that lines your small intestine, and up against the intestinal wall, where they can thrive. Once here, they again respond to their changed chemical surroundings, and start producing cholera toxin. This toxin pulls chloride ions across the bowel wall, and so water is drawn across with them, by osmosis, from your blood supply and into the passageway of your small intestine. This happens on a massive scale: your small intestine is suddenly full of water, which flies out of your arse at a phenomenal rate, carrying the multiplying and thriving new generations of Vibrio cholerae bacteria out into the drinking water and so on to the next host, unless proper sanitation measures are in place. Meanwhile, as this water flies out of you, dehydration rapidly sets in, and the only thing you can do to save your life is make sure you consume - almost continuously - the right mixture of dilute salt water and sugar, to replace the blood's water and salts lost in the diarrhoea. And fascinatingly, the single most successful evidence-based medical treatment in the history of humankind is something you've probably never heard of: the WHO rehydration recipe, used to treat people with diarrhoea, which has saved 3 million lives a year for the past two decades. Imagine being a part of inventing that. If I was going to teach anything on a science degree, it wouldn't be miasma, and it wouldn't be a secret. • Please send your bad science to bad.science@guardian.co.uk guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More FeedsSource: Science | guardian.co.uk | 1 Nov 2008 | 12:28 am How will I die?More people have walked on the moon than have had full genome sequencing, But Richard Powers was determined to take that giant leap. All he needed was a wad of cash, four vials of blood - and the courage to face whatever health hazards lie in waitSource: Science | guardian.co.uk | 1 Nov 2008 | 12:11 am Review: A Life Decoded- My Genome: My Life by Craig VenterReview: A Life Decoded- My Genome: My Life by Craig VenterA thrusting, supercaffeinated taleSource: Science | guardian.co.uk | 1 Nov 2008 | 12:11 am Crashed and burned: The legacy of The Right StuffA generation on, Tom Wolfe's paean to America's space heroes seems like an elegySource: Science | guardian.co.uk | 1 Nov 2008 | 12:03 am Sabertooth 'Tigers' Were Social BeastsThough most cats are loners, the sabertooth worked in packs.Source: Livescience.com | 31 Oct 2008 | 8:41 pm New Televisions Could Have 30 Percent Energy SavingsNew ENERGY STAR compliant TVs will be available Saturday.Source: Livescience.com | 31 Oct 2008 | 8:37 pm Beauty Benefits Female Candidates, Study ShowsIn politics, a stubborn double-standard for the importance of beauty endures.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 31 Oct 2008 | 8:31 pm Cassini Trick or Treats Around SaturnThe heavenly bodies have aligned for NASA's Cassini spaceprobe to swing by the Saturian moon of Enceladus for some scientific treats this Halloween. Earlier flybys dove through an icy geyser plume at the moon's pole to collect particle data. This turn will focus on nabbing some quick pics of the tiger stripes on the icy moon's mysterious south pole as the probe zips past at 40,000 mph. The team will also be collecting temperature data that may help explain how this geologically active little moon, just 310 miles in diameter, shoots ice plumes into space. Data from the August flyby showed temperatures that were lower than the less precise measurements taken in March 2008. The team is anxious to see if the discrepancy is because the March measurements were off or if the plumes are changing over time. Both temperature measurements confirm that there is internal heat leaking out of the moon, and though -159 F is still very cold, it is warmer than the likely -352 F temperature they'd see if heat weren't emanating from within. And the higher the temperatures at the surface, the more likely it is that liquid water could exist at depth. In August the team only had time to map a small fraction of the active fractures, but they will measure more areas this time and will also have the benefit of the imaging camera and the ultraviolet spectrometer observing simultaneously. You can follow all the action as it happens on the Cassini Enceadus team blog. Cassini plans to trick or treat at Titan as well, but because these neighbors are quite a distance away, it will take Cassini three days to get there. Let's just hope Titan hasn't turned off the porch light by then. See Also:
Image: NASA, Enceladus Source: Wired: Wired Science | 31 Oct 2008 | 7:49 pm 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 | 7:00 pm Pope sees physicist Hawking at evolution gatheringVATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict told a gathering of scientists including the British cosmologist Stephen Hawking on Friday that there was no contradiction between believing in God and empirical science.Source: Reuters: Science News | 31 Oct 2008 | 6:11 pm Extreme Resolution Photos and Lasers Create Virtual Yosemite
When geologists wanted a better look at a Yosemite rock face in years past, they only had one option: climb the cliff. But now, thanks to super-high resolution gigapixel images created by a team of 70 photographers using GigaPan robotic imagers and a laser-mapping airplane, park geologist Greg Stock now has unprecedented access to the geological features of one of the world's most famous parks. And all from the comfort of his laptop. "When you're climbing, your primary purpose is just surviving," Stock said. "You can make some observations, but it's a lot harder." The Yosemite Extreme Panoramic Imaging Project is a Microsoft-sponsored collaboration between Los Angeles-based photography studio, xRez, and the National Park Service, intended to help Stock catalog and understand dangerous rock slides in Yosemite. Printed out at magazine-quality 300 dpi resolution, the photos stretch uninterrupted for 40 feet. "People have been documenting rock fall in Yosemite for 150 years but we're doing it now with a precision that other people couldn't have dreamed of," Stock said. "Every rock-fall event begins with the basic documentation: Where was it, how big was it, and why did it happen? And sometimes these photos are the only way of ascertaining those things." Scientists have long used advances in photographic techniques to aid in their observations and discoveries. In fact, the image compositing technology built into the GigaPan was initially developed by NASA to help image other planets in our solar system. Ultimately, projects like this underscore the fact that photographs can be data as easily as they can be art. The Yosemite project, which was launched and completed this summer, is already paying scientific dividends. Stock used the system to help his investigation of a rock slide that flattened a group of cabins near Glacier Point earlier this month. "I can immediately go to the photograph, zoom in on it and see what that mass of rock looked like before it failed. That can tell me a lot about why it failed and the mechanism by which it failed," said Stock. "I'm already ecstatic with the results so far." In the long-term, it's possible that the new photographic evidence could help geologists forecast when rock falls or avalanches are likely to occur. "We cannot predict rock falls yet, and we might not get there in my lifetime, but looking at these records is the only way we might do it," he said. Using LIDAR, as its known, lets scientists "see through" vegetation and look at the bare ground on which its growing. "There is a laser in the belly of the plane and it flies back and forth over the landscape," Stock explained. "What you get is a digital topographic map of the surface that has the precision of a few centimeters." On top of that map, xRez's Eric Hanson is draping the gigapixel photographic images over digital topographic maps, allowing him to virtually fly through a near-perfect model of the Yosemite valley. "We're trying to use some of these techniques that have only been used in entertainment and apply them in scientific visualization," said Hanson, who had previously provided special effects for Spiderman, The Chronicles of Narnia, and a host of other Hollywood blockbusters. The next step for Stock will be to start using the images to do some quantitative comparisons between before-and-after high-resolution photographs. "I knew it was going to be useful right off the bat, and that's the way it's happening," he said. Image: 1. An image of Half Dome, courtesy of the Yosemite Extreme Panoramic Imaging Project. 2. A topographic model created by NCALM of the Yosemite valley. WiSci 2.0: Alexis Madrigal's Twitter , Google Reader feed, and webpage; Wired Science on Facebook. Source: Wired: Wired Science | 31 Oct 2008 | 5:44 pm Video: To Fight Diabetes, Vacuum Seal the Stomach
According to a report, published today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, new cases of the disease have doubled in the past decade, and one of the primary causes is obesity. Many Americans could drastically reduce their risk of becoming diabetic by exercising more and eating healthier foods, but severely overweight people may need surgery. By sealing off part of the digestive organ, surgeons can limit the amount of food that their patients will absorb. With time, those people will feel full after eating rather small meals. But they may develop some nasty complications, including gastric dumping syndrome, which is as bad as it sounds. This new procedure, which was developed by Satiety Inc., revolves around a device that lets doctors seal off part of the stomach from the inside without making any incisions. The device slides in through the mouth, along with an endoscope, and sucks the stomach shut before crimping the walls and fixing them in place with titanium staples. Several studies have shown that the new surgical technique, called transoral gastroplasty, or TOGA, has far fewer nasty side effects than the standard of care. Right now, Satiety is running a Phase III clinical trial. Once it is complete, the FDA may choose to approve the TOGA procedure. Even though the treatment could keep people healthy, and save healthcare providers a fortune in the long run, insurance companies are unlikely to pay for it. The reason is entirely related to economics: Most insurance companies keep their clients for just over two years, so they have very little incentive to pay for costly preventative surgeries — even if it is the right thing to do. Video: Satiety Inc. Source: Wired: Wired Science | 31 Oct 2008 | 5:12 pm Scientists discover cloud-thickening chemicals in trees that could offer a new weapon in the fight against global warmingTrees could be more important to the Earth's climate than previously thought, according to a new study that reveals forests help to block out the sun. Scientists in the UK and Germany have discovered that trees release a chemical that thickens clouds above them, which reflects more sunlight and so cools the Earth. The research suggests that chopping down forests could accelerate global warming more than was thought, and that protecting existing trees could be one of the best ways to tackle the problem. Dominick Spracklen, of the Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Science at Leeds University, said: "We think this could have quite a significant effect. You can think of forests as climate air conditioners." The scientists looked at chemicals called terpenes that are released from boreal forests across northern regions such as Canada, Scandinavia and Russia. The chemicals give pine forests their distinctive smell, but their function has puzzled experts for years. Some believe the trees release them to communicate, while others say they could offer protection from air pollution. The team found the terpenes react in the air to form tiny particles called aerosols. The particles help turn water vapour in the atmosphere into clouds. Spracklen said the team's computer models showed that the pine particles doubled the thickness of clouds some 1,000m above the forests, and would reflect an extra 5% sunlight back into space. He said: "It might not sound a lot, but that is quite a strong cooling effect. The climate is such a finely balanced system that we think this effect is large enough to reduce temperatures over quite large areas. It gives us another reason to preserve forests." The research, which will be published in a special edition of the Royal Society journal Philosophical Transactions A, is the first to quantify the cooling effect of the released chemicals. The scientists say the findings "must be included in climate models in order to make realistic predictions". Because trees release more terpenes in warmer weather, the discovery suggests that forests could act as a negative feedback on climate, to dampen future temperature rise. The team looked at forests of mainly pine and spruce trees, but Spracklen said other trees also produce terpenes so the cooling effect should be found in other regions, including tropical rainforests. 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 | 4:46 pm Daylight Saving Time: Why Did We Do It?Daylight Saving Time saves energy and daylight, though not everyone does it.Source: Livescience.com | 31 Oct 2008 | 4:42 pm Rare, Prehistoric-age Reptile Found in New ZealandRare lizard found nesting in New Zealand for first time in 200 years.Source: Livescience.com | 31 Oct 2008 | 4:24 pm Iceman Has No Living RelativesOetzi, the 5,300 year-old frozen mummy, left no living genetic legacy.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 31 Oct 2008 | 3:37 pm Oldest Hebrew Writing Possibly FoundAncient inscriptions on a 3,000-year-old pottery shard could make history.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 31 Oct 2008 | 2:37 pm Why Presidential Polls Vary So MuchPeople without land lines are often excluded, and people change their minds.Source: Livescience.com | 31 Oct 2008 | 2:33 pm Spiders, Scorpions Among World's Oldest CreaturesMany creepy crawlies have been on Earth much longer than previously believed.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 31 Oct 2008 | 2:31 pm Rare, Prehistoric-Age Reptile Found in N.Z.A tuatara has been spotted on the New Zealand mainland for the first time in 200 years.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 31 Oct 2008 | 1:54 pm Blood-Sucking Vampire Bats Sing DuetsWhite-winged vampire bats "harmonize" with separated roost mates.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 31 Oct 2008 | 1:43 pm It's Official: People Are Warming the PolesHumans are conclusively to blame for polar warming, say scientists.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 31 Oct 2008 | 1:27 pm The Real (and Frightening) Ghosts of the WorldWe, in Western culture, should think twice about how we fool with the image of a ghost.Source: Livescience.com | 31 Oct 2008 | 12:59 pm Black As Barack? Why Race is Wrong - Part 1COMMENTARY: Science should disavow race as a useful measure of people.Source: Livescience.com | 31 Oct 2008 | 12:58 pm Islands: Exquisite Labs of EvolutionA scientist studies lemurs, the crown jewels of evolution in Madagascar.Source: Livescience.com | 31 Oct 2008 | 12:54 pm 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 | 12:37 pm
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