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You Can Look -- But Don't TouchConsumers are often told that if they break an item, they buy it. But a new study suggests that if they just touch an item for more than a few seconds, they may also end up buying it. Researchers tested how touching an item before buying affects how much they are willing to pay for an item.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 12 Jan 2009 | 7:00 pm Menthol Cigarettes Are More Addictive, New Research FindsMenthol cigarettes are harder to quit, particularly among African American and Latino smokers, according to new research.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 12 Jan 2009 | 7:00 pm Large Earthquakes Trigger A Surge In Volcanic EruptionsNew evidence shows that very large earthquakes can trigger an increase in activity at nearby volcanoes. An analysis of records in southern Chile has shown that up to four times as many volcanic eruptions occur during the year following very large earthquakes than in other years. This 'volcanic surge' can affect volcanoes up to at least 500 km away from an earthquake's epicentre.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 12 Jan 2009 | 7:00 pm Researchers First To 'See' Reactive Oxygen Species In Vital EnzymeUsing two simultaneous light-based probing techniques, scientists have illuminated important details about a class of enzymes involved in everything from photosynthesis to the regulation of biological clocks.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 12 Jan 2009 | 7:00 pm Hazards Of Severe Space Weather RevealedA new study describes how extreme solar eruptions could have severe consequences for communications, power grids and other technology on Earth. The report provides some of the first clear economic data that effectively quantifies today's risk of extreme conditions in space driven by magnetic activity on the sun and disturbances in the near-Earth environment. Instances of extreme space weather are rare and are categorized with other natural hazards that have a low frequency but high consequences.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 12 Jan 2009 | 7:00 pm Possible New Target For Treating Breast CancerScientists have uncovered that cyclophilin B may contribute to progression in breast cancer.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 12 Jan 2009 | 7:00 pm High Insulin Levels Raise Risk Of Breast Cancer In Postmenopausal WomenHigher-than-normal levels of insulin place postmenopausal women at increased risk of breast cancer, researchers report.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 12 Jan 2009 | 4:00 pm How Martian Winds Make Rocks WalkAt first, figuring out how pebble-sized rocks organize themselves in evenly-spaced patterns in sand seemed simple and even intuitive. But once one researcher started observing, he discovered that the most commonly held notions did not apply. And even more surprising, was that his findings revealed answers to NASA’s questions about sediment transport and surface processes on Mars.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 12 Jan 2009 | 4:00 pm Researchers Control The Assembly Of Nanobristles Into Helical ClustersFrom the structure of DNA to nautical rope to distant spiral galaxies, helical forms are as abundant as they are useful in nature and manufacturing alike. Researchers at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have discovered a way to synthesize and control the formation of nanobristles, akin to tiny hairs, into helical clusters and have further demonstrated the fabrication of such highly ordered clusters, built from similar coiled building blocks, over multiple scales and areas. The finding has potential use in energy and information storage, photonics, adhesion, capture and release systems, and chemical mixing.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 12 Jan 2009 | 4:00 pm Protein Has Pivotal Role In Obesity, Metabolic SyndromeCOUP-TFII, a protein known to play a role in development and the formation of organs is also an important factor in the control of obesity and diabetes, said researchers in the journal Cell Metabolism.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 12 Jan 2009 | 4:00 pm How Viruses Work: Natural Motors RevealedNew images reveal how a molecular motor works inside of a virus.Source: Livescience.com | 12 Jan 2009 | 1:41 pm Hunt for space rocks intensifiesAn Italian astronomer's comet discoveries give a boost to Nasa's mission to find and track near-Earth objects.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 12 Jan 2009 | 1:37 pm Hot Air? Google Searches Generate Greenhouse GasesControversial calculation disputed by the search engine giant.Source: Livescience.com | 12 Jan 2009 | 1:30 pm UK fungi get protection strategyA strategy to protect the UK's fungi is set up by some of the UK leading conservation and research organisations.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 12 Jan 2009 | 1:18 pm U.S. advisers back 1st drug from DNA-altered animalsROCKVILLE, Maryland (Reuters) - The first drug made using genetically engineered animals to near U.S. approval won key support on Friday from an advisory panel that judged it safe and effective despite concerns from groups worried about the genetic tinkering.Source: Reuters: Science News | 12 Jan 2009 | 12:58 pm Endorsements: How Sports Stars Get Inside Your Head (LiveScience.com)LiveScience.com - Buick recently ended its $3 million per year relationship with golfer Tiger Woods. Then NBA star LeBron James lost his connection with Microsoft after less than two years promoting the company. Finally, David Beckham's endorsement deal with Pepsi went flat.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 12 Jan 2009 | 12:34 pm The Story of Phone BooksMany people are unaware that phone books are recyclable.Source: Livescience.com | 12 Jan 2009 | 12:30 pm Mozambique floods kill 19; worse may lie ahead (AP)AP - Authorities in Mozambique say torrential rains have killed 19 people in the past few days and worse flooding may lie ahead.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 12 Jan 2009 | 12:28 pm Top 5 Faked MemoirsOprah Winfrey was recently embarrassed by the latest in a series of faked (or partially faked) memoirs.Source: Livescience.com | 12 Jan 2009 | 12:04 pm Endorsements: How Sports Stars Get Inside Your HeadResearchers try to develop models to explain consumer behavior and our emotional reactions to celebrity endorsers.Source: Livescience.com | 12 Jan 2009 | 11:53 am Gazprom: Ukraine signs gas monitoring deal (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 12 Jan 2009 | 11:46 am 'Carbon cost' of Google revealedResearch by a Harvard University physicist has sparked debate about the environmental cost of Google searches.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 12 Jan 2009 | 10:49 am Vital operationBiomedical models simulate the human bodySource: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 12 Jan 2009 | 10:07 am Charlotte Moore, a mother of autistic children, on new testCharlotte Moore, a mother of autistic children, on new test that could lead to pre-natal screeningSource: Science | guardian.co.uk | 12 Jan 2009 | 10:06 am Sarah Boseley on a new test for autismSarah Boseley, the Guardian health editor, reports that new research may have found a pre-natal screening test for autism Source: Science | guardian.co.uk | 12 Jan 2009 | 9:54 am Jonathan Romain: There's nothing immoral about becoming partners with God in the work of creationThe question: Should we allow research using human-animal hybrid embryos?To answer this question I can provide a Jewish view – for there is no such thing as the Jewish view. As with Christianity or Islam, there are a wide range of different traditions, ranging from the ultra-conservative to the most liberal, and it is possible to speak passionately from either end of the spectrum with absolute belief in totally opposing conclusions. Nevertheless, some generalisations can be made. One is that Judaism regards the embryo as containing life in potential, and therefore should be treated with the utmost care and respect. However, Judaism also holds that the embryo does not have the same status as a human that is outside the womb. This derives from a biblical incident when two men who were fighting injured a pregnant woman standing nearby: if the woman dies, they are liable to the death penalty; if just the foetus dies, then they are merely subject to a fine (Exodus 21:22-23). This relates directly to the vexed question as to when life begins. For Judaism, life does not begin fully until birth. This is reinforced by the second most important book in Jewish sacred literature – the Mishnah, compiled around the year 200 – which comments on the case of a pregnant women whose life is endangered by the foetus:
(Oholot 7.6) In this extreme example, it is emergence from the womb that marks the turning point from virtually human to fully human. This likewise is the transition in the accumulation of rights: from being largely protected to being totally protected. There has been much discussion since then and Judaism certainly takes into account modern insights as to how the embryo develops at different stages and how it can move and feel in the womb. However, the distinction between life in potential and life in actuality remains. Thus within the overall principle of the value of life, a hierarchy of sanctity exists. This has significant implications for research because it means that terminating a foetus is not murder. It also implies that the regret at the loss involved is outweighed by benefits gained from experimentation which can help humans. This is not to adopt a cavalier attitude to the foetus – it has to be respected and safeguarded, but in principle there can be certain situations in which its interests can be set aside. This would equally apply to research on human-animal hybrids. Those who object that it is crossing boundaries are putting emotion in front of reason: a significant number of heart patients are walking around with pig valves inside them, while most humans push bits of animals' bodies down their throat every day! The key question is not "How do I feel about it?" but "will it be a force for good?" As for the accusation that this involves "playing God" – of course it does! Moreover, Judaism would see this as a compliment, for God has entrusted the world into our care, to better and improve using our God-given abilities. Otherwise we would never develop penicillin, carry out lung transplants or manufacture false limbs. At the same time there are important considerations as to how we approach such experiments: safeguards have to be put in place so as to prevent abuse, values have to be kept before us so that arrogance does not prevail, and a sense of awe for the sanctity of life has to guide our steps so that we always enhance life and never demean it. That way we become partners with God in the work of creation. We should do so as often as we can, and be licensed accordingly. guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More FeedsSource: Science | guardian.co.uk | 12 Jan 2009 | 9:23 am The question: Should we allow research using human-animal hybrid embryos?The question: Should we allow research using human-animal hybrid embryos? One year ago, the first licenses for research on human-animal hybrid embryos were granted. Should they be extended?Source: Science | guardian.co.uk | 12 Jan 2009 | 9:00 am Science Weekly podcast: Jim Al-Khalili discusses his BBC TV series Science and IslamTheoretical physicist Jim Al-Khalili tells us about the discoveries he made while researching his BBC4 TV series Science and Islam. In the Newsjam, we discuss some of the week's science stories including extreme survival, incandescent lightbulbs, ancient Greek brothels, and the suggestion that prenatal screening for autism could deprive the world of geniuses. You wait for an atheist bus, then 800 come along at once. We were at the launch of the campaign and spoke to some of its supporters including science author Richard Dawkins, comedy writer Ariane Sherine and comic Robin Ince. Science correspondent James Randerson joins the pod for our first proper programme from our new studios. WARNING: contains one instance of strong language. Feel free to post your comments about this programme on the blog below. You can also join our Facebook group, where you can scrawl your thoughts on our wall. Source: Science | guardian.co.uk | 12 Jan 2009 | 12:11 am Sea absorbing less CO2, scientists discoverScientists have issued a new warning about climate change after discovering a sudden and dramatic collapse in the amount of carbon emissions absorbed by the Sea of Japan. The shift has alarmed experts, who blame global warming. The world's oceans soak up about 11bn tonnes of human carbon dioxide pollution each year, about a quarter of all produced, and even a slight weakening of this natural process would leave significantly more CO2 in the atmosphere. That would require countries to adopt much stricter emissions targets to prevent dangerous rises in temperature. Kitack Lee, an associate professor at Pohang University of Science and Technology, who led the research, says the discovery is the "very first observation that directly relates ocean CO2 uptake change to ocean warming". He says the warmer conditions disrupt a process known as "ventilation" - the way seawater flows and mixes and drags absorbed CO2 from surface waters to the depths. He warns that the effect is probably not confined to the Sea of Japan. It could also affect CO2 uptake in the Atlantic and Southern oceans. "Our result in the East Sea unequivocally demonstrated that oceanic uptake of CO2 has been directly affected by warming-induced weakening of vertical ventilation," he says. Korea argues that the Sea of Japan should be renamed the East Sea, because it says the former is a legacy of Japan's military expansion in the region. Lee adds: "In other words, the increase in atmospheric temperature due to global warming can profoundly influence the ocean ventilation, thereby decreasing the uptake rate of CO2." Working with Pavel Tishchenko of the Russian Pacific Oceanological Institute in Vladivostok, Lee and his colleague Geun-Ha Park used a cruise on the Professor Gagarinskiy, a Russian research vessel, last May to take seawater samples from 24 sites across the Sea of Japan. They compared the dissolved CO2 in the seawater with similar samples collected in 1992 and 1999. The results showed the amount of CO2 absorbed during 1999 to 2007 was half the level recorded from 1992 to 1999. Crucially, the study revealed that ocean mixing, a process required to deposit carbon in deep water, where it is more likely to stay, appears to have significantly weakened. Announcing their results in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, the scientists say: "The striking feature is that nearly all anthropogenic CO2 taken up in the recent period was confined to waters less than 300 metres in depth. The rapid and substantial reduction ... is surprising and is attributed to considerable weakening of overturning circulation." Corinne Le Quéré, an expert in ocean carbon storage at the University of East Anglia, said: "We don't think the ocean is just going to completely stop taking our carbon dioxide emissions, but if the effect weakens then it has real consequences for the atmosphere." guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More FeedsSource: Science | guardian.co.uk | 12 Jan 2009 | 12:07 am Disorder linked to high levels of testosterone in wombA prenatal screening test for autism comes closer today as new research is published that links high levels of the male hormone testosterone in the womb of pregnant women to autistic traits in their children. The ground-breaking study, published in the British Journal of Psychology by some of Britain's leading autism researchers, was prompted by the fact that autism is four times more common in boys than in girls. It is linked with other traits that are found more commonly in boys, such as left-handedness. For more than eight years, a team at Cambridge University's autism research centre has been observing and testing the development of a group of 235 children whose mothers had an amniocentesis during pregnancy. The procedure involves drawing off fluid surrounding the baby in the womb using a fine needle and is offered by hospitals to pregnant women over 35 or 37 to test for Down's syndrome. The age and circumstances of the women have been taken into account in the research. Dr Bonnie Auyeung, Professor Simon Baron-Cohen and colleagues, who publish their findings today, say they have consistently found a link between higher testosterone levels in the womb and autistic traits, such as a lack of sociability and verbal skills, in the children. These are not autistic children, but many of us have traits that are more pronounced in those who have a medical diagnosis. Autism has been described as a consequence of an extreme male brain. Those affected do not empathise easily with other people (as girls tend to do more readily than boys). They cannot guess what other people are thinking or feeling. They have a much stronger drive towards analysis and constructing systems and can have a great ability to focus on something that absorbs them. People with autism include some brilliant, albeit eccentric and reclusive, mathematicians and musicians, as well as children who are never able to communicate and may end up in an institution. In the early years of the study, the scientists could not measure autistic traits in the children, but they noticed some very early indicators. Male babies with higher testosterone levels were less likely to make eye contact at 12 months, their vocabulary was more limited between 12 months and 18 months, and at the age of four they were less sociable and had narrower interests. Today's paper is a significant step forward because the children, now between eight and 10, are old enough to be psychologically assessed using two separate autism rating tests. Scientists found a clear link, in both tests, between higher testosterone levels when the child was in the womb and autistic traits. The study highlights for the first time the association between foetal testosterone and autistic traits, and indicates that foetal testosterone not only masculinises the body, it masculinises the mind and therefore the brain, said Baron-Cohen. The children will continue to be followed for some years, but Baron-Cohen and his team have at the same time expanded their research to look at the relationship between testosterone levels in the womb and children with a diagnosis of autism. They have turned to Denmark, where a biobank has been freezing and storing many thousands of samples of amniotic fluid from pregnant women since 1990. A new, collaborative study, which will include autistic children, will be published this year. The work opens the way for a screening test for pregnant women, which could potentially involve amniocentesis to draw off fluid from the womb to measure testosterone levels. The work is published on the day the General Medical Council hearing into Dr Andrew Wakefield and colleagues at the Royal Free hospital resumes. The three doctors face allegations of serious professional misconduct over their study, published in the Lancet journal in 1998, which suggested a link between autism and MMR vaccination. Their paper came at a time of intense anxiety over soaring autism levels, which doctors have ascribed partly to better diagnosis but have not completely explained. More than half a million people are diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder, including Asperger's syndrome, in Britain. One of the reasons it sparked such a furore is that parents with an autistic child have no idea what has caused the condition and are left in a state of bewilderment and worry, wondering if they themselves could somehow be responsible. Diagnosis is usually delayed and often followed the MMR vaccinations, given at around 13 months and three to four years. A prenatal test would have the advantage of giving parents advance warning, so that they would be able to do everything possible to help their child from birth. Even if a testosterone test is not developed (scientists may still find that it is not completely reliable), genetic screening will one day be on the cards. Scientists know that autism is partly genetic, because it runs in families, although environmental factors must play a part because there have been occasions where one identical twin was autistic and the other was not. More than 100 genes have been associated with autism, but it is not yet clear which are most important. In numbers: Autism facts• Autism is a complex developmental disability involving a biological abnormality in the functioning of the brain. It is not a learning disability or a mental health problem, although people with autism may also be affected by those conditions. • The first detailed description of a child with autism was written in 1799 by the French doctor Jean-Marc Gaspard Itard in his account of the "wild boy of Aveyron". • People with autism who have an extraordinary talent are known as "autistic savants". They are extremely rare, with at most one or two in 200 people with an autistic spectrum disorder thought to be savants. • It is likely that more than half of those with an autistic spectrum disorder have an average to high IQ. • Asperger's syndrome is a form of autism that affects how a person makes sense of the world, processes information and relates to other people. They may like a fixed daily routine because the world can seem confusing and uncomfortable. People with Asperger's are less affected by the syndrome and usually able to lead a normal life. Source: Science | guardian.co.uk | 12 Jan 2009 | 12:07 am Long-running MMR case resumes todayThe long-running case against Dr Andrew Wakefield and his Royal Free colleagues Professors Simon Murch and John Walker-Smith, whose 1998 Lancet paper alleged links between autism and MMR vaccination, resumes at the General Medical Council this morning. The three doctors are charged with serious professional misconduct, following a range of allegations relating to the research. The case remains controversial because of the support they have had from some within the autism community, both here and in the US, who persist in thinking that MMR must in some way be implicated in their children's condition, in spite of the absence of scientific evidence. One of the problems is that the cause of autism, which is becoming more common, is still not known. Genes are certainly implicated, but there are unknown environmental factors as well. The Wakefield study was not only tiny but also, it is now believed, seriously flawed. Only eight children were involved and they were not typical of most people with autism. They had a very rare condition on the autistic spectrum, called disintegrative disorder. One of the allegations is that not all the children even qualified to be in the study on the basis of their behaviour. Another is that the doctors mis-described their patients in the Lancet, while Wakefield is said to have given a dishonest description of them to the Medical Research Council. Most of the charges against the doctors relate to medical ethics, including experimenting on one of the children with a purportedly therapeutic substance. The case was triggered by revelations that Wakefield failed to reveal that he was being paid for his expert advice by parents of the children in the study, who were hoping to sue the vaccine manufacturers. The case has been running since July 2007 and the end is not yet in sight. guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More FeedsSource: Science | guardian.co.uk | 12 Jan 2009 | 12:07 am New research brings autism screening closer to realityNew research published today will bring prenatal testing for autism significantly closer, prompting experts to call for a national debate about the consequences of screening for the disorder in the womb and allowing women to terminate babies with the condition. The breakthrough study by Cambridge University's autism research centre has followed 235 children from birth to the age of eight. It found that high levels of testosterone in the amniotic fluid of pregnant women was linked to autistic traits, such as a lack of sociability and verbal skills, in their children by the time they are eight. It raises the possibility of an amniocentesis (the same procedure used to test for Down's syndrome) to detect autism. Enabling couples to terminate the pregnancy if an autistic disorder is detected is highly controversial. Autism is a spectrum disorder, which famously includes mathematical and musical savants as well as children who are unable to communicate and spend their lives in an institution. Parents of children with autistic spectrum disorders are particularly strongly opposed to testing linked to termination and fear it would lead to greater discrimination and less support for them. Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the research team, told the Guardian that it is now time to start considering where society stands on the issue. "If there was a prenatal test for autism, would this be desirable? What would we lose if children with autistic spectrum disorder were eliminated from the population?" he said. "We should start debating this. There is a test for Down's syndrome and that is legal and parents exercise their right to choose termination, but autism is often linked with talent. It is a different kind of condition." The research could, equally controversially, open the way for treatment, he said. "We could do something about it. Some researchers or drug companies might see this as an opportunity to develop a pre-natal treatment. There are drugs that block testosterone. But whether we'd want to would be a different matter." Only a small minority of people are at the very high-functioning end of the spectrum, with formidable powers of focus and concentration and a love of systems which may lead to extraordinary abilities in mathematics. A prenatal test would not be able to identify such a child, or one who will have extreme learning difficulties - and anyway, says Baron-Cohen, "ethically the same issues apply wherever the person is on that spectrum". The National Autistic Society says some of its members think a test to predict autism could be useful in helping parents prepare and get support for their child. At the moment, many children are not diagnosed for two or three years, which is a source of frustration. But none have said they wished it had been possible to have a termination. "I think it is really important that the autism community has a key role in shaping the research priorities in this area," said Amanda Batten, head of campaigns for the NAS. "There could be some real gains in recognising autism early. There are benefits, but there are concerns. People think it is about eugenics. "It is important to stress that everyone with autism has the potential to make a unique and valued contribution to society. It is not always the autism that is a problem. It is other people and a lack of services and support." Vivienne Nathanson, head of ethics at the British Medical Association, agreed a debate was needed. "The question, then, is are we comfortable with [testing] for a disorder which is life-limiting in terms of opportunities and experience, rather than life-ending?" she said. "My guess is that society would look at it like Down's syndrome," she said. "There are people who wouldn't approve of terminations and people who would. If you talk to parents of people with autism, however much they love their children, they find it very difficult. They agonise over their child's limited life opportunities and some of them say it would have been better not to have had the child and some don't." The more complicated ethical issue would be that of treatment in the womb, she said. "You get to the situation where you have a very great difficulty if families say we wouldn't want to be tested. As a society, do we accept that people can refuse tests when the outcome can make a difference to that unborn child?" guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More FeedsSource: Science | guardian.co.uk | 12 Jan 2009 | 12:07 am NJ's wayward dolphins head to sea, then turn back (AP)AP - The survivors of a group of dolphins living in a New Jersey river have returned after briefly heading toward the sea.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 12 Jan 2009 | 12:05 am Gene clue explains major source of epileptic fits (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 11 Jan 2009 | 10:16 pm Senate boosts wilderness protection across US (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 11 Jan 2009 | 8:55 pm Life As We Know It Nearly Created in LabScientists have created something in the lab that is tantalizingly close to what might have happened.Source: Livescience.com | 11 Jan 2009 | 8:49 pm Designer Babies: Ethical? Inevitable?Some fear the worst if laws are not crafted to corral the burgeoning field of reprogenetics.Source: Livescience.com | 11 Jan 2009 | 5:23 pm Rare tree kangaroo species has twins at Neb. zoo (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 11 Jan 2009 | 3:37 pm
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