Science Headlines for October 11, 2009

Identifying Cows That Gain More While Eating Less

Cows might be able to gain more weight while consuming less, potentially saving farmers up to 40 percent of feed costs.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 11 Oct 2009 | 3:00 pm

More Powerful Internet Access On Airplanes And Trains

For the first time, researchers have demonstrated 60 GHz broadband radio for wireless transmission of HD video data, HDTV, live. The findings mean more robust transmissions that are less susceptible to interference.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 11 Oct 2009 | 3:00 pm

Researchers Probe Computer 'Commonsense Knowledge'

Challenge a simple pocket calculator at arithmetic and you may be left in the dust. But even the most sophisticated computer cannot match the reasoning of a youngster who looks outside, sees a fresh snowfall, and knows how to bundle up for the frosty outdoors. For artificial intelligence scientists, enabling computers to have such human-level intelligence requires a commonsense knowledge base that can evolve and learn new things. But it's an elusive goal.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 11 Oct 2009 | 3:00 pm

New Technology Detects Chemical Weapons In Seconds

Scientists are developing new sensors to detect chemical agents and illegal drugs which will help in the fight against the threat of terrorist attacks.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 11 Oct 2009 | 3:00 pm

Frozen Assets: Decades-old Frozen Infant Stool Samples Provide Clues To Norovirus Evolution

A search through decades-old frozen infant stool samples has yielded rich dividends for scientists. They have customized a laboratory technique to screen thousands of samples for norovirus, a major cause of acute gastroenteritis outbreaks in people of all ages. What they discovered about the rate of evolution of a specific group of noroviruses could help researchers develop specific antiviral drugs and, potentially, a vaccine against a disease that is very unpleasant and sometimes deadly.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 11 Oct 2009 | 3:00 pm

'No Major Role For Fish' In The Prevention Of Heart Failure, Study Suggests

The consumption of fish has no major role in the prevention of heart failure, according to results from a large prospective population study. The study, which was started in 1990 and involved all men and women over the age of 55 living in a suburb of Rotterdam, found no difference in the risk of developing heart failure between those who did eat fish and those who didn't.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 11 Oct 2009 | 3:00 pm

Nitrogen Cycle: Key Ingredient In Climate Model Refines Global Predictions

For the first time, climate scientists from across the country have successfully incorporated the nitrogen cycle into global simulations for climate change, questioning previous assumptions regarding carbon feedback and potentially helping to refine model forecasts about global warming.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 11 Oct 2009 | 9:00 am

NIH Prepares To Launch 2009 H1N1 Influenza Vaccine Trial In People With Asthma

The National Institutes of Health is preparing to launch the first government-sponsored clinical trial to determine what dose of the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine is needed to induce a protective immune response in people with asthma, especially those with severe disease.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 11 Oct 2009 | 9:00 am

No Place Like Home: Africa's Big Cats Show Postcode Preference

The secret lives of some of Africa's iconic carnivores, including big cats, are revealed in a new study. The results shed light on how different habitats are used by some of Tanzania's most elusive meat eaters, such as the leopard.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 11 Oct 2009 | 9:00 am

Enhanced Stem Cells Promote Tissue Regeneration

Engineers have boosted stem cells' ability to regenerate vascular tissue (such as blood vessels) by equipping them with genes that produce extra growth factors (naturally occurring compounds that stimulate tissue growth). In a study in mice, the researchers found that the stem cells successfully generated blood vessels near the site of an injury, allowing damaged tissue to survive.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 11 Oct 2009 | 9:00 am

Russia says to bear brunt of space missions

KOROLYOV, Russia (Reuters) - Russia expects to extend the life of the International Space Station beyond 2015, although Moscow must bear the brunt of flights after the United States retires its shuttles, officials said on Sunday.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 11 Oct 2009 | 4:01 am

Russia says to bear brunt of space missions (Reuters)

Reuters - Russia expects to extend the life of the International Space Station beyond 2015, although Moscow must bear the brunt of flights after the United States retires its shuttles, officials said on Sunday.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 11 Oct 2009 | 4:01 am

Rainy-day oil funds see Mideast through downturn (AP)

AP - The Middle East has weathered the global economic downturn better than other parts of the world because its energy exporters were able to tap billions of dollars in oil profits collected when prices were booming, the International Monetary Fund said Sunday.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 11 Oct 2009 | 3:53 am

The nation's weather (AP)

AP - Most of the US will continue with cool and wintry weather Sunday. A low pressure trough over eastern Canada will prompt a cold front to stretch down the East Coast and into the lower Mississippi River region. This front is expected to continue kicking up scattered showers over the Mid-Atlantic and Southern states.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 11 Oct 2009 | 2:54 am