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Prevalence of high LDL, or 'bad' cholesterol levels decreases in USBetween 1999 and 2006, the prevalence of adults in the US with high levels of LDL cholesterol, the "bad" cholesterol, decreased by about one-third, according to a new study. But a high percentage of adults still are not being screened or treated for high cholesterol levels.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 18 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pm Detonating tumor-killer drug in cancers on commandA new delivery and trigger system has for the first time successfully placed TRAIL, a cancer-fighting protein, directly into solid tumors and on cue, turned it on. The treatment improved the 30-day survival time of mice with mammary tumors from 0 to 100 percent.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 18 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pm Some obese people perceive body size as OK, dismiss need to lose weightEight percent of obese people misperceived their body size, believing they did not need to lose weight or that they could afford to gain weight. While those who misperceived their need for weight loss thought they were healthier than others their age, they had the same risk factors for heart disease as other obese patients. Those who misperceived their body size were less likely to exercise and see a physician than their counterparts who accurately perceived their body size.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 18 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pm Can playing active video games equal moderate intensity exercise?One-third of Wii sport and Wii fit activities provide energy expenditures equal to moderate-intensity exercise. Active video games may help prevent or improve obesity and lifestyle-related diseases, researchers said. The study was funded by Nintendo.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 18 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pm Decline In Russian Tigers Renews Calls To End All Trade In Tiger PartsA shocking decline in the Russian Federation's wild tiger population highlights the importance of eliminating trade in and demand for tiger parts, the International Tiger Coalition has said. Research shows that Siberian tigers may have suffered a serious drop in numbers over the past four years.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 18 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pm Bigger not necessarily better, when it comes to brainsTiny insects could be as intelligent as much bigger animals, despite only having a brain the size of a pinhead, say scientists. Animals with bigger brains are not necessarily more intelligent. This begs the important question: what are they for?Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 18 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pm Diatoms Reveal Climate ChangesSome 500 years ago there was a change in the circulation in the atmosphere over Scandinavia. This probably led to increased amounts of winter precipitation in northern Sweden for a period.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 18 Nov 2009 | 9:00 am Could widely used rapid influenza tests pose a dangerous public health risk?Rapid influenza diagnostic tests used in doctors' offices, hospitals and medical laboratories to detect H1N1 are virtually useless and could pose a significant danger to public health, according to a researcher.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 18 Nov 2009 | 9:00 am Exotic electric properties of graphene confirmedFirst, it was the soccer-ball-shaped molecules dubbed buckyballs. Then it was the cylindrically shaped nanotubes. Now, the hottest new material in physics and nanotechnology is graphene: a remarkably flat molecule made of carbon atoms arranged in hexagonal rings much like molecular chicken wire.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 18 Nov 2009 | 9:00 am Treatment with folic acid, vitamin B12 associated with increased risk of cancer, deathPatients with heart disease in Norway, a country with no fortification of foods with folic acid, had an associated increased risk of cancer and death from any cause if they had received treatment with folic acid and vitamin B12, according to a new study.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 18 Nov 2009 | 9:00 am Shuttle Atlantis Closing In On Space Station (SPACE.com)SPACE.com - NASA's space shuttle Atlantis is closing in on the International Space Station and on track to link up with the orbiting laboratory later today.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 18 Nov 2009 | 3:30 am The nation's weather (AP)AP - Wet weather was forecast for the Eastern U.S. on Wednesday as a low pressure system hovered over the region.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 18 Nov 2009 | 3:29 am Meteor showers in Asia disappoint (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 18 Nov 2009 | 3:12 am Corinne Le Quéré on how carbon sinks in oceans and forests are becoming less effectiveCorinne Le Quéré on how carbon sinks in oceans and forests are becoming less effective Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 18 Nov 2009 | 2:43 am Rare crocs found hiding in plain sight in Cambodia (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 18 Nov 2009 | 2:42 am Today's Top Athletes: Human or Android? (LiveScience.com)LiveScience.com - While the debate continues over whether Caster Semenya, the 18-year-old South African track sensation who blew away the field and took the gold in the women's 800-meter in Berlin in August, is a man or a woman, we soon must confront an even more complex issue: Are elite athlete humans or androids?Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 18 Nov 2009 | 2:35 am Energy issues top bill at EU-Russia summit (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 18 Nov 2009 | 1:25 am AP Poll: Sometimes it isn't easy being green (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 18 Nov 2009 | 1:14 am Shuttle nears space station, docking scheduled (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 18 Nov 2009 | 1:00 am Star Goes Rogue in Untimely CollisionIt's a solid doomsday prediction that in about 5 billion years the dying sun will expand as a bloated red giant and engulf the Earth. But imagine if in just a few weeks the middle-aged sun suddenly ballooned out to ...Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 18 Nov 2009 | 12:06 am US-China climate statement raises hopes, questions (AP)AP - A joint statement by the U.S. and Chinese presidents on climate change is encouraging as pressure builds in the last few weeks before a 192-nation conference in Copenhagen, but the language leaves a lot unsaid, observers in both countries said Wednesday.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 17 Nov 2009 | 11:46 pm Wild at KewThe animals that call the famous gardens homeSource: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 17 Nov 2009 | 11:27 pm Biotech Soybeans Good Source of Omega-3 (HealthDay)HealthDay - TUESDAY, Nov. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Oil from genetically modified soybeans boosts levels of an important omega-3 fatty acid in the body, which may reduce the risk of heart attacks, U.S. researchers say.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 17 Nov 2009 | 9:49 pm Spirit's Escape Plan FaltersIt was never going to be a quick-fix to Mars Expedition Rover Spirit's predicament, but today's first attempt at rolling the wheeled robot out of the soft sand was aborted in less than 1 second. Fortunately, this isn't an indicator ...Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 17 Nov 2009 | 8:48 pm Infrared telescope to detect dim, dusty objectsLOS ANGELES (Reuters) - NASA plans next month to launch a space telescope that will scan the heavens for the infrared glow of celestial objects never seen because they are too dim, dusty or distant, scientists said on Tuesday.Source: Reuters: Science News | 17 Nov 2009 | 8:20 pm Large Hadron Collider repaired for relaunchScientists have repaired the world's largest atom smasher and plan by this weekend to restart the machine Scientists have repaired the world's largest atom smasher and plan by this weekend to restart the machine that was launched with great fanfare last year before its spectacular failure from a bad electrical connection, a spokesman said yesterday. This time the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, known as Cern, is taking a cautious approach with the super-sophisticated equipment, said James Gillies. It cost about $10 billion, with contributions from many governments and universities around the world. Scientists expect to send beams of protons around the 27-kilometer (17-mile) circular tunnel housing the Large Hadron Collider, or LHC, but they have refrained from setting a date. That stands in stark contrast with the hype of the 10 September 2008 launch, when the startup was televised globally. Some scientists blamed the failure nine days later on keeping to that schedule because the problem section had yet to be fully tested. The first day of last year's launch went unusually well: Beams of protons were quickly sent in both directions, happily surprising many of the scientists around the world used to delays and problems with such superconducting equipment. But nine days later a single electrical splice overheated because it had been badly soldered, and disaster struck. Fifty-three of 1,624 large superconducting magnets, some of them 15 metres long, were damaged and had to be replaced. An electric arc punctured the container holding the liquid helium used to keep the collider at a temperature colder than outer space for maximum efficiency. Six tons of helium leaked out, overpowering the relief valves and adding to the damage. Cern had to clean "soot-like dust" from the firehose-size pipes meant to contain an extreme vacuum so that nothing would obstruct the proton beams passing through. "It was a disaster, no question about it," said Chip Brock, a physics professor at Michigan State University. But he said Cern had taken a number of innovative steps to avoid a repeat. "This problem won't happen again," he said. The current caution gives a little more time to the collider's chief rival, the United States' Tevatron at Fermilab outside Chicago, to beat the European machine to the discovery of the elusive Higgs boson. The winner of that race would almost certainly be in line to win the Nobel Prize for physics. 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 | 17 Nov 2009 | 7:06 pm DNA clue to save rare Darwin birdSpecimens collected by Charles Darwin could help scientists reintroduce a rare mockingbird to the Galapagos Islands.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 17 Nov 2009 | 7:05 pm Notes & queries: Fire or bonfire?Origins of the bonfire; beware the garden rabbit menace; is the human body an efficient machine? Why is it a "bonfire" rather than "fire"? Just as some religious festivals were grafted on to existing calendar events – eg Christmas superseded the pagan festival of Sol, or the winter solstice – the creation of Bonfire Night was a propaganda exercise that was grafted onto an annual event in the agricultural calendar. As the growing season effectively comes to an end around the beginning of November, farmers would prepare to eke out their winter fodder by slaughtering most of their animals, keeping only breeding pairs with a view to replacing their stock the following spring. Having preserved the meat, rendered the fat and treated the hides, they were left with the carcasses. In order to convert these into fertiliser, they had to be burned on a "bone fire", shortened over time to "bonfire". The propaganda exercise proved so successful that Bonfire Night continues to be celebrated more than 400 years after the event, even though both the event it commemorates – the execution of Guy Fawkes – is now highly un-PC, and the annual ritual of "bone fires" has long since faded out of practice. Bill Finlay, Aspatria, Cumbria The word derives from the mid-15th century word "banefire", originally a fire in which bones were burned. Dr Johnson mistakenly derived it from the French "bon" (good). Nader Fekri, Hebden Bridge, West Yorks How can I stop my neighbours' cats from relieving themselves in my vegetable patch? Regarding the discussions about cats and rabbits (N&Q, 4 November), a friend of mine moved into a house with a large garden some years ago and wondered why there wasn't much growing in it. The answer came when he looked out early one morning and saw that the garden was full of rabbits. He solved the problem by aquiring two cats, which rarely needed feeding as they were full of rabbit. Not having a rabbit problem, I find that criss-crossing canes or similar over my vegetable beds discourages the cats, as does the netting, fleece etc I put in place to keep out insect pests and birds. There's always something trying to benefit from your best efforts. Clint Backhouse, Carlisle How efficient is the human body as a machine that turns food into energy? This partly depends on how efficiency is defined. Respiration, the process of turning chemical or food energy into usable energy, is 38% efficient (this is the percentage of chemical energy available from glucose oxidation that is converted into the chemical energy of ATP – adenosine triphosphate). Like an endless procession of porters, each molecule of ATP carries a little parcel of energy to where it is needed. The remaining 62% of energy manifests itself as heat. This explains why we are warm. This energy is not wasted, as being warm-blooded bestows advantages that may revise the efficiency figure upwards. However, of the 38% available to the cells, half is "wasted" in physical exercise, reducing the overall efficiency to about 20%. But it depends on who is doing what activity: for example, endurance cyclists with slow twitch fibres tend to be more efficient than those with fast twitch fibres. Efficiency also varies between different tissues or organs. Compared to other tissue, muscle wastes more energy as heat. Given that men are generally more muscular than women, this is the physiological explanation of why women generally feel colder than men. Proof, if any were needed, that men are less efficient. Mike Follows, Willenhall, West Mids Any answers? How do zombies know not to eat each other? What would they do if there were no non-zombies left? Renee-Margaret Slater, Aberdeen Why is it rashers of bacon, but slices of other meats? Jane Simpson, York Send questions and answers to nq@guardian.co.uk. Please include name, address and phone number. 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 | 17 Nov 2009 | 5:05 pm Ancient Egyptians 'also suffered from heart disease'Hardening of the arteries has been detected in Egyptian mummies - suggesting the risk factors for heart disease may be ancient, researchers say.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 17 Nov 2009 | 5:03 pm Heart disease was rife among affluent ancient EgyptiansX-rays of mummies reveal atherosclerosis, suggesting there may be more to heart disease than bad diet and smoking Heart disease plagued human society long before fry-ups and cigarettes came along, researchers say. The upper classes of ancient Egypt were riddled with cardiovascular disease that dramatically raised their risk of heart attacks and strokes. Doctors made the discovery after taking hospital X-ray scans of 20 Egyptian mummies that date back more than 3,500 years. The scans revealed signs of atherosclerosis, a life-threatening condition where fat and calcium build up in the arteries, clogging them and stiffening their walls. On a visit to the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo, one of the researchers had been intrigued by a nameplate on the remains of Pharaoh Merenptah, who died in 1,203BC. The plate said the pharaoh died at the age of 60 and suffered diseased arteries, arthritis and tooth decay. The US and Egyptian experts got permission to examine the mummified pharaoh and others that were on display or stored in the museum's basement. Despite their extraordinary age, 16 mummies had identifiable hearts and arteries. Of these, nine showed evidence of atherosclerosis. Hard calcified deposits were seen either in the walls of arteries or along the path an artery would have taken. In some individuals, up to six different arteries were affected. The most ancient mummy afflicted with heart disease was the maid of Queen Ahmose Nefertiti, Lady Rai, who lived around 200 years before the time of King Tutenkhamun. She is thought to have been between 30 and 40 years old when she died in 1,530BC. Gregory Thomas at the University of California at Irvine said: "Atherosclerosis is ubiquitous among modern day humans and, despite differences in ancient and modern lifestyles, we found that it was rather common in ancient Egyptians of high socioeconomic status living as much as three millennia ago. "The findings suggest that we may have to look beyond modern risk factors to fully understand the disease." The team analysed bones in the mummies to work out how old they were when they died. Seven out of eight who survived beyond the age of 45 had hardened arteries. It was impossible to determine what kind of diet the dead Egyptians had, but it is known that beef, duck and goose were often on the menu at this time. "While we do not know whether atherosclerosis caused the demise of any of the mummies in the study, we can confirm that the disease was present in many," said Thomas. The findings were announced at a meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando and are published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. 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 | 17 Nov 2009 | 2:51 pm Sea Star Swells With TidesA sea star sucks in ocean water to keep cool on the shoreline.Source: Livescience.com | 17 Nov 2009 | 2:44 pm In Amazon, a frustrated search for cancer curesSAO SEBASTIAO DE CUIEIRAS, Brazil (Reuters) - The task of harvesting the secrets of Brazil's vast Amazon rain forest that could help in the battle against cancer largely falls to Osmar Barbosa Ferreira and a big pair of clippers.Source: Reuters: Science News | 17 Nov 2009 | 2:23 pm The Obese Don't Always Know ItSome obese individuals don't know they're overweight.Source: Livescience.com | 17 Nov 2009 | 2:04 pm The Wired WildernessIn this time-lapsed video, automated digital cameras capture the growth of the Horse fire in Cleveland National Forest on July 23, 2006.Source: Livescience.com | 17 Nov 2009 | 1:57 pm Meteor shower provides sky showAstronomers have been observing the annual Leonids meteor shower.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 17 Nov 2009 | 1:44 pm Nasa lets web users explore Mars for themselvesNasa launches a website that allows users to play games while at the same time sorting through its image archive of Mars.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 17 Nov 2009 | 1:42 pm Despite Recession, Carbon Pollution SwellsDeveloping nations are spurring rising pollution levels in the face of a global economic slowdown.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 17 Nov 2009 | 1:30 pm Earth 'heading for 6C' of warmingCO2 emissions rose by a quarter in the last decade, setting the course for a world up to 6C warmer, according to research.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 17 Nov 2009 | 1:20 pm Penguins Evolving Faster Than Thought
The evolutionary march of the penguins happened in double time, according to new genetic calculations.
Mitochondria are small structures that generate power inside cells. The organelles were once free-living bacteria and have kept their own circle of DNA, which encodes many of the proteins needed for power production. The function of mitochondria is so crucial to the cell that any changes to mitochondrial genes are likely to throw a wrench into a cell’s energy-generating capabilities. As a result, the mitochondrial DNA has evolved slowly. Scientists can use the number of changes in mitochondrial DNA between different species to calculate a molecular rate of evolution and estimate how long ago the species shared a common ancestor. One of the most basic assumptions is that the rate of evolution is the same in all species, says Stephan Schuster, a genomicist at Pennsylvania State University in State College. But some scientists have begun questioning that assumption. Now, the new study provides evidence that, at least for Adélie penguins, evolution is happening faster than previously thought.
Most calculations of the rate of evolution are based upon changes in a part of the mitochondrial DNA called the hypervariable region, where change happens at a relatively fast pace. The new study decoded the entire mitochondrial genome, not just the hypervariable region, and compared the rate of change among penguin generations for all parts of the DNA circle. Usually, ancient DNA is badly degraded, but because Antarctica is so cold, specimens were well preserved. The team was able to extract DNA from several penguin generations, including 12 modern penguins and eight ancient penguins that ranged from 250 to 44,000 years old. Using the ancient DNA allowed the researchers to track all of the changes in the mitochondrial genome, a process that is normally invisible when scientists compare DNA between two modern species, says Dee Denver, an evolutionary geneticist at Oregon State University in Corvallis and a coauthor of the study. Each difference in the DNA between two species is calculated as a single change when, in fact, multiple changes might have happened. The team was able to see all of these steps by comparing the modern birds to several generations of their ancestors. Overall, the whole mitochondrial genome was experiencing more changes per unit time than previous methods had predicted. But each part of the circular mitochondrial genome evolves at different rates, the team found. Protein-coding genes change more slowly than the hypervariable region, and genes that encode transfer RNAs and ribosomal RNAs change even more slowly than protein coding regions. These data indicate that scientists should calculate evolutionary rates on the basis of the entire mitochondrial genome, not just a small part, Denver says. Using only the hypervariable region might also throw off estimates of human migrations as well as broader evolutionary time scales, he says. And each species may have its own rate that can’t be generalized to other species, even if closely related. “When you’re extrapolating these rates to another group, there’s a very good chance it’s an underestimate,” Denver says. Images: 1) CIA. 2) NOAA See Also:
Source: Wired: Wired Science | 17 Nov 2009 | 1:15 pm Heart Disease Found in Ancient MummiesSigns of heart disease in ancient people suggests that modern lifestyles are not entirely to blame.Source: Livescience.com | 17 Nov 2009 | 1:09 pm Ice retreat creates new CO2 storeVast new "carbon sinks" in the Antarctic are filling the void left by retreating ice shelves and glaciers.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 17 Nov 2009 | 12:41 pm Chimpanzee Murder, Conspiracy and Suicide Featured in New PlayWhat soap opera or TV thriller hasn't featured murder, conspiracy and suicide? We all know humans are capable of these things, but a new play, "Hominid," puts a twist on the drama by having human actors re-enact such events that ...Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 17 Nov 2009 | 12:34 pm New Site Tracks How Stimulus Dollars Flow to Science
More than $20 billion in stimulus money has poured into the nation’s universities, according to a new collection of data gathered by a trio of research consortia. California’s institutions were the big winners, snagging 1,602 grants worth almost $1.2 billion, but the money was spread across the country. Alaska received the most per capita at $248, more than three times the next state, Tennessee, on that metric. “This is the largest investment in science and research probably since Sputnik,” said Bill Andresen, a vice president at the University of Pennsylvania in charge of Federal affairs and president of The Science Coalition. “We think it’s really important to tell this story in a thoughtful, useful way so that the public and policymakers can understand how it’s being spent.” The Science Coalition teamed with the Association of American Universities and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities to gather data from most of the major research institutions across the country. The information is posted to a new website, ScienceWorksforUS.org, which was unveiled today at a press conference in Washington, D.C. Wired Science assembled the state-by-state data into a Google document that includes the total number of grants and money. The new bottom-up data collection effort is a good addition to the information on the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act spending being published by the Federal government at Recovery.org.
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 | 17 Nov 2009 | 12:33 pm New World's Fastest Supercomputer NamedThe world's fastest supercomputer is devoted to solving scientific questions that may save the planet -- climate change, renewable energy, new medicines -- rather than advances in nuclear weapons, at least for the moment.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 17 Nov 2009 | 12:14 pm NASA launches shuttle Atlantis to space stationCAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - The U.S. space shuttle Atlantis lifted off its seaside launch pad on Monday, loaded with spare parts to keep the International Space Station flying after the shuttles are retired next year.Source: Reuters: Science News | 17 Nov 2009 | 12:13 pm Goodbye Farmville, Hello Real AnimalsOver the weekend I went to a concert that featured, as a guest artist, computer scientist Jaron Lanier. The dreadlocked Lanier helped to create virtual reality and popularized the term. Outside of his technology work, he's interested in early musical ...Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 17 Nov 2009 | 11:57 am Ancient Goat Lived Like a Lizard
Scientists have long wondered how an extinct goat that once lived on barren Mediterranean islands could survive in such a harsh environment. Now they know: In a first-of-its-kind trick for the mammal kingdom, this goat lived like a lizard. Myotragus balearicus skeletons were made from lamellar-zonal bone, which is textured like the growth rings of trees, according to a fossil analysis published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. It’s found only in creatures that can’t regulate their body temperature internally, such as amphibians and reptiles.
The odd goat’s on-the-fly metabolic adjustment was probably an evolutionary leftover from when mammals first split from dinosaurs, and hadn’t yet developed the relatively steady, fast-paced metabolic rates they now possess. Myotragus also had an extremely tiny, energy-efficient brain. For most of the last 6 million years, these adaptations made it well-suited for existence on the arid, nutrient-starved islands of Majorca and Minorca, where it had no predators. But they were also the downfall: When humans arrived on the islands 5,000 years ago, they had no trouble hunting the sluggish goat to extinction. Images: 1) A Myotragus reconstruction/Wikipedia. 2) Myotragus’ lamellar-zonal tissue structure/PNAS. See Also:
Citation: “Physiological and life history strategies of a fossil large mammal in a resource-limited environment.” By Meike Kohler and Salvador Moya. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 106, No. 46, Nov. 16, 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 | 17 Nov 2009 | 11:33 am Adopt a Pompeian DogThey sleep under ancient Roman frescoes and walk on priceless mosaic floors, but they are far from living a privileged life. They are the dogs of Pompeii -- sick, starving, dirty and scruffy stray dogs who wander through the ruins ...Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 17 Nov 2009 | 11:29 am Global temperatures will rise 6C by end of century, say scientistsMost comprehensive CO2 study to date is expected to give greater urgency to diplomatic manoeuvring before Copenhagen Global temperatures are on a path to rise by an average of 6C by the end of the century as CO2 emissions increase and the Earth's natural ability to absorb the gas declines, according to a major new study. Scientists said that CO2 emissions have risen by 29% in the past decade alone and called for urgent action by leaders at the UN climate talks in Copenhagen to agree drastic emissions cuts in order to avoid dangerous climate change. The news will give greater urgency to the diplomatic manoeuvring before the Copenhagen summit. President Obama and President Hu of China attempted to breathe new life into the negotiations today by announcing that they intended to set targets for easing greenhouse gas emissions next month. Obama said that he and Hu would continue to press for a deal that would "rally the world". The new study is the most comprehensive analysis to date of how economic changes and shifts in the way people have used the land in the past five decades have affected the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. "The global trends we are on with CO2 emissions from fossil fuels suggest that we're heading towards 6C of global warming," said Corinne Le Quéré of the University of East Anglia who led the study with colleagues at the British Antarctic Survey. "This is very different to the trend we need to be on to limit global climate change to 2C [the level required to avoid dangerous climate change]." That would require CO2 emissions from all sources to peak between 2015 and 2020 and that the global per capita emissions be decreased to 1 tonne of CO2 by 2050. Currently the average US citizen emits 19.9 tonnes per year and UK citizens emit 9.3 tonnes. By studying 50 years of data on carbon emissions and combining with estimates of human carbon emissions and other sources such as volcanoes, the team was able to estimate how much CO2 is being absorbed naturally by forests, oceans and soil. The team conclude in the journal Nature Geoscience that those natural sinks are becoming less efficient, absorbing 55% of the carbon now, compared with 60% half a century ago. The drop in the amount absorbed is equivalent to 405m tonnes of carbon or around 60 times the annual output of Drax coal-fired power station, which is the largest in the UK. "Based on our knowledge of recent trends in CO2 emissions and the time it takes to change energy infrastructure around the world and on the response of the sinks to climate change and variability, the Copenhagen conference is our last chance to stabilise climate at 2C above preindustrial levels in a smooth and organised way," said Le Quéré. "If the agreement is too weak or if the commitments are not respected, we will be on a path to 5C or 6C." Le Quéré's work, part of the Global Carbon Project, showed that CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels increased at an average of 3.4% a year between 2000 and 2008 compared with 1% a year in the 1990s. Despite the global economic downturn, emissions still increased by 2% in 2008. The vast majority of the recent increase has come from China and India, though a quarter of their emissions are a direct result of trade with the west. In recent years, the global use of coal has also surpassed oil. Based on projected changes in GDP, the scientists said that emissions for 2009 were expected to fall to 2007 levels, before increasing again in 2010. But Le Quéré's conclusion on the decline of the world's carbon sinks is not universally accepted. Wolfgang Knorr of the University of Bristol recently published a study in Geophysical Research Letters, using similar data to Le Quéré, where he argued that the natural carbon sinks had not noticeably changed. "Our apparently conflicting results demonstrate what doing cutting-edge science is really like and just how difficult it is to accurately quantify such data," said Knorr. The amount of CO2 that natural carbon sinks can absorb varies from year to year depending on climactic and other natural conditions, and this means that overall trends can be difficult to detect. Le Quéré said her team's analysis had been able to remove more of the noise in the data that is associated with the natural annual variability of CO2 levels due to, for example, El Niño or volcanic eruptions. "Our methods are different – Knorr uses annual data, we use monthly data and I think we can remove more of the variability." Jo House of the University of Bristol, who worked on the Nature Geoscience paper, said: "It is difficult to accurately estimate sources and sinks of CO2, particularly in emissions from land use change where data on the area and nature of deforestation is poor, and in modelled estimates of the land sink which is strongly affected by inter-annual climate variability. While the science has advanced rapidly, there are still gaps in our understanding." The scientists agreed, however, that an improved understanding of land and ocean CO2 sinks was crucial, since it has a major influence in determining the link between human CO2 emissions and atmospheric concentration of the greenhouse gas. In turn, this has implications for CO2 targets set by governments at climate negotiations. 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 | 17 Nov 2009 | 11:00 am Butterflies in Space?Space shuttle Atlantis launched carrying a few unexpected passengers.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 17 Nov 2009 | 10:40 am On the rocksWhat might Shackleton's whisky taste like?Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 17 Nov 2009 | 10:36 am Pioneer of personalised genetic tests files for bankruptcy• The business has debts of $314m with assets of just $70m A pioneering biotechnology company that spearheaded genetic research on common diseases and offered personalised medical tests has filed for bankruptcy. The Icelandic firm, deCODE Genetics, was one of the first in the world to market DNA tests for disease risk directly to the public, and had invested heavily in basic research to uncover the genetic origins of conditions such as breast and prostate cancer, heart disease and diabetes. It has been in serious financial trouble since autumn last year when it informed investors it had insufficient funds to carry on trading without selling off parts of its business. In a statement today the company said it would now sell "substantially all of its assets", including its huge DNA biobank, which contains genetic information on 140,000 Icelanders. The 13-year-old firm had already explored options to sell or license some of its operations, including its drug discovery wing, after failing to restructure its debts or obtain more funding. In a filing to the US bankruptcy court in Delaware, the company listed assets worth $69.9m (£42m) and debts totalling $313.9m. The sale of deCODE's assets must now go through an auction process. Investors have been warned that if the company goes into liquidation, any return to stockholders would be "highly unlikely". Rumours have circulated in scientific journals that the British medical charity, The Wellcome Trust, has been in discussions with deCODE to take charge of its biobank if the company closes down. A spokesperson for The Wellcome Trust declined to comment. Sir Alec Jeffreys, the University of Leicester scientist who invented DNA fingerprinting, said deCODE had an impressive record for tracking down disease genes but had failed to turn the knowledge into lucrative drugs. "They also put together a fabulous biobank and it would be a tragedy if all that was lost," he said. One difficulty for any organisation hoping to take over the company's biobank is that in most cases, patients signed consent forms that require their DNA to be returned to doctors once deCODE had used it. If the data moved out of Iceland, it would have to be made anonymous. DeCODE's troubles reflect growing concerns that personalised genetic tests for many diseases are premature. In September, the government's genetics watchdog, the Human Genetics Commission, said all direct-to-consumer tests should be more tightly regulated. "Some tests to say the least, are of doubtful value," said Dr Frances Flinter, who chaired the Commission's working group. The pressure group, GeneWatch, said despite scientists' hopes, predicting a person's risk of disease has proved to be more complicated than thought. "Most diseases in most people do not depend much on genetic make-up", said Helen Wallace, a scientist at the group. "Diseases often run in families due to shared lifestyles, environments and incomes, not because of genes. 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“This is a beautiful study,” says Schuster, who was not involved in the work. “Some people have been saying this for a long time, but no one has shown this in such a systematic way.”
