Stop Traffic Crashes: Switch On The Lights

Street lighting provides a simple, low cost means of stemming the global epidemic of road traffic death and injury. Low income countries should consider installing more lights, and high income countries should think carefully before turning any off to reduce carbon emissions, is the advice from a new Cochrane Review.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 21 Jan 2009 | 7:00 pm

From Golf To Gulf, Drainage Industry Greens

A new idea being explored for cleaning drainage water originating on and off golf courses is to attach a filter cartridge to drainage pipe and retention pond outlets to filter out pollutants before they reach streams.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 21 Jan 2009 | 7:00 pm

Anakinra For Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Modest Benefit With Some Risk, Study Suggests

New research supports a modest beneficial effect of anakinra for rheumatoid arthritis patients, but warns against potential risks for serious infections and its use with other biologic medications.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 21 Jan 2009 | 7:00 pm

Immunotherapy Alleviates Hay Fever And Asthma In Children, Study Finds

Taking one grass pollen tablet every day can alleviate hay fever and asthma in children, new research shows.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 21 Jan 2009 | 7:00 pm

'Hobbit' Skull Study Finds Hobbit Is Not Human

In a an analysis of the size, shape and asymmetry of the cranium of Homo floresiensis, scientists conclude that the fossil, found in Indonesia in 2003 and known as the "Hobbit," is not human.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 21 Jan 2009 | 7:00 pm

Acupuncture Stops Headaches, But 'Faked' Treatments Work Almost As Well

Headache sufferers can benefit from acupuncture, even though how and where acupuncture needles are inserted may not be important. Two separate systematic reviews by Cochrane Researchers show that acupuncture is an effective treatment for prevention of headaches and migraines. But the results also suggest that faked procedures, in which needles are incorrectly inserted, can be just as effective.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 21 Jan 2009 | 7:00 pm

Mutant Host Cell Protein Sequesters Critical HIV-1 Element

Scientists have identified a new way to inhibit a molecule that is critical for HIV pathogenesis. The research presents a target for development of antiretroviral therapeutics that are likely to complement existing therapies and provide additional protection from HIV and AIDS.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 21 Jan 2009 | 4:00 pm

Research Exposes Risk To Infants From Chemicals Used In Liquid Medicines

A team of medical scientists has published research which looks into the harmful substances in liquid medicines that premature babies are being exposed to. Their study revealed that the chemicals added to medicines to improve their taste, absorption and to prolong their shelf-life could be potentially harmful to very small babies.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 21 Jan 2009 | 4:00 pm

New Imaging Method Lets Scientists 'See' Cell Molecules More Clearly

Scientists have developed a unique new imaging tool. The new technique allows for imaging whole cells in liquid with a scanning transmission electron microscope.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 21 Jan 2009 | 4:00 pm

Sailboat To Sail Autonomously Across The Atlantic

Eight mechanical engineering students have taken on something big: in the context of their focus project, they are designing a sailing boat to sail autonomously across the Atlantic.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 21 Jan 2009 | 4:00 pm

The Nation's Weather (AP)

AP - Quiet weather was anticipated across much of the nation Wednesday, while cold breezes and some snow lingered over the Great Lakes and Northeast.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 21 Jan 2009 | 12:27 pm

Animal rights campaigners jailed

Seven animal rights activists who ran a blackmail campaign against firms that supplied Huntingdon Life Sciences are jailed for up to 11 years.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 21 Jan 2009 | 12:10 pm

Russia says old nuclear satellite poses no threat (AP)

AP - Russia's military says an old Soviet-built nuclear-powered satellite has partly disintegrated but its fragments do not threaten the international space station or people on Earth.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 21 Jan 2009 | 11:27 am

Acupuncture works for headaches, scientists find - but so does a sham form

Traditional acupuncture is effective at preventing headaches, a scientific review finds - but so is a sham form.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 21 Jan 2009 | 7:30 am

Welsh bird numbers declining

A snapshot of Wales' bird population finds the decline in some species is continuing, says the RSPB.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 21 Jan 2009 | 7:02 am

Russia gas heads to Europe after Ukraine dispute ends (AFP)

AFP - Russia started pumping natural gas to Europe after ending an energy war with Ukraine that left millions in deprived of winter heating.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 21 Jan 2009 | 2:09 am

Little dung beetle is big chopper

A remarkable dung beetle has dumped its usual dinner of faeces and begun attacking and eating millipedes 10 times its length.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 21 Jan 2009 | 1:11 am

Acupuncture Works ... as Placebo (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - Headache sufferers can find relief in acupuncture, even if the needles are stuck in the wrong places, scientists now say.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 21 Jan 2009 | 1:00 am

Acupuncture Works ... as Placebo

Headache sufferers can find relief in acupuncture, even if the needles are stuck in the wrong places.
Source: Livescience.com | 21 Jan 2009 | 12:53 am

Dung Beetle Devours Millipedes

Researchers describe the first dung beetle that exclusively preys on millipedes.
Source: Livescience.com | 21 Jan 2009 | 12:50 am

Even 'fake' acupuncture helps in headaches and migraines

Acupuncture can help people who suffer from headaches and migraines, even when the needles are put in the "wrong" place, according to a major review of medical studies.

Volunteers who were treated with the traditional Chinese technique, in which thin needles are pushed into the skin at specific points, had fewer headaches and migraines, and experienced less pain if a headache came on, researchers found.

Scientists working for the Cochrane Collaboration, which publishes gold standard reviews on the effectiveness of medical treatments, confirmed the beneficial effect of acupuncture after analysing 33 separate studies involving nearly 7,000 patients in total.

Researchers led by Klaus Linde at the centre for complementary medicine research at the Technical University of Munich, Germany, reviewed published evidence for acupuncture as a treatment for tension headaches, which usually affect both sides of the head, and migraines, which tend to affect only one side.

Eleven trials involving 2,317 patients found many experienced fewer headaches after having acupuncture, though a similar improvement was seen in those who had "fake" acupuncture, where the needles were either inserted at incorrect points or did not puncture the skin.

A further 22 trials involving 4,419 patients who suffered migraines were assessed. Again, those who had acupuncture, even when it was faked by placing the needles incorrectly, reported having fewer migraines afterwards.

"The studies suggest that migraine patients benefit from acupuncture, although the correct placement of needles seems to be less relevant than is usually thought by acupuncturists," the researchers report.

"Much of the clinical benefit of acupuncture might be due to non-specific needling effects and powerful placebo effects, meaning selection of specific needle points may be less important than many practitioners have traditionally argued," said Linde.

Overall, after an eight-week course of treatment, patients who had acupuncture and no painkillers suffered fewer headaches compared with those who were given only painkillers.

Linde said the results suggest acupuncture could be given to patients who do not wish to take drugs, but he added that more research was needed. "Doctors need to know how long improvements associated with acupuncture will last and whether better trained acupuncturists really achieve better results than those with basic training only," he said.

Source: Evolution, genetics, medicine, physics & astronomy news | guardian.co.uk | 21 Jan 2009 | 12:05 am

Obituary: Phil Elliott

Since 1911 it has been known that a complex atom may be thought of as a swarm of light, negatively charged electrons surrounding a nucleus which is about 50,000 times smaller than the atom itself. In spite of their small size, nuclei have been studied experimentally for many decades, and this work has enabled the measurement and classification of energy states in a very large number of different nuclei. The task of the theoretician has been to interpret these data by applying quantum mechanics to models of the nucleus.

When this research began, around 1950, there were two competing models. The shell model treated each nucleon as moving freely in an orbit under the combined influence of all its fellows. In contrast, the collective model pictured the nucleus as being like a drop of liquid which could absorb energy by vibrating or rotating. The main thrust of the work of the nuclear physicist Phil Elliott, one of the most distinguished theoreticians in this field, who has died aged 79, was to establish connections between models, thereby showing that they were complementary, rather than in conflict.

Elliott was born at Gosport, Hampshire, one of two children of an engine driver and a schoolteacher. After attending Gosport grammar school, he read mathematics at what was then University College, Southampton, graduating in 1949 but remaining at Southampton to do postgraduate work. Always very fit and active, he played football for the university in his student days.

He obtained his doctorate in theoretical nuclear physics under the supervision of Professor Hermann Jahn and, in 1951, joined the theoretical physics division at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Harwell, Oxfordshire, where he worked on the theory of neutron transport in nuclear reactors before returning to nuclear structure work when Dr Brian (later Lord) Flowers was appointed director. Their collaboration led to pioneering calculations on the nuclear spectra of isotopes of oxygen and fluorine.

It was during this period that Phil married Mavis Avery. After a year in the US at the University of Rochester, New York, he returned to the maths department at Southampton but, in 1962, moved to the school of mathematical and physical sciences at the new University of Sussex, where he remained until his retirement in 1994.

Phil achieved global recognition in 1958 with the publication in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of his seminal papers on the application of the symmetry group SU(3) to nuclear structure. This work provided a new and deep insight into the connection between the independent motion of nucleons inside the nucleus and collective nuclear rotations. It inspired a generation of young theoreticians and became one of the most frequently cited references in the field.

A nuclear physics conference held at Lewes, East Sussex, in 1998 was timed to mark the 40th anniversary of the SU(3) model, and was attended by more than 100 delegates from all over the world. The conference began with keynote talks by Phil himself and by Akito Arima on the origin and development of the SU(3) model.

At Sussex Phil worked to develop a scheme for relating the interactions between nucleons inside an atomic nucleus to those they experience when they collide in free space. This led to the so-called Sussex matrix elements, which have been widely applied by nuclear structure researchers. The advent of the interacting boson model of nuclear structure, introduced in 1974 by Arima and Francesco Iachello, gave his research new impetus in a different direction. Here, his main interest lay not in using the new model as an empirical tool for the description of nuclear spectra, but in establishing a firm connection between it and more familiar models, particularly the shell. This aim was achieved in a series of papers in the 1980s elucidating the roles of neutron-proton pairs and isotopic spin in collective nuclear motion.

In all these endeavours Phil was assisted by a small group of acolytes consisting of faculty colleagues, temporary research fellows and graduate students, to all of whom he was teacher, mentor and friend.

He was elected to the Royal Society in 1980, and in 1994 was awarded the Rutherford medal and prize by the Institute of Physics. In 2002 the European Physical Society awarded its prestigious Lise Meitner prize jointly to Phil and Iachello, of Yale University, "for their innovative applications of group theoretical methods to the understanding of atomic nuclei". Phil's scientific contribution exerted a profound influence on the work of many other distinguished researchers. In the words of Iachello, he was "one of the towering figures of nuclear physics".

Phil was a keen gardener and opera lover, but never lost interest in research. His last paper was published in 2005. He is survived by Mavis, his son and two daughters.

• James Philip Elliott, physicist, born 27 July 1929; died 21 October 2008

Source: Evolution, genetics, medicine, physics & astronomy news | guardian.co.uk | 21 Jan 2009 | 12:01 am

Binge drinking linked to premature births

Binge drinking in the early months of pregnancy can lead to women giving birth prematurely, even if they stop once they realise they are expecting a baby, according to research published today.

The study finds that low levels of drinking do not lead to premature births. Low levels were defined as no more than six standard-sized drinks a week - equivalent to 12.5 units or 100g of alcohol - or more than two such drinks on any occasion.

But the lead author, Colleen O'Leary, from the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research at the University of Western Australia, said: "Our research shows pregnant women who drink more than one to two standard drinks per occasion and more than six standard drinks per week increase their risk of having a premature baby, even if they stop drinking before the second trimester.

"The risk of pre-term birth is highest for pregnant women who drink heavily or at binge levels, meaning drinking more than seven standard drinks per week, or more than five drinks on any one occasion."

Babies born prematurely, before 40 weeks, tend to run the risk of health problems at birth and in years to come.

The research, published in BJOG, the international journal of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, is bound to lead to more calls for women to reduce their drinking or abstain if they think they may become pregnant. Many woman, however, do not plan their pregnancy and may not realise it has happened until well into the first three months.

The scientists behind the study admit there is confusion over what is safe, following inconclusive research and contradictory advice from expert bodies. But one of the strengths of the study, they say, is that it was carried out in western Australia, where there had been no recent public health campaign on the issue and where many women continue to drink throughout their pregnancy. Only half of the more than 4,700 women involved in the research gave up during pregnancy.

The researchers do not know why giving up drinking before the second trimester did not reduce the risk of premature birth. One of the possibilities, they say, is that heavily drinking women did not admit in the postnatal questionnaires they filled in that they continued to drink after three months of pregnancy, although they say that women usually tell the truth when they are asked about past drinking behaviour after the baby has been born.

Another possibility the researchers put forward is that stopping drinking in the second trimester may trigger a metabolic or inflammatory response resulting in preterm birth.

O'Leary said that not only all pregnant woman but also any of childbearing age should be routinely screened by health professionals for alcohol use and misuse.

"If pregnant women cannot stop or reduce their drinking, they should seek medical advice," she added.

The research noted a strong link between smoking and drinking in pregnancy, with smokers less likely to abstain from drinking. Those who drank throughout pregnancy were also more likely to be older than 30, married, have a higher income and use illicit drugs. Low birth weight in the babies was linked to smoking, but not to drinking.

Source: Evolution, genetics, medicine, physics & astronomy news | guardian.co.uk | 21 Jan 2009 | 12:01 am

Spacewatch

The coming week provides some excellent opportunities to spot the ISS (International Space Station) as it soars from W to E across S England at a convenient time in the evening. Usually brighter than any star, and not to be confused with the brilliant evening star Venus in the SW, it fades from view when it enters the Earth's shadow in the directions flagged by asterisks in our predictions.

The station now has a permanent crew of three and has grown in size and brightness over the years as additional modules and solar wings have been attached. The fourth and final set of solar wings are set to be installed during a mission by the Shuttle Discovery, due for launch on 12 February.

Source: Evolution, genetics, medicine, physics & astronomy news | guardian.co.uk | 21 Jan 2009 | 12:01 am

In Antarctica, scientists hail President Obama

ROTHERA BASE, Antarctica (Reuters) - U.S. geologists working at an Antarctic base hailed President Barack Obama's inauguration on Tuesday and expressed hopes for a stronger focus on science.
Source: Reuters: Science News | 20 Jan 2009 | 10:06 pm

Why People Fake Their Deaths

Rumors of faked deaths have followed Andy Kaufman, Elvis Presley, John F. Kennedy.
Source: Livescience.com | 20 Jan 2009 | 6:47 pm

Obama hails new 'Age of Responsibility – but can he deliver on his planetary promises?

President Barack Obama, in his inaugural address to the packed crowds on the National Mall in Washington DC, told his rapt audience that America needed a "new era of responsibility" to deal with both the financial and environmental crises his new administration faced.

After a stammering through the oath of office, the subtext of the gritty speech was that it would be hard – very hard – but America had the resourcefulness to reinvent itself.

The new president's commitment to his environmental agenda shone through the dour images of a world economy in crisis with references to "rolling back" global warming through transforming the way America uses energy by harnessing "the sun and the wind and the soil".

"My fellow citizens. I stand here today humbled by the task before us," he said, "Every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms." Those storms are the metaphorical tempests on the global markets, but they are also the gales that will literally result from climate instability caused by rising CO2 emissions.

Obama hinted that the Bush administration's championing of fossil fuels had created grave problems – both climatic and geopolitical. "The ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and endanger our planet," he said, referring presumably to Middle Eastern oil. But ultimately, his message was one of hope. The challenges the country faces will are not insurmountable, he said. "Know this America, they will be met," he said, "On this day we gather because we have chosen hope over fear."

"We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth… Our capacity remains undiminished," he added.

Today was not a day for detailed solutions to the climate change threat or for a policy-wonk's guide to the new green economy that Obama promised on the campaign trail. That hard graft begins later. But there was a statement of intent that scientific and environmental issues would occupy a renewed place in the Oval Office. "We will restore science to its rightful place," he said, "We will harness the sun and the wind and the soil to fuel our cars."

Before the inaugaration, Obama had already delighted scientists and environmentalists with his choice of green-minded scientists that will join his administration and his professed attitude to scientific evidence. He has emphasised the need to listen to scientists, "especially when it is inconvenient". In a signal of this renewed respect for evidence he has restored the authority of the president's science advisor to the White House. Obama's pick for the position, John Holdren, professor of environmental policy at the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, has been uncompromising in his warnings about the threat posed by climate change (he dislikes the phrase "global warming" because it he says oversimplifies the nature of the problem).

The new president has invited Jane Lubchenco, a marine biologist at Oregon State University to become head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the government agency that studies the climate and monitors the health of marine ecosystems. She has been a powerful advocate for action on climate change. Obama has also received plaudits for his pick of Nobel prizewinning physicist Steven Chu for energy secretary.

During the campaign, Obama committed himself to a $150bn investment over the next decade in green energy. He wants to put 1m plug-in hybrid cars, with a fuel consumption of 150 miles per gallon, on the road by 2015. He also pledged that 10% of US electricity supplies should come from renewable sources by 2012 and 25% by 2025. He also signalled an intention to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050. He will be under pressure to make good on these commitments and quickly.

In his closing statements, President Obama pledged to "roll back the spectre of a warming planet". But his message was even more fundamental than just changing the way the US and world uses energy. "We can no longer afford indifference to the suffering that occurs outside our borders. Nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to the effect," he said.

"What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility… This is the price and promise of citizenship." It remains to be seen whether ordinary Americans are prepared to take that responsibility and make the sacrifices their new leader is asking for.

Source: Evolution, genetics, medicine, physics & astronomy news | guardian.co.uk | 20 Jan 2009 | 6:36 pm

Pinar Keskinocak on Being an Industrial Engineer

ScienceLives is an occasional series that puts scientists under the microscope to find out what makes them tick.
Source: Livescience.com | 20 Jan 2009 | 6:01 pm

Sun Could Power Arab States

Gulf Arab states should take advantage of solar power, industrialists say.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 20 Jan 2009 | 5:30 pm

Natural Disasters Doomed Early Civilization

Ancient quakes and floods once pushed people out of what is now Peru.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 20 Jan 2009 | 5:22 pm

Nile run-off 'boosts fish stocks'

Fertilisers and sewage entering the Nile delta boosts fish numbers in Mediterranean coastal waters, a study suggests.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 20 Jan 2009 | 4:59 pm

Fresh warning on China bird flu

A health expert says China could face an upsurge in human bird flu cases and needs to work harder on the issue.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 20 Jan 2009 | 4:51 pm

BLOG: Change? No Thanks, Say Astronauts

Astronauts of the next shuttle mission say they're not eager for change at NASA.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 20 Jan 2009 | 3:56 pm

First Image of a Bleeding Heart

Images of bleeding inside the heart signal damage after a heart attack.
Source: Livescience.com | 20 Jan 2009 | 3:45 pm

How Did Galileo Do It? Astronomer's DNA May Hold Clues

Galileo's DNA may reveal how his vision affected what he saw in space.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 20 Jan 2009 | 3:29 pm

Problem Solved: The Best Way to Board a Plane

A physicist calculates the optimal time- and money-saving way to board a plane.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 20 Jan 2009 | 3:10 pm

Fast-Spinning Stars Get New Image

Fermi telescope finds gamma-ray only pulsars, redraws models of the spinning stars.
Source: Livescience.com | 20 Jan 2009 | 3:05 pm

Coffee Could Fuel You, and Your Car

Will used coffee grounds be the next big thing in biofuels?
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 20 Jan 2009 | 2:10 pm

Ozone Levels: Now a Wintertime Concern

The first-ever ozone alert during winter is noted near a natural gas field in Wyoming.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 20 Jan 2009 | 2:10 pm

Runway-loving birds threaten planes in Antarctica

ROTHERA BASE, Antarctica (Reuters) - The world's most southerly bird has become a threat to planes in Antarctica after developing a love for sitting on warm, snow-free airstrips.
Source: Reuters: Science News | 20 Jan 2009 | 1:56 pm

Cost of caring

DR Congo gorilla ranger shot dead in militia ambush
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 20 Jan 2009 | 12:20 pm