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Orangutan's Spontaneous Whistling Opens New Chapter In Study Of Evolution Of SpeechAn orangutan's spontaneous whistling is providing scientists at Great Ape Trust of Iowa new insights into the evolution of speech and learning.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 12 Dec 2008 | 7:00 pm New Cause Of Heart Arrhythmia FoundA new study shows that atrial fibrillation -- the most common form of sustained heart arrhythmia -- can be caused in an unexpected way. Researchers report the first evidence that a rare and particularly severe form of the disease stems from a gene involved in shuttling other molecules in and out of the cell nucleus, where the DNA that serves as the blueprint for life is housed.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 12 Dec 2008 | 7:00 pm Wave Power Facility Successful in SwedenA wave energy plant located in the sea outside Lysekil, Sweden has been quite successful. For nearly three years, a wave power plant has stood on the bottom of the ocean a couple of kilometers off the west coast of Sweden, near Lysekil. The station is uniquely durable and maintenance-free because of its simple mechanical construction.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 12 Dec 2008 | 7:00 pm Technique To Count Messages Made By Single Genes DevelopedResearchers describe a technique for looking more precisely at a fundamental step of a cell's life: a gene, DNA, being read into a message, mRNA. The technique could provide a window into the process by which genes are switched on inappropriately, causing disease.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 12 Dec 2008 | 7:00 pm Engineers To Create Virtual Crash Test DummyEngineers are working on a new "virtual" crash test dummy, one that will live entirely within computers, but will be more realistic than any physical dummy ever subjected to a crash test.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 12 Dec 2008 | 7:00 pm Key To Regulation Of Puberty DiscoveredScientists have taken a major step to understanding how the brain controls the onset of puberty. They have identified the hormone Neurokinin B as a critical part of the control system that switches on the master regulator of human puberty.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 12 Dec 2008 | 7:00 pm New Detector Will Aid Dark Matter SearchSeveral research projects are underway to try to detect particles that may make up the mysterious "dark matter" believed to dominate the universe's mass. But the existing detectors have a problem: They also pick up particles of ordinary matter that masquerade as the dark-matter particles. An MIT physicist has a solution.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 12 Dec 2008 | 4:00 pm If MRI Shows Signs Of Multiple Sclerosis, Will The Disease Develop?With more and more people having brain MRIs for various reasons, doctors are finding people whose scans show signs of multiple sclerosis even though they have no symptoms of the disease. A new study published in Neurology found that a third of these people developed MS within an average of about five years.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 12 Dec 2008 | 4:00 pm Hot Drinks Help Fight Cold And FluA hot drink may help reduce the symptoms of common colds and flu, according to new research. New research at the Center has found that a simple hot drink of fruit cordial can provide immediate and sustained relief from symptoms of runny nose, cough, sneezing, sore throat, chilliness and tiredness.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 12 Dec 2008 | 4:00 pm Avalanches -- Triggered From The ValleyWhen slab avalanches thunder into the valley, winter sports fans are in danger. Researchers have now gained amazing insights into the formation of these avalanches -- especially regarding how they are remotely triggered by skiers in more gently inclined areas.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 12 Dec 2008 | 4:00 pm Frank Swain: Are the glory days of science TV gone forever?Science on Television is in a dire state, writes Frank Swain. But the internet offers hopeSource: Science | guardian.co.uk | 12 Dec 2008 | 12:45 pm EU leaders agree on climate change deal (AP)AP - Diplomats say European leaders have agreed on how they will carry out an ambitious plan to fight global warming.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 12 Dec 2008 | 12:35 pm Chinese pandas packed and ready for trip to Taiwan (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 12 Dec 2008 | 12:12 pm Commission agrees to cut tuna catches in Pacific (AP)AP - A commercial fishing commission agreed Friday to cut the catches of bigeye tuna in parts of the Pacific Ocean, a small step in an effort to save a threatened species that is a favorite among sushi lovers.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 12 Dec 2008 | 12:11 pm California adopts emissions planRegulators in the US state of California adopt plans to help implement a law to cut greenhouse gas emissions.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 12 Dec 2008 | 12:09 pm Rome on alert for Tiber breaking its banks (Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 12 Dec 2008 | 10:29 am U.S. Amish gene trait may inspire heart protectionWASHINGTON (Reuters) - A rare genetic abnormality found in people in an insular Amish community protects them from heart disease, a discovery that could lead to new drugs to prevent heart ailments, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.Source: Reuters: Science News | 12 Dec 2008 | 9:46 am Space shuttle may finally finish piggyback ride (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 12 Dec 2008 | 8:59 am Does Obama Want to Ground NASA's Next Moon Mission? (Time.com)Time.com - The choice of who will head NASA could be a signal of where the President-elect stands on spaceSource: Yahoo! News: Science News | 12 Dec 2008 | 8:25 am Ecoterrorist in NorCal plots gets home confinement (AP)AP - An environmental activist who conspired to destroy a Northern California dam and a genetics lab has been sentenced to five months' home confinement.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 12 Dec 2008 | 3:28 am Study: Elephants live longer in wild than zoos (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 12 Dec 2008 | 2:23 am US 'willing to lead climate push'The US is set to lead the world towards a new climate deal, John Kerry says, as Mexico says it will halve its emissions by 2050.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 12 Dec 2008 | 2:23 am 'Oldest human brain' discoveredArchaeologists find what could be the oldest surviving brain unearthed in Britain, dating back more than 2,000 years.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 12 Dec 2008 | 12:43 am Stress and lack of exercise are killing elephants, zoos warnedAnimal welfare officers yesterday urged zoos to phase out keeping elephants, after two damning reports found the animals suffer serious health problems and die much younger in captivity. Elephants born and raised in zoos live less than half as long as those living in their native Africa and Asia, despite being protected from predators and having better care, according to one of the reports. Many of the deaths are thought to be linked to obesity, because the animals are well fed but get very little exercise in their small enclosures. Scientists also blamed high stress levels, which the animals suffer most after being transferred between zoos and being separated from their mothers. Scientists called on zoos to introduce immediate health checks on elephants to identify obese and stressed animals. In one study, researchers led by Ros Clubb, a wildlife scientific officer at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, analysed records of 786 Asian and African female elephants kept in European zoos between 1960 and 2005. They then compared the lifespans of the captive animals with Asian elephants used by a logging company in Burma, and African elephants living in the Amboseli national park in Kenya. Asian elephants born in captivity typically lived for 18.9 years, while those used as working animals in Burma survived for 41.7 years. African elephants also fared worse, living for 16.9 years in captivity and 35.9 years in the wild. When the scientists discounted African elephants killed by people in the national park, the typical lifespan reached 56 years, more than three times as long as those kept in zoos. "You would expect captive elephants to live at least as long, if not longer, than those in the wild because they are better cared for, but that is not the case. The difference is massive," said Clubb, whose study appears in the US journal Science. A second report, commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, examined the welfare of 77 elephants in 13 UK zoos. It found that the animals spent 83% of their time indoors and 71 were overweight. Only 11 were able to walk normally. "We often hear that zoos play a vital role in conserving elephants but patently this is not the case," said Rob Atkinson, head of wildlife science at the RSPCA. "The new data shows elephants die young in Europe's zoos, and those Asian elephants born in captivity have a poor chance of survival. Surely the way forward is to encourage conservation programmes in native habitats rather than condemn elephants to a shortened and unhealthy existence in our zoos." He added: "Elephants are having a torrid time in our zoos, judging by this overwhelming evidence, and action must be taken to alleviate their welfare problems as a matter of urgency." Zoo enclosures for elephants are typically 60 to 100 times smaller than the smallest wild territories. African elephants can roam over 2,000 square miles, and Asian elephants 300 square miles. In captivity, researchers said, elephants are also at risk from infanticide, tuberculosis, herpes and lameness. guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More FeedsSource: Science | guardian.co.uk | 12 Dec 2008 | 12:15 am Bush relaxes wildlife law limitsThe Bush administration issues revised endangered species regulations reducing input by scientists over major projects.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 11 Dec 2008 | 11:18 pm Bush Revises Protections for Endangered SpeciesBush administration issues revised endangered species regulations that eliminate some mandatory, independent reviews.Source: Livescience.com | 11 Dec 2008 | 10:50 pm Year's Biggest Full Moon Friday NightFriday's full moon will be the biggest of the year, the closest to us.Source: Livescience.com | 11 Dec 2008 | 9:42 pm Oil Consumption to Drop for First Time in 25 Years
The world's population will use less oil this year than it did last year, according to a new forecast from highly-regarded International Energy Agency. Global oil demand hasn't dropped since 1983 when the world's developed economies were struggling on the tail end of a recession. This time around, it's not just the old, big economies that are struggling. China, which has experienced the greatest boom in history, appears to be in economic trouble. In a separate report, the World Bank said the global economy was teetering on the brink of recession. One sign of the times: here in California, home to Web 2.0, green tech and Silicon Valley, the state's tax revenues came in nearly 20 percent below expectations this month. And biofuel companies trying to capitalize on last year's high oil prices may suffer from a crippling one-two punch: The financial crisis froze money that might have flowed into their coffers, while the precipitous decline of energy prices makes them look relatively less attractive. That's what happened back in the mid-'80s, after all. Simpering economies and the collapse of crude oil prices in 1986 effectively tanked biofuel research for decades. But there is a big difference between the mid-'80s and today: the president. Back then, Ronald Reagan, no fan of alternative fuels, sat in the Oval Office. This time around, Barack Obama — broadcasting his green-jobs promise — will be at the helm. The presumed appointment of Steven Chu, a noted advocate of renewable energy and research scientist, to head the Department of Energy, could be just the ray of hope green-tech companies need in these dark times. Well, that, and the price of oil bounced off the $40 mark and up to $48 over the last several days, even if analysts ascribed the rise to a weakening dollar and recent moves by OPEC to cut production. Image: flickr/paynomind See Also:
WiSci 2.0: Alexis Madrigal's Twitter , Google Reader feed, and project site, Inventing Green: the lost history of American clean tech; Wired Science on Facebook. Source: Wired: Wired Science | 11 Dec 2008 | 9:21 pm MIT: Your Meteorologist Needs an Army of Drones
Flying drones aren't just for firing rockets at unsuspecting enemies anymore. By using swarms of sensor-laden flying robots, a team of MIT scientists says they can improve weather predictions — extending the accuracy of forecasts to as many as five days. "If you wanted a motivation for why you need better data, all you have to do is look out the window. Predicting the weather is hard to do when we have good data. It's very hard to do when we don't have good data," said Jonathan How, an MIT aeronautical engineer. "If you can take measurements at the same time over distributed areas, you get a better idea of what the weather pattern is and how it's evolving." As most people have surmised, weather forecasts made more than 48 hours ahead are not highly accurate. But with extreme weather events expected to increase in a changing climate, there is a new urgency to the old problem of knowing when the sun will shine. Evacuations depend on accurate forecasts, and so do beleaguered airlines. Increasingly, flying drones are being used to gather data about the oceans and atmosphere. During last year's extreme anti-smog program in Beijing during the Olympics, one professor sent UAVs into the pollution cloud emanating from the city. Other scientists have designed robotic submarines to troll the oceans for data. The system that How and his co-investigators envision would send teams of networked drones into the sky. As they return with new information on the various types of weather patterns, the swarm would be rapidly redeployed to get meteorologists the most relevant and interesting data. "They would execute a flight plan and extract more information about the weather, which would be fed back to update the current models," said How. But building the flight plan for all those drones is just about as hard as it sounds. There are millions of variables to consider and huge amounts of terrain — like, say, the Pacific Ocean — to cover. After three years of research, How thinks that his algorithm is ready to direct the flying weather stations to the best possible locations. Now all they need is the right design for the UAVs. "We can collect data, get a better prediction and improve the [weather] models," How said. Image: V. Ram Ramanathan's pollution-sensing UAVs, which were deployed near Beijing during the Olympics. Video: How's lab tests a micro UAV's flying capabilities. See Also:
WiSci 2.0: Alexis Madrigal's Twitter , Google Reader feed, and project site, Inventing Green: the lost history of American clean tech; Wired Science on Facebook. Source: Wired: Wired Science | 11 Dec 2008 | 9:06 pm Doctor's Advice: Leave the Toilet Seat Up (LiveScience.com)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 11 Dec 2008 | 8:42 pm Elephants Live Longer in Wild Than ZoosResearchers find the median life span for elephants in zoos is much younger than in the wild.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 11 Dec 2008 | 8:28 pm Boeing delays Dreamliner againBoeing delays again the launch of its 787 Dreamliner aircraft blaming a strike by machinists and persistent production problems.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 11 Dec 2008 | 8:02 pm Doctor's Advice: Leave the Toilet Seat UpHere's a serious argument in favor of leaving that toilet seat up.Source: Livescience.com | 11 Dec 2008 | 7:44 pm SLIDE SHOW: Pompeii on Its Final DayA visual tour of the final hours inside one Pompeii home.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 11 Dec 2008 | 7:33 pm Coral may predict future Indian Ocean quake: studyHONG KONG (Reuters) - A study of Indonesian reefs showed corals record cyclical environmental events and could predict a massive earthquake in the eastern Indian Ocean within the next 20 years, researchers said on Thursday.Source: Reuters: Science News | 11 Dec 2008 | 7:13 pm High heart rates linked to obesity, diabetes: studyHONG KONG (Reuters) - High resting heart rates may be linked to the development of obesity and diabetes, a Japanese study shows.Source: Reuters: Science News | 11 Dec 2008 | 7:12 pm Zoo Elephants Die Very YoungStress and obesity could cause zoo elephants to live shorter lives than their wild counterparts.Source: Livescience.com | 11 Dec 2008 | 7:06 pm Elephants 'die earlier in zoos'Elephants living in zoos have a shorter lifespan than their wild or working relatives, an international study suggests.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 11 Dec 2008 | 7:06 pm Evolution Arguments Headed for Islamic WorldThe next major battle over evolutionary theory is likely to occur in the Islamic world.Source: Livescience.com | 11 Dec 2008 | 7:06 pm BLOG: One Expensive Piggy Back RideWhy did NASA decide to make a pricey space shuttle landing in California?Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 11 Dec 2008 | 6:43 pm Dreams Imaged, Scientists ClaimJapanese researchers say they've imaged thoughts and dreams and displayed them on a computer screen.Source: Livescience.com | 11 Dec 2008 | 5:52 pm Prehistoric Bronze Hoard Found Off Greek BeachArchaeologists find stash of copper weapons.Source: Livescience.com | 11 Dec 2008 | 5:27 pm Senator's Spontaneous Cure: Miracle or Misdiagnosis?Prognosis was bleak, and his health concerns eclipsed his political ones.Source: Livescience.com | 11 Dec 2008 | 5:01 pm Richard BlackTiming problems as the climate clock ticks roundSource: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 11 Dec 2008 | 4:34 pm Fearing backlash, industry urges nanotech safetyCHICAGO (Reuters) - Fearing the emerging new field of nanotechnology will engender fears like those surrounding genetically modified foods in Europe, companies are pushing government agencies for a more coordinated effort to ensure the tiny nanomaterials are safe and environmentally friendly.Source: Reuters: Science News | 11 Dec 2008 | 4:32 pm Risks of Nanotechnology Need More StudyThe National Research Council urged more study of nanotechnology risks.Source: Livescience.com | 11 Dec 2008 | 4:25 pm Fastest Draw in the Termite NestA Panamanian termite lashes out at an invader to its nest. It’s mandible strike is the fastest in the world and can kill a foe in a single blow. [Sequence Repeats Six Times. No Sound]Source: Livescience.com | 11 Dec 2008 | 3:52 pm Koala Bears at Risk for Extinction, Group SaysLess than 100,000 koalas are left in Australia and they could become extinct in some areas.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 11 Dec 2008 | 3:43 pm Pompeii Family's Final Hours ReconstructedResearchers piece together a family's last hours after Mount Vesuvius' eruption.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 11 Dec 2008 | 3:39 pm 2000-year-old Antikythera computer comes back to life
If there is one thing that lets the book down, it lacks clear diagrams of how the cogs fitted together and hence how the mechanism worked. This video makes up for that. It shows Michael Wright's working model of the Antikythera mechanism. I defy you not to be amazed. guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More FeedsSource: Science | guardian.co.uk | 11 Dec 2008 | 3:31 pm Shells Inspire New, Tough CeramicScientists mimic the iridescent material found inside shells to create a strong ceramic.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 11 Dec 2008 | 2:39 pm 'Dirty oil'Vocal opposition to Canada's growing oil sands industrySource: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 11 Dec 2008 | 1:25 pm Fertility drugs may increase risk of womb cancerWomen who take fertility drugs to boost ovulation may have an increased risk of developing womb cancer in later life, a study has found. Scientists examined the medical records of 15,000 women who gave birth 30 years ago and found that those who had taken fertility-enhancing drugs were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with womb cancer than those who did not have the treatment. Of 567 women who were given any type of drug to boost ovulation, five developed womb cancer, about three times as many as would be expected in the general population. The 362 women who took a fertility drug called clomiphene had a four-fold increased risk of developing womb cancer. The drug prompts the body to make more eggs by inhibiting the activity of the sex hormone oestrogen. The team, led by Dr Ronit Calderon-Margalit at Hadassah-Hebrew University in Jerusalem, also found that fertility drugs were associated with smaller but significant increases in the risk of breast cancer, malignant skin cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The study appears in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Jodie Moffat at Cancer Research UK said the study was too small to draw any firm conclusions about the drug. "This study didn't include a detailed history of fertility drug use, and the number of women who developed uterine cancer was very small," she told New Scientist magazine. Calderon-Margalit said the findings made sense, adding that the breast cancer drug tamoxifen, which works in a similar way to clomiphene, also increases the risk of womb cancer. A spokesman for the pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis, which markets clomiphene, said: "This safety concern had already been debated by experts and so far no formal conclusion has been established." He added that the company was "committed to evaluating any new evidence and discussing with experts and healthcare authorities the appropriate information measures". Clomiphene is considered a first step in fertility treatment for couples who have trouble conceiving when there is no obvious medical problem. If this fails, women may receive hormone injections that trigger the ovaries to produce lots of eggs at once. guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More FeedsSource: Science | guardian.co.uk | 11 Dec 2008 | 12:51 pm Drought-Resistant Rice Genes Make Sturdy CropBy zeroing in on genes, scientists create rice crops that thrive even in drought.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 11 Dec 2008 | 12:39 pm
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