Young Smokers Increase Risk For Multiple Sclerosis

People who start smoking before age 17 may increase their risk for developing multiple sclerosis, according to a new study.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Mar 2009 | 10:00 pm

New Method Of Self-assembling Nanoscale Elements Could Transform Data Storage Industry

An innovative and easily implemented technique could soon open doors to dramatic improvements in the data storage capacity of electronic media. The novel method, which involves the self-assembly of nanoscale elements in precise patterns over large surfaces, could enable the contents of 250 DVDs to fit onto a surface the size of a quarter.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Mar 2009 | 10:00 pm

Echoes Discovered In Early Visual Brain Areas Play Role In Working Memory

Researchers have discovered that early visual areas, long believed to play no role in higher cognitive functions such as memory, retain information previously hidden from brain studies. The researchers made the discovery using a new technique for decoding data from functional magnetic resonance imaging or fMRI. The findings are a significant step forward in understanding how we perceive, process and remember visual information.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Mar 2009 | 10:00 pm

Egg-Irony: High Cholesterol Food May Reduce Blood Pressure

Researchers in Canada are reporting evidence that eggs -- often frowned upon for their high cholesterol content -- may reduce another heart disease risk factor -- high blood pressure.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Mar 2009 | 10:00 pm

Video Game Everquest 2 Provides New Way To Study Human Behavior

Computer scientists show that online, interactive gaming communities are now so massive that they mirror traditional communities.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Mar 2009 | 10:00 pm

Origin of Life On Earth: Scientists Unlock Mystery Of Molecular Machine

A major mystery about the origins of life may have been resolved. Scientists have proposed a new theory for how a universal molecular machine, the ribosome, managed to self-assemble as a critical step in the genesis of all life on Earth.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Mar 2009 | 10:00 pm

New Surgical Implant Prevents Total Blindness

Ophthalmologists have tested and are now using a tiny surgical implant called Retisert to prevent complete vision loss and eliminate dependence on systemic, or whole-body, immunosuppression for people who have a rare, but potentially devastating, eye condition called sympathetic ophthalmia.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Mar 2009 | 4:00 pm

Scientists Shed Light On How Proteins Find Their 3-D Shapes

Researchers have brought together theoretical modeling and experimental data to show just how amino-acid chains might fold up into unique, 3-D functional proteins.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Mar 2009 | 4:00 pm

Gene Linked To Anxious Behavior In Mice

To measure anxiety in a mouse and suggest it's similar to anxiety in a person may seem like a stretch, but the metrics sound uncannily familiar. Paralyzed by fear, afraid to leave the house or socialize with others, scared of new places, preferring the dark to the light of day.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Mar 2009 | 4:00 pm

Prenatal Vitamins Should Contain Only Potassium Iodide, Not Other Sources Of Iodine, Scientists Urge

Researchers are strongly encouraging prenatal vitamin manufacturers to use only potassium iodide and not other sources of iodine in their products. According to the researchers, potassium iodide is the best way to ensure that prenatal vitamins given to expectant mothers receive 150ug of supplemental daily iodine as recommended by the American Thyroid Association.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Mar 2009 | 4:00 pm

DNA reveals Roots author Alex Haley had Scottish blood

DNA evidence reveals that bestselling Roots author Alex Haley was descended from a Scotsman.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 1 Mar 2009 | 1:43 pm

Islam's evolutionary legacy

As we celebrate Darwin, let's not forget the unsung champions of evolution from the Muslim world

Last month, scientists from around the world partied into the small hours on the 200th anniversary of the birth of Darwin.

But as we celebrate the work of one of the most influential scientists ever, let's take a moment or two to remember others who contributed ideas in the history of evolutionary thought. Many came from Britain as well as other countries in Europe. Others came from further afield, and their writings are increasingly coming to light thanks to the painstaking work of historians of science, and historians of ideas.

One of them is an East African writer based in Baghdad in the 9th century called al-Jahiz. In a book describing the characteristics of animals, he remarked:

"Animals engage in a struggle for existence, and for resources, to avoid being eaten, and to breed." He added, "Environmental factors influence organisms to develop new characteristics to ensure survival, thus transforming them into new species. Animals that survive to breed can pass on their successful characteristics to their offspring."

Or there's Muhammad al-Nakhshabi, a scholar from 10th century central Asia. He wrote: "While man has sprung from sentient creatures [animals], these have sprung from vegetal beings [plants], and these in turn from combined substances; these from elementary qualities, and these [in turn] from celestial bodies."

In their excellent Darwin's Sacred Cause: Race, Slavery and the Quest for Human Origins, Adrian Desmond and James Moore describe how Darwin and his family were influenced by the anti-slavery movement, and they explore the extent to which these ideas, in turn, influenced his own thinking – especially on the idea of the connectedness of humanity.

A parallel line of argument can also be found from a Spanish philosopher from the 12th century. His name is Muhammad ibn Arabi and he developed an idea that his translators called the "unity of existence". He believed that all living matter is connected. And many commentators now think that this was his way of showing that within humanity, there can be no outsiders or "others".

These ideas were later taken up in the writings of Indian-born philosopher-poet Muhammad Iqbal in the early 20th century. We also know that Iqbal had been reading Darwin and wanted to find a way of synthesising the latest ideas from biological science with earlier Islamic-era philosophy. Iqbal today is revered throughout South Asia and also happens to be Pakistan's national poet.

Why is it important to emphasise links between Darwin, and thinking on evolution in other cultures?

One reason is that in many developing countries today, Darwin – and by extension evolution – are seen as being in the service of imperialism. This is partly because of the period in which Darwin lived and worked, but also because of a perception that Darwin's ideas were used by colonialists to provide "scientific" justification for empire.

Another reason comes from the rise of creationism. I've just finished work on a new documentary series for BBC radio 4 on science and Islam in the modern world. One thing I didn't expect to find was the extent to which creationism poses a risk to what is otherwise more encouraging news: that after decades of neglect, interest and investment in science and learning in Islamic countries is on an upward trajectory.

Many countries are building more universities and opening doors for young people to embark on PhDs. Progress, however, will be slower if more start believing that scientific knowledge can be found in the pages of sacred texts; or if they devote time and energy getting sucked into anti-evolution campaigns.

Instead, if today's young scientists could just take a peek into the history of science in Islamic cultures, they would see a respectable tradition of thinking, debate and argument on the origins of life and the evolution of species.

The irony in all this is that creationism did not exist as a significant movement during the heyday of Islamic civilisation. Back when Baghdad was a centre for advanced learning, scientists did not spend hours examining passages of revelation to see if they compare with observed knowledge of the natural world.

Instead, they went out and tried to discover things for themselves.

Islam and Science is on BBC Radio 4 at 9pm on Monday 2 March. It is also available to download on BBC i-player.

Source: Evolution, genetics, medicine, physics & astronomy news | guardian.co.uk | 1 Mar 2009 | 1:00 pm

China's lunar probe ends mission

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's lunar probe has ended its 16-month life with a planned crash into the moon, the official Xinhua news agency said on Sunday.
Source: Reuters: Science News | 1 Mar 2009 | 12:29 pm

China lunar probe mission ends with planned crash (AP)

AP - China's lunar probe crashed into the moon Sunday in a controlled collision at the end of a 16-month mission, state media reported.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 1 Mar 2009 | 10:42 am

China plans first space docking for 2011 (AFP)

AFP - China will launch a space module next year and carry out the nation's first space docking in 2011 as a step towards its goal of building a space station, state media said Sunday.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 1 Mar 2009 | 10:28 am

Iraq: Oil prices may drag budget lower (AP)

AP - Iraq's parliament pushed back voting Saturday on this year's budget and could be forced to make further cuts because of falling oil prices.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 1 Mar 2009 | 8:59 am

Australian teen hurt in Sydney shark attack (AFP)

AFP - A shark bit a teenage surfer's leg to the bone off a Sydney beach early Sunday -- the Australian city's third attack in as many weeks, police said.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 1 Mar 2009 | 7:20 am

Explorers begin epic Arctic trek

A British team has begun a gruelling trek to the North Pole to discover how quickly the Arctic sea-ice is melting
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 1 Mar 2009 | 5:31 am

How to be happy in life: let out your anger

Repressing emotions leads to unhappiness, says Harvard psychologist

Conventional advice about keeping a stiff upper lip and staying cool can damage your career and lower your satisfaction in life, according to new research. If you want to be promoted and attain true happiness, you should get angry.

According to the Harvard Study of Adult Development, a piece of research that has tracked the lives of 824 men and women since 1965, those who repress their frustration are at least three times more likely to admit they had hit a glass ceiling in their careers and have disappointing personal lives. On the other hand, the study found, those who learned to harness and channel their anger were far more likely to be professionally well-established, as well as enjoying emotional and physical intimacy with their friends and family.

Professor George Vaillant, a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School, has spent the last 44 years as director of the Study of Adult Development, based at the Harvard University Health Service. "People think of anger as a terribly dangerous emotion and are encouraged to practise 'positive thinking', but we find that approach is self-defeating and ultimately a damaging denial of dreadful reality," he said. "Negative emotions such as fear and anger are inborn and are of tremendous importance. Negative emotions are often crucial for survival: careful experiments such as ours have documented that negative emotions narrow and focus attention so we can concentrate on the trees instead of the forest."

Vaillant criticises the boom in anti-anger, mood-stabilising drugs and the growing market for anger-management counselling and classes. He believes that, while uncontrolled exhibitions of anger are destructive, learning to positively channel our anger serves a vital role in our wellbeing. Internalising the emotion can cause depression, health problems and communication difficulties.

"Psychologists, having dealt for generations with damaged psyches, should now be engaged in the psychological equivalent of reverse engineering," he said. "We all feel anger, but individuals who learn how to express their anger while avoiding the explosive and self-destructive consequences of unbridled fury have achieved something incredibly powerful in terms of overall emotional growth and mental health. If we can define and harness those skills, we can use them to achieve great things."

Dr Carol Tavris, a social psychologist and author of Anger: The Misunderstood Emotion, agrees. She believes properly expressed anger can help to clarify relationship problems and also clinch business deals, fuel political agendas and give people a sense of control during uncertain times. More globally, she said, it can inspire an entire culture to change for the better - as witnessed by the civil rights movement of the 1960s and the earlier women's suffrage movement. "To paraphrase Malcolm X, there's a time and a place for anger, where nothing else will do."

Dr James Averill, a University of Massachusetts Amherst psychologist, believes anger has a bad name because it is erroneously associated with violence. In a study of everyday anger, Averill found that angry episodes helped strengthen relationships about half the time and only lead to violence in less than 10% of cases. "Anger can be used to aid intimate relationships, work interactions and political expression," said Averill. "When you look at everyday episodes of anger, as opposed to those that have more dramatic outcomes, the results are usually positive."

Dr Howard Kassinove, co-author of Anger Management: The Complete Treatment Guidebook for Practice, recently published a study of more than 2,000 adults in the Journal of Social Behaviour and Personality in which more than 55% said an angry episode produced a positive outcome.

Almost a third of participants also admitted that the episode helped them see their own faults.

"People who are targets of anger in these studies will say things like, 'I really understand the other person much better now - I guess I wasn't listening before'," said Kassinove. "While assertive expression is always preferable to angry expression, anger may serve an important alerting function that leads to deeper understanding of the other person and the problem."

The philosopher and author Alain de Botton agrees that anger is a misunderstood emotion. "Though philosophers have traditionally been concerned with the pursuit of happiness, far greater wisdom would seem to lie in pursuing ways to be properly and productively unhappy," he said. "The stubborn recurrence of anger means the development of a workable approach to it must surely outstrip the value of any utopian quest for happiness."

Let it out

Constructive anger...

... involves both people, not just the angry party. In a best-case scenario, the angry person expresses his or her anger to the target, and the target hears the person and reacts appropriately.

... is framed by the injured party in terms of solving a mutual problem rather than used by them as a chance to vent their feelings.

... increases people's sense of control, provides a sense of certainty and prepares people for action.

Source: Evolution, genetics, medicine, physics & astronomy news | guardian.co.uk | 1 Mar 2009 | 12:01 am

The big issue: religion: Common humanity transcends science

In rejecting the position I outlined in my debate with Richard Dawkins ("Science is just one gene away from defeating religion", Comment, last week), Colin Blakemore suggests that when we understand how our brains generate religious ideas, nothing will be left for religion. What he fails to see is that scientists need to stand together with secular humanists and those with a religious faith in rejecting all forms of reductionism or what used to be called "nothing but-ery" if they are to do justice to the seriousness of their work.

When Professor Blakemore strives to reach the truth through his use of scientific method or when he stands with integrity and bravery against those who try to intimidate him, as he does, what is going on in his brain at the time may be an interesting question, but what he is committed to as a human being cannot be reduced to that. Questions about the ultimate purpose of human life have a validity for us as human beings, whether or not we think we can arrive at an answer, or the answer is a bleak one.
Professor Lord Harries of Pentregarth
London SW13

I am a strong supporter of Colin Blakemore's view that religious beliefs have a biological basis. Our ancestors wanted to know the causes of events that affected their lives. Religious beliefs were adaptive for two main reasons: they provided explanations for important events and also offered prayer as a way of dealing with difficulties, and mysticism became programmed in our genes.
Professor Lewis Wolpert
University College, London

Over the last 25 years teaching science, I have observed a growing disenchantment with science among young people and society at large. That has not been helped by the efforts that people like Colin Blakemore and Richard Dawkins have made to recast science as an evangelical religion; an intolerant belief system where one cannot be both scientific and religious. In short, they have peddled the fallacy that one must choose between embracing science - and Darwin's theory in particular - and opting for a fundamentalist version of Christianity. It is hypocritical for them to express horror that so many have done just that.
Andrew A Morton
Lockerbie

Colin Blakemore's image of a "metaphysical chess match" between science and religion fails to recognise that they are actually quite distinct modes of discourse for talking about the world. When people pray, or engage in other spiritual acts, there is certainly activity in the brain, and it may soon be possible to describe this. But to explain the process is not to explain away the purpose. It may similarly become possible to explain how imagination, or creativity, happens within the brain cells. I trust that this would not put an end to those faculties or be seen to deny their value in human society.
Tony Lucas
London SE16

Colin Blakemore cites Richard Dawkins's declaration that "Darwin removed the main argument for God's existence" - the main argument being that God created man in his own image.

I'd suggest Blakemore, Dawkins, Darwin and Darwin's cousin-wife Emma sit a refresher in A-level philosophy/theology to get their rational exegesis up to scratch. They know the Bible was created over a period of time by a bunch of people, had a lot of contributors' text edited out, and then got translated again and again. It obviously cannot be taken literally. If it cannot be taken literally, the concept of man created in God's image cannot be supported by those biblical texts. Which means the respective texts of the Bible should have as much to do with the debate on evolutionary theory as the tales of Disney's Donald Duck who, incidentally, appears to have no reproductive organs.
Regina Peldszus
London E1

Source: Evolution, genetics, medicine, physics & astronomy news | guardian.co.uk | 1 Mar 2009 | 12:01 am

Cold cures 'no use for children'

Over-the-counter cough and cold medicines do not work on children under 12 and can even cause side effects such as hallucinations, according to a government agency.

A review of popular remedies including Lemsip, Day Nurse and Sudafed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency found "no robust evidence" that they are effective for children.

The MHRA added that the possible side effects, although not dangerous, could include sleep disturbance, allergic reactions and hallucinations.

With no evidence of efficacy, the executive agency of the Department of Health has decided that many of these medicines can no longer be sold for use by children under six.

New advice will now be published on packets for dosage of children aged between six and 12, and more research is being done to see what benefits, if any, the medicines have.

Pharmacists will be issued with new advice for parents about which medicines can be used safely.

But parents should not worry if they have used the medicines in the past, said the MHRA, which is responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work and are safe. It added that shops will not be cleared of current stocks.

Pain relief remedies used to lower a child's temperature, such as Calpol, are unaffected by the new rules.

For the under-sixes, the MHRA recommends using simple remedies, such as taking steps to keep a child's temperature down, and giving honey and lemon mixtures for coughs.

Source: Evolution, genetics, medicine, physics & astronomy news | guardian.co.uk | 1 Mar 2009 | 12:01 am

Now we know why we're all doomed

The Vanishing Face of Gaia
James Lovelock
Allen Lane £20, pp178

He Knew He Was Right: The Irrepressible Life of James Lovelock and Gaia
John and Mary Gribben
Allen Lane £20, pp240

James Lovelock's latest musings on the fate of our planet are blessed with a chilling subtitle: "A Final Warning" is scrawled across the cover. Civilisation is hovering on the brink of destruction, the author claims.

Fans of Lovelock will not be particularly surprised by this latest outburst. The great environmentalist has become increasingly apocalyptic in his predictions over the years as our climate has warmed, ice-caps have melted and the carbon content of our atmosphere has soared. A "pitiless" change in our environment is now inevitable, he states in The Vanishing Face of Gaia

Lovelock's chief claim to fame is his concept of Gaia: the idea that Earth's bountiful living forms act as regulators that control conditions on the planet - by a series of chemical feedbacks - in order to keep our world at its ecological best. When first proposed in the Sixties, the notion delighted hippies but enraged scientists, the latter describing it as unscientific and "untestable" as well as being "anti-human polemics", industrial apologetics and even as non-Christian ecological "satanism". A nice variety of insults when you think about them.

However, the concept of Gaia has slowly gained popularity over the decades and is now grudgingly accepted by many biologists and physicists as a true vision of our planet, a place that has been kept in decent ecological nick by the behaviour and variety of its many lifeforms.

Unfortunately, Gaia is in trouble today, says Lovelock. It is infected by a virus called Homo sapiens. Humans are destroying ecosystems, killing off species in their thousands and destabilising climates. "We became the Earth's infection a long and uncertain time ago, but it was not until about 200 years ago that the Industrial Revolution began: then the infection of the Earth became irreversible," he says.

Lovelock names this illness polyanthroponomia, a condition in which humans are so plentiful they do more harm than good. More to the point, the condition is untreatable. Renewable energy projects, cutting carbon footprints and promoting sustainable development and other green ideas are no more than the posturing of "tribal animals bravely wielding symbols against the menace of an ineluctable force". In short, we are heading towards a climate catastrophe that will leave only pockets of humanity left alive, says Lovelock.

It is impressive, frightening stuff and all the more chilling coming from a man of such a mild disposition and of such varied credentials, as John and Mary Gribbin make clear in their concise, well-researched biography. James Ephraim Lovelock was born in 1919 and raised in Brixton, London, by poor parents. He studied chemistry at evening classes before winning a scholarship to Manchester University. Since then, he has racked up an impressive range of careers: photographer's assistant, ecologist, inventor, designer of spacecraft instruments, creator of Gaia, MI6 quartermaster and now, finally, his greatest role: prophet of doom for planet Earth.

• To order The Vanishing Face of Gaia or He Knew He Was Right for £18 with free UK p&p, go to observer.co.uk/bookshop or call 0330 333 6847

Source: Evolution, genetics, medicine, physics & astronomy news | guardian.co.uk | 1 Mar 2009 | 12:01 am

Cuba eyes biotech corn for tropical climes (AFP)

AFP - Cuba is developing genetically modified corn (maize) that can be used with strong herbicides and are resistant to the boundless appetite of the fall armyworm, a major threat to tropical nations' corn crops, official media reported Saturday.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 28 Feb 2009 | 8:53 pm

Being a Scientist Means (Almost) Never Wearing a Tie

J.C. Poutsma is not afraid to push formalities out of the way.
Source: Livescience.com | 28 Feb 2009 | 3:57 pm

Women More Religious Than Men

Women are more religious than men in many ways.
Source: Livescience.com | 28 Feb 2009 | 3:18 pm

Indonesia's psychedelic fish named a new species (AP)

AP - A funky, psychedelic fish that bounces on the ocean floor like a rubber ball has been classified as a new species, a scientific journal reported. The frogfish — which has a swirl of tan and peach zebra stripes that extend from its aqua eyes to its tail — was initially discovered by scuba diving instructors working for a tour operator a year ago in shallow waters off Ambon island in eastern Indonesia.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 28 Feb 2009 | 3:10 pm

Sex Sells, But Who's Buying? (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - Sex in advertising? Women aren't buying it, for the most part.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 28 Feb 2009 | 3:00 pm

Fossil skull of giant toothy seabird found in Peru (AP)

AP - The unusually intact fossilized skull of a giant, bony-toothed seabird that lived up to 10 million years ago was found on Peru's arid southern coast, researchers said Friday.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 28 Feb 2009 | 2:19 pm

China plans to master space docking: report

BEIJING (Reuters) - China aims to dock two craft in outer space by as early as 2011, a government spokesman told Xinhua news agency on Saturday, part of its plans to secure its footing in space.
Source: Reuters: Science News | 28 Feb 2009 | 1:28 pm