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Key Step Made Towards Turning Methane Gas Into Liquid FuelScientists take an important step in converting methane gas to a liquid, giving the potential of making it more useful as a fuel and as a source for making other chemicals.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 23 Oct 2009 | 9:00 am High-Speed Test To Improve Pathogen Decontamination DevelopedA NASA chemist has developed a technology intended to rapidly assess any presence of microbial life on spacecraft. This new method may also help the military test for disease-causing bacteria, such as a causative agent for anthrax, and may also be useful in the medical, pharmaceutical and other fields.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 23 Oct 2009 | 9:00 am Two Brain Structures Key To Emotional Balance Especially In Threatening SituationsResearchers have discovered that a primitive region of the brain responsible for sensorimotor control also has an important role in regulating emotional responses to threatening situations. This region appears to work in concert with another structure called the amygdala to regulate social and emotional behavior.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 23 Oct 2009 | 9:00 am Manipulating Brain Inflammation May Help Clear Brain Of Amyloid Plaques, Researchers SayIn a surprising reversal of long-standing scientific belief, researchers have discovered that inflammation in the brain is not the trigger that leads to buildup of amyloid deposits and development of Alzheimer's disease.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 23 Oct 2009 | 9:00 am Quick And Easy Diagnosis For Mitochondrial DisordersSoon you could be genetically screened for mitochondrial disorders quickly and comprehensively. Researchers outline an innovative clinical diagnostic test for the early identification of a wide range of mitochondrial disorders. Mutations to one of the mitochondrial genes, or to a number of nuclear genes with roles in mitochondrial function, can cause diseases which have very similar symptoms, making them difficult to diagnose and treat.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 23 Oct 2009 | 9:00 am Is Unknown Force In Universe Acting On Dark Matter?Astronomers have found an unexpected link between mysterious 'dark matter' and the visible stars and gas in galaxies that could revolutionize our current understanding of gravity. The finding suggests that an unknown force is acting on dark matter.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 23 Oct 2009 | 9:00 am Reprogramming Patient's Eye Cells May Herald New Treatments Against Degenerative DiseaseScientists have overcome a key barrier to the clinical use of stem cells with a technique which transforms regular body cells into artificial stem cells without the need for introducing foreign genetic materials, which could be potentially harmful. The research suggests that cells taken from a patient's eye can be "reprogrammed" to replace or restore cells lost to degenerative diseases.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 23 Oct 2009 | 6:00 am Synthetic Cells Shed Biological Insights While Delivering Battery PowerA new article describes a highly simplified model cell that not only sheds light on the way certain real cells generate electric voltages, but also acts as a tiny battery that could offer a practical alternative to conventional solid-state energy-generating devices.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 23 Oct 2009 | 6:00 am Scientists Identify Specific Markers That Trigger Aggressiveness Of Liver CancerResearchers have provided a comprehensive profile of multiple epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers and to demonstrate that Snail and Twist, but not Slug, are the major inducers of EMT in HCC.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 23 Oct 2009 | 6:00 am Stacks Of Filter Paper Provide A Realistic, Easy-to-use Medium For Growing CellsInsight from a cell biologist is likely to make a fundamental shift in how biologists grow and study cells -- and it's as cheap and simple as reaching for a paper towel.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 23 Oct 2009 | 6:00 am New Related LinkSource: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 23 Oct 2009 | 4:03 am Passport, please: Stowaway grasshopper first of its kind in UKA startlingly-coloured grasshopper that jumped a flight from India is the first of its kind to be seen in the UK.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 23 Oct 2009 | 3:54 am Freakonomics without the factsSteven Levitt and Stephen Dubner's bogus claims on climate change have riled up scientists. Maybe that was the point I thought I had read enough about Superfreakonomics and its horrifyingly ignorant chapter on climate change to prepare myself for the actual text. But nothing could prepare me for the assault on science, logic and the English language that is this excerpt. Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner managed to pull together just over 43 pages on science they clearly don't understand, with contradictory assumptions, clichés and gimmicky analogies. The chapter reads like a student term paper, a compilation of various factoids accumulated over the semester but displaying no real grasp of the subject matter. The logical leaps between sentences and at times bizarre sentence structure make me wonder if they actually farmed this chapter out to an undergraduate. The scientific flaws are numerous, starting with the claim that the majority of scientists worried about global cooling just a few decades ago. This idea, based largely on a 1975 Newsweek story, is categorically false. It was never a widely accepted idea, and besides, the magazine has since acknowledged that the projections in the story cited so often in this chapter were "spectacularly wrong". Levitt and Dubner also seem to think that scientists are not aware that water vapour exists, which, I assure you, isn't the case, and they argue that carbon dioxide was not responsible for historical warming, when, in fact, it was. All of these are things that a simple deployment of The Google might have helped them avoid, but they don't seem very interested in facts. I won't dwell on the scientific flaws, as actual scientists have covered them quite well already (see William Connolley, Joe Romm and Melanie Fitzpatrick to start). Besides, Levitt and Dubner are economists. I can forgive them for some misunderstanding. I'm more interested in their blatant disregard for the truth. They came into the chapter, it seems, believing that global warming science has "taken on the feel of a religion", are they wanted to seek out the "heretics". Problem is, even one of the main "heretics" they cite says his work and statements were taken out of context. Ken Caldeira, a climate scientist at Stanford University, says that Superfreakonomics includes "many errors" as well as a "major error" in claiming that he downplays the role of carbon dioxide in warming. What's truly offensive is the response from Dubner and Levitt as their numerous errors have been exposed. Rather than contend with the science, Dubner and Levitt took to their blog to call their critics names and write them off as "activists". The chapter, Dubner wrote, "will likely produce a lot of shouting, name-calling and accusations ranging from idiocy to venality." "It is curious that the global-warming arena is so rife with shrillness and ridicule," he ponders. "Where does this shrillness come from? Some say that left-leaning activists have merely borrowed their right-leaning competitors from years past. A reasonable conjecture?" It might also be a reasonable conjecture that there are a number of scientists out there who are deeply concerned about the misinformation that the duo wantonly spreads. Levitt and Dubner have doubled down as the criticism has increased, accusing their critics of trying to "smear" them. They also don't deal with Caldeira's concerns about the misrepresentation of his work, and instead treat it as a difference of opinion – not grossly misstated "facts". And then, over the weekend, they officially jumped the shark. On Saturday, Levitt appeared on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition programme. Near the end of the segment, host Scott Simon referenced a critique of the chapter from the Union of Concerned Scientists. Levitt took to his blog shortly thereafter, alleging that environmental bullies forced NPR to note the critiques. "A well-known environmental-advocacy group pressured NPR into reading a statement critical of the book," he wrote. It's hard to know whether all this chatter about how badly Levitt and Dubner screwed up the science of climate change will hurt or help them. They sold four million copies of their last book, and I would never have picked up this new one had it not been for all the hubbub. I'm sure I'm not the only one. Of course, this is the sole goal of this kind of gimmicky book aimed at people who don't actually understand economics, the environment or whatever other complicated topic they turn their pop lens to. That's how you sell books, and that seems to be their only goal here. guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 23 Oct 2009 | 3:30 am The nation's weather (AP)AP - The Eastern U.S. was forecast to continue seeing wet weather Friday with periods of heavy rainfall in the South, and light snowfall in the North.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 23 Oct 2009 | 2:48 am Scientists seek origins of obesity in the womb (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 23 Oct 2009 | 2:42 am Epic humpback whale battle filmedThe greatest of all animal battles, "the humpback whale heat run", is filmed in its entirety for the first time by a BBC crew.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 23 Oct 2009 | 2:36 am Oil spill 'massive' risk to Australian animals (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 23 Oct 2009 | 1:35 am Kan., Okla. conduct joint livestock disease drill (AP)AP - Trucks that could be hauling livestock along the Kansas and Oklahoma border were detained and their drivers questioned Thursday, during a drill aimed at protecting the nation's food supply from foot-and-mouth disease.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 23 Oct 2009 | 1:13 am Panel says NASA should skip moon, fly elsewhere (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 23 Oct 2009 | 12:28 am Poll: US belief in global warming is cooling (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 23 Oct 2009 | 12:01 am ASEAN focuses on rights, trade amid tight security (Reuters)Reuters - Thousands of troops swarmed over the Thai seaside resort town of Hua Hin on Friday for a twice-postponed Asian leaders' summit to tackle issues from human rights and trade to climate change.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 22 Oct 2009 | 11:32 pm Some Parts of Human Genome Get Lost (HealthDay)HealthDay - THURSDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have created their first map of parts of the human genome that are considered disposable.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 22 Oct 2009 | 9:49 pm Feds designate polar bear habitat in Alaska (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 22 Oct 2009 | 6:56 pm Space Travel: Major Milestones<< previous image | next image >>
1957: Sputnik 1 Becomes First Artifical Satellite to Orbit EarthThe Space Age dawned a little sooner than expected with the successful launch of Sputnik 1 by the Soviet Union. With Sputnik 1’s successful deployment, the political, military and technological relationship between the Soviet Union and United States changed dramatically. The Americans immediately abandoned their Vanguard satellite project, because its intended payload was eclipsed by Sputnik’s, and started anew with Explorer.
Source: Wired: Wired Science | 22 Oct 2009 | 6:00 pm US to give threatened polar bears vast 'critical habitat' (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 22 Oct 2009 | 4:26 pm "Maple-Copter!" - Robotic Craft Mimics Falling Maple SeedAerospace engineers have designed a hovering craft based airfoil shape of maple tree seeds and simulating its spiraling pattern.Source: Livescience.com | 22 Oct 2009 | 3:04 pm NASA Advised to Skip Moon MissionNASA picked the wrong destination with the wrong rocket, claims a presidential panel.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 22 Oct 2009 | 3:00 pm Human Spaceflight Ball in Obama’s Court
The human spaceflight program is in your hands, Mr. President. The blue-ribbon panel President Obama appointed to look into NASA’s human spaceflight plans is done with its work, posting the final report to its website Thursday. Weighing in at 157 pages, it examined the Bush-era Constellation program from top to bottom, although it released most of its key findings last month in an executive summary. Top among them is that NASA does not have enough money to fund a human spaceflight program. The agency needs at least $3 billion more each year to accomplish the goals of exploring beyond low-earth orbit, while maintaining the International Space Station and other scientific programs. While the entire human spaceflight program costs each citizen a mere seven cents per day, according to the report, getting more money for NASA has been a struggle. There are signs, though, that the Obama administration could provide a little more cash for human space exploration. “[Obama] has assured me NASA will get enough money to do what it does best: Go explore the heavens,” Bill Nelson, Senator from Florida said in a YouTube message to his constituents. The panel, led by Norm Augustine, has not received a warm welcome from some members of Congress. Congress had already expressed its support for NASA’s current path, so the Obama administration’s attempt to rethink that plan struck many as unnecessary at best, deleterious to the space program at worst.
“While I look forward to reading the Augustine panel’s final report, Congress has already made its decisions on the issues considered by the panel,” said Gabrielle Giffords, a Democrat from Arizona, who heads the House subcommittee on Space, in a statement sent to Wired.com. “Now that both internal and external independent reviews have confirmed that the Constellation program is being well executed, we know what needs to be done. Let’s get on with it and cease contemplating our collective navels.” Giffords, who is married to a former NASA astronaut, did indicate that she looked forward to working with Obama to “usher in a grand new era of exploration and science.” The Obama administration did not tip its hand about when or what its ultimate plans for space might be. “The President has on numerous occasions confirmed his commitment to human space exploration, and the goal of ensuring that the nation is on a vigorous and sustainable path to achieving our boldest aspirations in space,” said Nick Shapiro, a White House spokesman, in an e-mail to Wired.com. “Against a backdrop of serious challenges with the existing program, the Augustine Committee has offered several key findings and a range of options for how the nation might improve its future human space flight activities.” Three key bones of contention remain between the Augustine panel and members of the House like Giffords. The first is the role of commercial space companies like Bigelow and SpaceX in taking astronauts to low-earth Orbit. The Augustine panel had a rather bullish view on their capabilities.
Giffords, meanwhile, said she wanted to make “clear that we are not prepared to have our astronauts’ access to space held hostage to purchases of seats from non-existent commercial providers.” A second disagreement exists over the role of the Ares I rocket. Most of the Augustine members felt that it was an unwise investment. Instead, they recommended that a modified version of a heavier rocket, the Ares V Lite, should be used for trips to the moon. That would effectively kill the Ares I program, begun under Scott “Doc” Horowitz, who left the agency in 2007. “The Committee finds the Ares V Lite used in the dual mode for lunar missions to be the preferred reference case,” they wrote. The House Science and Technology Committee chair, Bart Gordon, a Democrat from Tennessee, on the other hand, implicitly argued for the status quo, absent any findings of malfeasance. Just provide “adequate resources” and leave the program alone. “[The Augustine] panel had assessed NASA’s Constellation program and found it to be ‘well managed’ and a program that is ‘executable and would carry out its objectives’ if adequate resources are provided.” The last major difference between the Augustine commission and what Congress voted for in Constellation is the way NASA would get back to Mars. The Bush vision was to land on the moon first, learn from that experience, and head to Mars. The report gives a tepid endorsement of the viability of the plan. “A long-duration exploration of the Moon is a step towards Mars, but not a giant step, and not the only possible step,” they wrote. The Augustine report clearly favors a different option they term the “Flexible Path,” which would prioritize getting to near-earth objects first, then allow for landing-less trips to the Moon or Mars. On the criteria they created to evaluate the program, the Flexible Path clearly outscores the program of record (see image above). Giffords, again, was ready with a response saying, “In endorsing the Constellation architecture, Congress made clear that it saw a return to the Moon as just the first step in a flexible program of human and robotic exploration of the solar system.” Even with this long-awaited report in hand, the future of NASA’s human spaceflight program will remain murky until the Obama administration — or its Office for Science and Technology Policy — makes a move. An OSTP spokesman declined to comment on the report and White House spokesman, Shapiro, could not provide a timeline for a decision. The wheels, though, could already be turning at NASA. Spaceflight.com reported that Administrator Charles Bolden requested that a team at Marshall Spaceflight Center look into an alternative set of heavy-lift rockets known as Jupiter. And he lauded commercial space companies in a speech to the National Association of Investment Companies earlier this week. “What these companies, and others, are doing is nothing short of inspirational,” Bolden said. “Today, we at NASA are devising ways to work with these companies and others who will come.” See Also:
WiSci 2.0: Alexis Madrigal’s Twitter, Google Reader feed, and green tech history research site; Wired Science on Twitter and Facebook.
Source: Wired: Wired Science | 22 Oct 2009 | 2:55 pm Magnetic Leaves Could ID Most Polluted Routes
PORTLAND, Oregon — Foliage on trees lining traffic routes could serve as low-tech pollution sensors, a new analysis suggests.
When Housen and university colleague Luigi Jovane analyzed leaves collected at several sites along streets in Bellingham, they found that the leaves along bus routes were as much as 10 times more magnetic than leaves collected on quieter residential streets. That boost in magnetism came from iron oxide particles in emissions that were trapped on the microscopically rough surface of the leaves, Housen reported October 18 at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America.
Scientists still must figure out how the number of iron oxide particles trapped by leaves relates to the total number of particles of different chemical classes in the air, says Housen. Because many air quality standards are based on exposures for short periods of time, such as eight-hour or 24-hour intervals, researchers must also figure out how to estimate short-term air quality from leaves, which accumulate particles throughout their growth. Images: 1) One of the Fe-oxide spheres produced by combustion, collected with a double-sided tape collector. / Rachel Housen, Whatcom Middle School/Bellingham High School. 2) Particles on the surface of a leaf. / Sadie Belica, Western Washington University. See Also:
Source: Wired: Wired Science | 22 Oct 2009 | 2:07 pm The Science of Pairing Wine With FoodScientists have figured out why we pair whites with fish and reds with meat.Source: Livescience.com | 22 Oct 2009 | 2:05 pm Farthest Galaxy Cluster Ever Detected
Astronomers think JKCS041 formed just about as early as was feasible. “This object is close to the distance limit expected for a galaxy cluster,” said Stefano Andreon of the National Institute for Astrophysics in Milan, Italy, in a press release. “We don’t think gravity can work fast enough to make galaxy clusters much earlier.” This cluster was first spotted by the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope in 2006, and then by optical telescopes such as the Very Large Telescope in Chile. But until Chandra took a look, it wasn’t clear if it was a full-blown legitimate galaxy cluster rather than one still in the process of forming or a line of galaxies viewed head on. The image above is a composite of all three types of data. Because JKCS041 is so old, it will help scientists understand what was happening at this critical time in the formation of the universe, when it was only about a fourth as old as it is today. But if more super-old clusters can be found, scientists can begin testing cosmological theories. “This discovery is exciting because it is like finding a Tyrannosaurus rex fossil that is much older than any other known,” said Ben Maughan of the University of Bristol in Britain, co-author of a paper describing the cluster in Astronomy & Astrophysics. “One fossil might just fit in with our understanding of dinosaurs, but if you found many more, you would have to start rethinking how dinosaurs evolved. The same is true for galaxy clusters and our understanding of cosmology.” Image: X-ray: NASA/CXC/INAF/S.Andreon et al. Optical: DSS; ESO/VLT See Also:
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Source: Wired: Wired Science | 22 Oct 2009 | 1:08 pm World Not Ending in 2012, Says NASANASA tries to debunk fears spread by marketing for the apocalyptic film, "2012."Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 22 Oct 2009 | 12:20 pm Americans Cool on Global Warming: PollAmericans are less certain about the science of climate change, according to a Pew poll.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 22 Oct 2009 | 12:15 pm Panel supports commercial spaceExperts reviewing the US space programme back using commercial services to launch astronauts.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 22 Oct 2009 | 12:08 pm Killer Disease Short-Circuits Frog Hearts
A terrible disease that could drive many frogs to extinction appears to kill by interrupting the flow of nutrients through their normally porous skins, which ultimately causes their hearts to shut down, say scientists. Until now, it wasn’t known how the disease, called chytridiomycosis, does its damage. “Understanding the pathogenesis is fundamental to understanding this disease,” said Jamie Voyles, a James Cook University biologist and co-author of the paper published Thursday in Science. “Now we can start to develop treatments for frogs in captivity. If it works out, we could potentially treat frogs where outbreaks are happening. We could perhaps help frogs get through the initial catastrophic declines.” First identified in 1993, chytridriomycosis — chytrid for short — is caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a highly virulent fungus that remains in the environment, even after killing its amphibian hosts. It does this with frightening efficiency: In less than two decades, it has killed about 95 percent of percent of all frogs in Colombia and Panama, and driven some 30 species in the Atelopus genus alone to extinction. Frogs are especially vulnerable, but chytrid affects most amphibian species, and after being spread by the global trade in African clawed toads, is now found in every continent except Antarctica. Though it’s not the only threat faced by amphibians, who are also squeezed by climate change, habitat destruction and humanity’s harnessing of approximately one-half of Earth’s fresh water, chytrid is perhaps the worst. Unless something can be done about it, many amphibians, whose evolutionary lineage can be directly traced to a time before birds or mammals or even dinosaurs, will almost certainly vanish. Until now, it wasn’t clear how chytrid kills.
“It’s a fantastic paper,” said Paul Daszak, a disease ecologist with the Wildlife Trust who was not involved in the research. “It finally clinches the cause of death. This isn’t any old disease; it’s emerging on multiple continents, and is probably the most significant disease we’ve ever seen in wildlife. It’s a breakthrough.” Chytrid has remained a mystery in part because amphibian researchers receive relatively little funding, but also because its victims’ bodies shut down so completely that it’s difficult to know the precise cause of death. In earlier research on diseased frogs, Voyles’ team had noticed imbalances of electrolytes, the compounds that conduct electrical charges through cells. In frogs as in humans, a healthy electrolyte balance is needed to keep the heart pumping. Because amphibians absorb electrolytes through their skin, the researchers suspected that the fungus, which resides on their skin, was to blame. To study the connection, they first measured electrolyte flow across the skin of infected green tree frogs, and found that it dropped by half as the disease progressed. This produced a drop of 20 percent in blood levels of sodium and 50 percent in potassium, two key electrolytes. Then the researchers implanted miniaturized cardiac activity recorders inside the chests of another group of frogs. The monitors produced frog versions of electrocardiograms, readouts familiar to people who’ve had their hearts monitored. When the frogs were infected, their cardiac systems malfunctioned in tandem with their falling electrolytes. “Changes in sodium and potassium basically led to a failure of the electrical system. This is exactly what we see in humans as well. It’s a failure of the electrical system, leading to mechanical failure. If you don’t have a normal electrical system pacing the heart, it won’t pump blood,” said Wyatt Voyles, a University of New Mexico cardiologist and co-author of the study. Exactly how the fungus interferes with electrolyte transport is unknown. The researchers suspect it’s the result of direct cell damage, or the release of a fungal toxin. “Helping us understand the cause of death is really a step forward,” said Louise Rollins-Smith, a Vanderbilt University microbiologist who studies amphibian immune systems. She was not involved in the study. Electrolyte supplements slightly prolonged the life of diseased frogs in the study, and Rollins-Smith said the findings may help scientists develop treatments for chytrid. Though probably not practical at the ecosystem level, such treatments could be used on captive frogs bred to restore dwindling wild populations. The research could also help researchers understand why some species or sub-species are especially resistant to chytrid, and help to guide conservation efforts. But Jamie Voyles cautioned that stopping chytrid isn’t enough to save amphibians. “This disease is important, but it’s important to recognize that there are many threats. Unfortunately, there’s no silver bullet.” Images: 1. Flickr/Brandon Keim 2. Above, a healthy frog and its skin; below, an infected frog and its skin, from Science. See Also:
Citation: “Pathogenesis of Chytridiomycosis, a Cause of Catastrophic Amphibian Declines.” Jamie Voyles, Sam Young, Lee Berger, Craig Campbell, Wyatt F. Voyles, Anuwat Dinudom, David Cook, Rebecca Webb, Ross A. Alford, Lee F. Skerratt, Rick Speare. Science, Vol. 326 No. 5952, October 23, 2009. Brandon Keim’s Twitter stream and reportorial outtakes; Wired Science on Twitter. Brandon is currently working on a book about ecosystem and planetary tipping points.
Source: Wired: Wired Science | 22 Oct 2009 | 12:00 pm DNA clues reopen French boy murder case from 1984PARIS (Reuters) - French detectives have found DNA traces on evidence from a child murder case that obsessed the nation in the 1980s, raising hopes that advances in genetic science could help identify the killer at last.Source: Reuters: Science News | 22 Oct 2009 | 11:55 am Brief shocks may deliver AIDS vaccines betterPARIS (Reuters) - Brief electric shocks may help the body better respond to certain kinds of experimental AIDS vaccines, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.Source: Reuters: Science News | 22 Oct 2009 | 11:55 am Secrets of frog killer laid bareScientists unravel the mechanism by which the a lethal amphibian disease sweeping the world kills its victims.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 22 Oct 2009 | 11:51 am Ladybugs Swarm MidwestLegions of Asian lady beetles are arriving in Ill. and Mo. in search of warmth.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 22 Oct 2009 | 10:50 am 'Stealth' wind turbine deployedRadar-absorbing wind turbine blades could help solve the radar interference issues that preclude some new wind farms.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 22 Oct 2009 | 10:37 am Huge CCD Could Give Real-Time View of Dark Energy HuntThe world’s largest sky-survey telescope will deliver its 3,200-megapixel images of the universe to the public in near–real time. The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, scheduled to capture its first light at the end of 2015, might be able to incorporate real-time image processing that would deliver the project’s photos to the web in minutes, not months. “We’ve designed the system so that we can process that data in a lot less than a minute and release the end result within one minute to the world,” the LSST’s director, Tony Tyson, told Wired.com. Current telescopes tend to do processing over time, painstakingly trying to produce the most accurate images of space possible. Often, they undergo transformations to eliminate problems with their cameras themselves, or random noise. The LSST, though, will be able to get its images up in real time, thanks to a lot of processing power. Moore’s Law, a computing rule of thumb, holds that computing power basically increases exponentially. The amount of pixels that cameras have has been increasing at roughly the same rate, said Tyson, who built the first CCD camera for scientific applications in the late 1970s. “Moore’s Law drives the number of pixels per unit area. It also drives the computing capability — and you’ve got to have both to get somewhere,” Tyson said. “You get all this data from an imager but you need to process it. And Moore’s Law solves both problems. Or it creates the problem but solves it, too.” The LSST is a hotly anticipated telescope that could provide some answers to niggling little astrophysics questions such as, “What is this dark energy that composes 72 percent of the universe?” To do so, it will image the entire night sky every three days, generating huge maps of the mass distribution of the universe. Enormous amounts of data will be produced by its massive 3,200-megapixel camera — and the team plans to share its real-time data with curious onlookers, not just scientists. “Anyone with a computer will be able to fly through the universe, zooming past objects a hundred million times fainter than can be observed with the unaided eye,” the telescope’s website promises. “The LSST project will provide analysis tools to enable both students and the public to participate in the process of scientific discovery.” Wired Science originally found this story via an article in Symmetry Magazine that has since been taken down. We checked in about our article with Tony Tyson, LSST director, and made a couple of minor modifications. Image: LSST See Also:
WiSci 2.0: Alexis Madrigal’s Twitter, Google Reader feed, and green tech history research site; Wired Science on Twitter and Facebook.
Source: Wired: Wired Science | 22 Oct 2009 | 10:22 am Julie Andrews' range could be restoredThe Sound of Music star may be given synthetic vocal cords after research by award-winning scientist Robert Langer The hills could soon be alive with the sound of music again. Scientists working with the actor and singer Julie Andrews are carrying out a trial of synthetic vocal cords to replace those damaged when she underwent surgery. Animal trials of the artificial vocal cords are under way and researchers expect to test them in humans for the first time in the next two years. Andrews, 74, who is most famous for playing Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music, lost her ability to hold a note, not to mention her five-octave range, in 1997 when surgery to remove non-cancerous nodules from her vocal cords left them badly scarred. Scar tissue is much stiffer than healthy vocal cord tissue and disrupts the natural vibrations of the voicebox, preventing the production of different musical notes. Some patients who have surgery on their voiceboxes are unable to speak afterwards because of scar tissue formation. A team led by Robert Langer at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is working with Andrews's laryngeal surgeon, Steven Zeitels at Harvard Medical School, on a rubbery gel that can be injected into the scarred area of her voicebox and hopefully restore it to its former glory. The team has begun animal trials with a material called polyethylene glycol, a non-toxic material that has the same elasticity as vocal cords and should therefore mimic the way they vibrate and produce sounds. The gel would probably be injected after the scar tissue has been surgically removed. "We've tested them in animals and the initial results are going quite well in terms of safety and efficacy. Our hope is that in the next couple of years there will be a clinical trial starting so we can see how well this might work in human beings," Langer said. The procedure is likely to benefit a wider group of patients than vocalists, including public speakers and people who have undergone surgery on their larynx for cancer and other diseases. If the procedure works, it could give a voice back to a large group of patients who have few other options, Langer said. "If someone is a singer, it's particularly difficult. There might be surgical procedures, but if the cords are really damaged, the singer is no longer able to sing. And for other people, some are not even able to speak," Langer said. Langer talked about the breakthrough while visiting London to receive the Millennium Technology Prize for his research on tissue regeneration and medical materials that release drugs into the body in a controlled manner. guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 22 Oct 2009 | 9:04 am Fossils of tiny dinosaur on first public displayLOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Fossils from the smallest dinosaur found in North America, a fleet-footed species only 28 inches long and weighing less than a rabbit, have gone on public display for the first time at a Los Angeles museum.Source: Reuters: Science News | 22 Oct 2009 | 8:40 am Gold Nanoparticles Could Detect DiseaseModified nanoparticles that can identify prostate cancer could track a wide variety of diseases.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 22 Oct 2009 | 8:20 am Why Some Men Can't Control ArousalMen who can regulate their sexual arousal can also control their other emotions.Source: Livescience.com | 22 Oct 2009 | 7:43 am Pollution Turns Leaves MagneticMagnetic pollution particles stick to leaves, provide easy way to track pollutants.Source: Livescience.com | 22 Oct 2009 | 7:33 am Swine Flu Vaccine Supplies Way BehindProduction of the swine flu vaccine is running several weeks behind schedule.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 22 Oct 2009 | 7:30 am 'Most distant' galaxy group spiedScientists identify a group of galaxies said to be at a record distance of 10.2 billion light-years away from Earth.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 22 Oct 2009 | 7:24 am Controversial Moon Origin Theory Rewrites HistoryThe moon may not have formed from a cosmic collision, a new study claims.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 22 Oct 2009 | 6:30 am SpacemanAdding muscle to European human space explorationSource: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 22 Oct 2009 | 4:51 am Scooting greenWhy the rise of the electric scooter in China mattersSource: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 22 Oct 2009 | 4:45 am Scientists closer to womb transplantsBreakthrough could offer alternative to surrogacy but extra funding is needed to complete human womb transplant studies British scientists believe they are a step closer to carrying out the first successful womb transplant. They have worked out how to transplant a womb with a good blood supply which could mean it lasts long enough to carry a pregnancy to term. A breakthrough would offer an alternative to surrogacy or adoption for women whose own wombs have been damaged by diseases such as cervical cancer. Around 15,000 women of childbearing age are currently living with a womb that does not work or were born without one. Richard Smith, consultant gynaecological surgeon at Hammersmith hospital in London, presented his latest research on rabbits at a US fertility conference. He said more than 50 women have approached him about transplants. He and colleagues need cash to move their research forward but have been denied grants by several medical research bodies – the team needs £25,000 for the next stage of research and £250,000 to complete a set of studies. The experts have set up a charity – Uterine Transplant UK – and believe the first successful human transplant could be carried out within two years if they raise enough funds. Their most recent study involved five donor rabbits and five recipients, which were operated on at the Royal Veterinary College in London. Five rabbits received a womb using a "vascular patch technique" which connected major blood vessels, including the aorta. Of the five, two rabbits lived to 10 months and examinations after death showed the transplants were a success. Smith's next step is to get rabbits pregnant through IVF to see how the womb copes, before moving on to larger animals. Previous animal attempts have failed and the only human-to-human transplant ended with the womb having to be removed. Saudi surgeons gave a 26-year-old woman a new uterus in 2000 after her own was removed following a life-threatening haemorrhage. The womb shrivelled within a few months. Smith believes this was because surgeons had not worked out how to connect the blood vessels properly. His own previous research relied on blood vessels that were too small, which then became blocked. The latest experiment involved transplanting the womb with all its arteries, veins and bigger vessels. Smith said: "I think there are certain technical issues to be ironed out but I think the crux of how to carry out a successful graft that's properly vascularised – I think we have cracked that one." Other researchers have carried out similar experiments with pigs, goats, sheep and monkeys. In a human transplant, any baby would have to be delivered by caesarean section because the transplanted womb is unlikely to withstand natural labour. The babies would also need to be conceived through IVF as surgeons believe women could be at higher risk of ectopic pregnancy if they have a womb transplant. Smith said there was not much interest in the procedures among the medical profession but the demand and interest from patients was huge. He said: "There's a lot of dismissal in the profession in terms of this being a step too far in terms of fertility management. "But for a woman who's desperate for a baby, this is incredibly important." Smith, who presented his findings at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) conference in Atlanta, said the womb would only stay in place long enough for the woman to have the children she wanted. "The plan is that once a woman has had her children, the uterus comes back out and she can come off immunosuppressants." He added: "Nobody should move this into a human setting until everything has been done to make this as safe as possible." Around 100 to 200 women in the UK use surrogate mothers each year. Tony Rutherford, chairman of the British Fertility Society, said: "I think there is a big difference between demonstrating effectiveness in a rabbit and being able to do this in a larger animal or a human. "My understanding is that doing this in larger animals has been more difficult. "This is something that is ongoing research. "I don't think it is something that is going to be available in clinical practice for some years to come." Clare Lewis-Jones, from Infertility Network UK, said: "Women unable to conceive and carry their own baby face real emotional heartache and if this is proven to be a safe procedure, it may benefit some women and enable them to carry a baby without having to resort to surrogacy. "However, before this treatment could be made available, a great deal of thought and discussion on all the issues including the ethical ramifications and need for counselling would be required." guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 22 Oct 2009 | 2:46 am
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Iron oxide particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers across are typically magnetic, while those larger than 10 micrometers aren’t. Rain washes away no more than 30 percent of all the particles stuck on a leaf, and even ultrasonic vibrations can’t fully cleanse the surface. These characteristics make tree leaves a good candidate for pollution monitoring, Housen says. Other pluses: Leaves are cheap, and they provide information about the air near ground level where people are, not high above the street where most air quality monitoring equipment is installed.
