Fast pace of glacier melt in the 1940s: lower aerosol pollution

In the 1940s Swiss glaciers were melting at an even-faster pace than at present, according to new research. This is despite the fact that the temperatures in the 20th century were lower than in this century. Researchers see the main reason for this as the lower level of aerosol pollution in the atmosphere.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Jan 2010 | 3:00 pm

New molecule identified in DNA damage response

In the harsh judgment of natural selection, the ultimate measure of success is reproduction. So it's no surprise that life spends lavish resources on this feat, whether in the courtship behavior of birds and bees or replicating the cells that keep them alive. Now research has identified a new piece in an elaborate system to help guarantee fidelity in the reproduction of cells, preventing potentially lethal mutations in the process.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Jan 2010 | 3:00 pm

Student sleuths using DNA reveal zoo of 95 species in NYC homes -- and new evidence of food fraud

Two New York City high school students exploring their homes using the latest high-tech DNA analysis techniques discover a veritable zoo of 95 animal species surrounding them, in everything from fridges to furniture, from sidewalks to shipping boxes, and from feather dusters to floor corners.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Jan 2010 | 3:00 pm

Window opens into Moon's past volcanism

Lava tubes, underground cave-like channels through which lava once flowed, are commonly found on Earth. Scientists have debated whether these tubes could form on the Moon as well, but no studies have yet conclusively identified features that indicate the presence of lunar lava tubes.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Jan 2010 | 3:00 pm

New research could advance research field critical to personalized medicine

It's the ultimate goal in the treatment of cancer: tailoring a person's therapy based on his or her genetic makeup. While a lofty goal, scientists are steadily moving forward, rapidly exploiting new technologies. Researchers report a significant advance in this field of research using a new chip that looks for hundreds of mutations in dozen of genes.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Jan 2010 | 3:00 pm

The cancer 'TRAP': protein may prevent cancer cell death

New research suggests that TNF-receptor associated protein-1 (TRAP-1) may prevent cancer cell death.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Jan 2010 | 3:00 pm

Mutation leads to new and severe form of bacterial disease

Fighting an illness is not just about fighting the bacteria or viruses that cause it, it also has to do with your genes. Scientists have now identified a gene mutation that makes children susceptible to a severe form of mycobacterial disease, any disease caused by species of Mycobacterium such as tuberculosis and leprosy. The mutation represents a new layer of disease severity in children who lack a vital disease-fighting component from their immune system.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Jan 2010 | 9:00 am

Quelling Casimir: Scientists to control quantum mechanical force

Scientists are developing a way to control the Casimir force, a quantum mechanical force that attracts objects when they are only hundred nanometers apart.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Jan 2010 | 9:00 am

Northern South America rainier during Little Ice Age

During the Little Ice Age (LIA; covering approximately the fifteenth through the eighteenth centuries), northern South America experienced about 10 percent more rainfall than during the twentieth century, according to researchers.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Jan 2010 | 9:00 am

New suppressor of common liver cancer

Tumor suppressor genes make proteins that help control cell growth. Mutations in these genes that generate nonfunctional proteins can contribute to tumor development and progression. One of the most well-known tumor suppressor genes is BRACA1, mutations in which are linked to breast cancer. Researchers have now identified SCARA5 as a candidate tumor suppressor gene in human hepatocellular carcinoma, a form of liver cancer that is the fifth most common cancer worldwide
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 1 Jan 2010 | 9:00 am

The nation's weather (AP)

AP - A Pacific storm was expected to continue moving through the Northwest on Friday. The system was forecast to provide widespread rain and high-elevation snow from the coast of Washington and Oregon through the Intermountain West.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 1 Jan 2010 | 3:03 am

Toyota's hybrid Prius faces US probe over brakes (AFP)

AFP - Toyota is facing a potential safety issue with its highest profile vehicle, the Prius, the latest in a plague of quality problems that forced it to recall four million vehicles in 2009.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 31 Dec 2009 | 9:35 pm

DNA analysed from early European

Scientists have analysed DNA extracted from the remains of a 30,000-year-old European hunter-gatherer.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 31 Dec 2009 | 8:40 pm

Devil cancer source 'identified'

Researchers identify the genetic source of the fatal tumours that are driving Tasmanian devils to the edge of extinction.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 31 Dec 2009 | 8:34 pm

Scientists find clue to killer of Tasmanian devils (AP)

AP - Fierce as they are, Tasmanian devils can't beat a contagious cancer that threatens to wipe them out. Now scientists think they've found the disease's origin, a step in the race to save Australia's snarling marsupial.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 31 Dec 2009 | 6:29 pm

'Lifeless' prions can 'evolve'

Scientists show for the first time that 'lifeless' prion proteins, devoid of DNA and RNA, can evolve like higher forms of life.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 31 Dec 2009 | 5:06 pm

Creepy Case: Tarantula Shoots Hairs into Owner's Eye (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - A creepy case of a man who got tarantula hairs stuck in his eye has doctors advising people to wear eye protection when handling the eight-legged pets.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 31 Dec 2009 | 4:40 pm

Got a pet tarantula? Better protect your eyes

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Here's some advice stemming from the unusual case of a man who had spider hairs stuck in his cornea: Be sure to cover your eyes when hanging around with your pet tarantula.
Source: Reuters: Science News | 31 Dec 2009 | 4:37 pm

Police: Gas piped in to blow up Calif. building (AP)

AP - Police say someone tried to blow up a gang task force building in Southern California by piping in natural gas.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 31 Dec 2009 | 4:34 pm

Creepy Case: Tarantula Shoots Hairs into Owner's Eye

Doctors are surprised to find tarantula hairs sticking out of the cornea of a patient.
Source: Livescience.com | 31 Dec 2009 | 4:32 pm

Economy, scandals, politics mar Sarkozy's year (AFP)

AFP - France's President Nicolas Sarkozy enters the new year weakened in the polls while looking back at scandals, legislative setbacks and frustrated efforts to lead the fight against climate change.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 31 Dec 2009 | 1:11 pm

Top Scientific Breakthroughs of 2009

With so many incredible scientific advances and discoveries this year, Wired Science had a tough time choosing which 10 were the biggest. So, we went with the ones that stood out for us. From the amazing collective power of jellyfish, to a new human ancestor, to a cancer-detecting breathalyzer test, these stories made our list of kick-ass science in 2009.

No. 10 Element 114 Confirmed

In a cyclotron at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a beam of calcium atoms slammed into a plutonium target, producing a pair of element 114 atoms for the second time in human history. Years earlier, a Russian team made similar claims, but their accomplishment remained in doubt.

It turns out that the Russians were right. But their results were somewhat disappointing. Each atom lasted for only tenths of a second. An older generation of scientists had hoped that humanity would someday find a way to make extremely heavy elements that last a long time. That search continues.

Image: The backside of the 88-inch cyclotron at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory./LBNL

Source: Wired: Wired Science | 31 Dec 2009 | 1:05 pm

Hole in the Moon Could Shelter Colonists (SPACE.com)

SPACE.com - The moon may not be made of Swiss cheese, but it appears to have at least one deep hole, a vertical skylight that could serve as a protective lunar base for future astronauts.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 31 Dec 2009 | 12:16 pm

Study Finds Origin of Tasmanian Devil Cancer

In those old Looney Tunes, the Tasmanian Devil was an unstoppable wrecking ball of an animal, spinning through walls and eating everything in sight. In real life, the carnivorous marsupials are facing a deadly and mysterious disease that has been ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 31 Dec 2009 | 12:13 pm

Mystery of Tasmanian Devil Cancer Solved

Facial tumors on Tasmanian devils originated in nerve cells.
Source: Livescience.com | 31 Dec 2009 | 12:05 pm

Times Square Celebrates a Greener 2010

The famous Times Square New Year's Eve ball has been lit with LEDs for a few years now, but this time the rest of the display is making the big switch. Now the "2010" numerals are being lit with custom-designed ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 31 Dec 2009 | 11:38 am

Blue Moon Tonight

The blue moon is not what it seems, however.
Source: Livescience.com | 31 Dec 2009 | 11:16 am

Hole in the Moon

The hole could serve as a protective habitat for astronauts or colonists.
Source: Livescience.com | 31 Dec 2009 | 11:12 am

Geek Films of the Decade

Gladiator and Wall-E made it to the list. Find out the rest of the decade's best geek films.
Source: Livescience.com | 31 Dec 2009 | 10:34 am

China to be 3rd biggest wind power producer: media (AFP)

AFP - China is set to become the world's third largest wind power producer in 2009, state media reported, as the Asian giant seeks various ways to expand energy supply to power its economic boom.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 31 Dec 2009 | 10:30 am

Mosquitoes Harmonize to Find a Mate

The annoying buzz of a mosquito means a lot more to the bugs than you might imagine.
Source: Livescience.com | 31 Dec 2009 | 10:10 am

Study says tailored music therapy can ease tinnitus

LONDON (Reuters) - Individually designed music therapy may help reduce noise levels in people suffering from tinnitus, or ear ringing, German scientists said on Monday.
Source: Reuters: Science News | 31 Dec 2009 | 9:40 am

NASA Eyes Three Missions on the Cheap

Facing growing pressure to cut its budget, NASA is putting together a list of low-cost expeditions.
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 31 Dec 2009 | 9:05 am

Cost-cutting NASA eyes three cheap space missions (AFP)

AFP - NASA has named low-cost missions to Venus, the moon and an asteroid on a shortlist to become its latest space adventure, as the US agency faces astronomical political pressure to cut costs.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 31 Dec 2009 | 7:19 am

2009’s Sleepy Sun Finally Woke Up in December

2009 will go down as the sun’s third quietest year on record, under-shone only by 1913 and 2008.

Two hundred-sixty of the year’s 365 days (71 percent) were sunspotless. Last year saw 266 sunspotless days, while the sun had no spots on 311 of the days in 1913. It was only a very active December that kept 2009 from falling below last year’s mark.

Sunspot activity waxes and wanes in a roughly 11-year cycle, so hitting solar minima isn’t surprising. But what the numbers underscore is that we spent much of the year still in the midst of the deepest, longest solar minimum in a long time.

People keep their eyes on sunspots because their frequency and intensity is correlated with the overall level of solar activity. Changes in the sun’s energy flows can seriously impact conditions on Earth and our immediate environment in space. While a particularly active sun can generate geomagnetic storms that damage satellites and electrical grid infrastructure, a sun as quiet as the one of the last few years could affect the Earth’s climate, although not by much.

“If you want to understand all the drivers of Earth’s atmospheric system, you have to understand how sunspots emerge and evolve,” Matthias Rempel of NCAR’s High Altitude Observator told Wired.com for an earlier story.

The science of sunspots is still murky, despite new supercomputer simulations and theories about their formation. The sun remains filled with surprises.

It’s been an erratic year for sun watchers. At first, it appeared that 2009 might be even quieter than 2008. Eighty-seven percent of the days in the first three months of the year were sunspotless. In May, a big solar flare, the strongest of the new cycle, appeared to augur a return to normal for the sun. Then, August was nearly sunspotless. And in the final reversal, December has been far more active than the rest of the year.

Five regions on the sun were active at once on the 22nd, as seen above. Again assuming the current sunspot holds together until Thursday, there will have been at least one spot on 22 of the month’s 31 days.

But Tony Phillips, a NASA sky watcher who made the chart above and sketched the trend line, isn’t quite ready to declare the solar minimum over.

“If the trend continues exactly as shown (prediction: it won’t), sunspots will become a non-stop daily occurance no later than February 2011. Blank suns would cease and solar minimum would be over,” Phillips wrote on Spaceweather.com. “If the past two years have taught us anything, however, it is that the sun can be tricky and unpredictable. Stay tuned for surprises.”

Image: 1. SOHO. 2. Spaceweather.com.

See Also:

• Psychedelic Sunspot Video Useful for Science, Too
• Photo: The Sun Gets Its Spots (Back)
• Big Solar Flare Portends Sun’s Return to Normal
• Sunspot Appearance Marks Beginning of New Solar Cycle

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 | 31 Dec 2009 | 7:00 am

Champagne Corks Can Be Dangerous

If you pop the cork on some bubbly this New Year's Eve, keep an eye out.
Source: Livescience.com | 31 Dec 2009 | 6:59 am

Microbes Grow Into Holiday Art

Stephanie Mounaud, who works at the J. Craig Venter Institute created holiday art in petri dishes by getting microbes to grow in a particular pattern. I thought it was cute. Thanks to the web site Fungal Genomes.
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 31 Dec 2009 | 6:48 am

10:10 food: How to green your eating habits | Leo Hickman

When it comes to doing the right thing for the planet, the thorniest dilemmas are often about what we eat. Leo Hickman tackles 10 of them

Is having shopping delivered better than driving to the shops yourself?

As a rule, yes. Would you rather see 30 cars drive back and forth to a supermarket, or just one van delivering to 30 households? Not only does the van boast a massive weight advantage, but it is also likely to have worked out the most efficient journey possible.

But if you want your shopping to arrive within a very precise delivery window, then there's a far greater chance that the delivery driver will have to make a special trip to you, or, at the very least, make an inefficient diversion. Best to be as flexible as possible with your delivery requests if you want to cut your carbons.

Not all home deliveries are the same. Ocado operates out of one centralised distribution centre in Hertfordshire, whereas others tend to "store pack" at the closest branch to your home. However, Ocado claims that an independent audit has shown "each delivery now has a lower carbon footprint than walking to a supermarket".

What about supermarkets versus the local market or high street?

If we are to look at this question only through the prism of carbon emissions, the answer will hinge on how you travel. Did you drive to the out-of-town supermarket, or did you walk, cycle or catch a bus to the high street?

That's the easy part. It's harder to work out the embedded energy within each option. Supermarkets tend to be warehouses that need plenty of lighting, heating and refrigeration (about three-quarters of a supermarket's energy is used to refrigerate and freeze food prepared elsewhere). A local shop requires far less energy, and if it only sells locally sourced, less processed produce, it will have an advantage over a supermarket. If not, the economies of scale of a supermarket might make it preferable in pure emissions terms.

Which meat leads to fewer emissions: beef, chicken, lamb or pork?

This isn't going to please everyone, but the least carbon-intensive meat is battery-reared chicken. A 2006 study by researchers at the University of Chicago's Department of the Geophysical Sciences found that intensively reared chicken generates 1.67g of "CO² equivalent" per Kcal. By comparison, grain-fed beef (13.82g), pork (9.03g) and lamb (25.97g) cause far more emissions.

The key word in all this is "grain fed". The Sustainable Development Commission, the government's independent advisory body on sustainability, recently concluded that, where possible, we should choose meat that is "grass-fed". But it also said we should aim to eat fewer meat and dairy products to improve our health and reduce emissions.

Are some fish more carbon intensive than others?

Yes – just as we find differences between the various meats, so we find surprisingly large variations between fish species. It all comes down to how much effort is required to find, catch, package then transport the fish. For example, fish caught close to shore and in large numbers will be far less carbon intensive than species that require a trawler to burn lots of fuel travelling for days, sometimes weeks on end, out into the deep oceans.

Dr Peter Tyedmers, an ecological economist at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia and a leading expert on fuel use by fishing fleets, says that herring caught using "purse seine" nets (which catch schools of fish that gather close to the surface) can use as little as 20 litres of fuel for each tonne of live fish landed, as opposed to trawling for prawns, which can use up to 2,000 litres of fuel for each tonne of live fish landed.

Equally, when the Chicago researchers looked at fish, they found that farmed prawns were even more carbon-intensive than grain-fed lamb and beef, with 30.86g per Kcal. Farmed salmon was a lot better with 4.87g, but the humble herring had a grand total of just 0.25g per Kcal, making it 123 times less damaging than a prawn.

Okay, so should I just go veggie?

Becoming a vegetarian will certainly help you towards achieving your 10:10 goal, but going vegan is the only cast-iron guarantee. Any diet that relies greatly on dairy produce will still carry a heavy carbon burden. Hard cheese, for example, which takes a lot of milk to produce, can have a higher carbon intensity by weight than beef.

When you consider that, according to the UN, 18% of anthropogenic greenhouse gases are caused by the rearing of livestock, it's not hard to see why cutting back on meat and dairy intake can have a significant impact on reducing your emissions. A halfway house is the so-called "meat reducer", someone who only eats meat a handful of times a week and who spends time researching its provenance.

But which should I use to cook: a microwave, gas, or electric oven?

A microwave oven is the most energy-efficient option. But not everyone is happy to use one. A 2006 study by the government's Market Transformation Programme found that only about 20% of typical cooking tasks could be successfully transferred from an electric oven to a microwave.

However, when a microwave was used, it showed an average energy saving of about 50%. It takes about a tenth of the electricity to "bake" a potato in a microwave compared with an electric oven. If a microwave oven is not an option, gas ovens are generally less carbon-intensive than electric.

Should I bulk buy, cook, then freeze meals, or prepare them all fresh?

Again, this might not please your inner foodie, but freezing is the most efficient way to manage your kitchen. It's an economies-of-scale argument. The only real exception to this is if you follow a raw food diet – and if you do, pat yourself on the back, as you'll probably win the 10:10 race hands down, such are the inherent carbon efficiencies of your chosen diet. Assuming you don't air-freight tropical fruit and vegetables to your fridge each day.

Should I use an electric kettle, or a whistle kettle on a hob?

Professor David Mackay, the Cambridge physicist who wrote the best-selling Without Hot Air and who is now the Department of Energy and Climate Change's chief scientific adviser, conducted an experiment in his own kitchen last year to get to the bottom of this conundrum. He concluded that using gas is marginally more efficient – especially so in the winter, when you might want that waste heat to help warm up your kitchen.

He conducted a similar experiment to establish how much energy was saved by placing a lid on a saucepan when boiling water. He concluded this achieves only a 3% saving.

What should I drink: tea or coffee?

We're now taking carbon reductions to extremes – and this won't make a jot of difference to your 10:10 goals – but on average, 33g of CO² is emitted when manufacturing enough coffee to make one cup's worth. By comparison, loose tea has a carbon intensity of about 20g of CO² a cup.

And what's the difference between tap water and bottled water?

Tap water is always going to win this battle by a country mile – both in terms of cost and embodied carbon emissions. Tap water can have a carbon footprint as much as 300 times smaller than some imported brands of bottled water.

Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 31 Dec 2009 | 6:24 am

No Duh! The Year's Most Obvious Discoveries

The year's science findings that should come as no surprise.
Source: Livescience.com | 31 Dec 2009 | 6:23 am

NASA Plans Backup Astronaut Escape System

With NASA retiring the shuttle fleet in 2010, next generation spaceships are being developed with a renewed focus on safety.
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 31 Dec 2009 | 5:00 am

Climate change increasing malaria risk

UK-funded research shows climate change has caused a seven-fold increase in cases of malaria on the slopes of Mount Kenya

Rising temperatures on the slopes of Mount Kenya have put an extra 4 million people at risk of malaria, research funded by the UK government warned today.

Climate change has raised average temperatures in the Central Highlands region of Kenya, allowing the disease to creep into higher altitude areas where the population has little or no immunity.

The findings by a research team funded by the UK Department for International Development (DfID), showed that seven times more people are contracting the disease in outbreaks in the region than 10 years ago.

The team from the Kenyan Medical Research Institute (Kemri) said that while similar outbreaks elsewhere have been attributed to multiple factors including drug resistance and changes in land use, the only change on Mount Kenya is a rise in temperature.

The average temperature in the Central Highlands was 17C in 1989, with malaria completely absent from the region. This is because the parasite which causes malaria can only mature above 18C.

But with temperatures today averaging 19C, mosquitos are carrying the disease into high altitude areas and epidemics have begun to break out among humans.

Kemri is using climate models to predict when epidemics might occur up to three months in advance, giving authorities time to stock up on medicine and warn the public of the dangers.

The institute is also using church meetings and local health clinics to educate people in high-altitude areas on how climate change could be leading to the spread of malaria into their area.

In the west Kenyan highlands, where malaria has been present since the late 1980s, programmes have been providing mosquito nets for people to sleep under - with DfID providing 14m bed nets since 2001.

But because malaria is a relatively new phenomenon, less than half of those who own bed nets use them, DfID said.

In areas where researchers have been encouraging people to use them the incidence of malaria has dropped markedly and epidemics have been all but eradicated.

The international development secretary, Douglas Alexander, said: "The spread of malaria in the Mount Kenya region is a worrying sign of things to come.

"Without strong and urgent action to tackle climate change, malaria could infect areas without any experience of the disease.

"That's why we need to make sure vulnerable, developing nations such as Kenya have the support they need to tackle the potentially devastating impacts of climate change."

Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 31 Dec 2009 | 4:19 am

Russia plans to divert asteroid that will pass near Earth in 2030s

The Russian space agency has said it will hammer out plans to divert an asteroid that will pass near the Earth in 20 years' time.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 31 Dec 2009 | 2:18 am

Device Turns Thoughts Into Speech

Scientists embed an electrode into a patient's brain and develop a computer system to read his thoughts.
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 31 Dec 2009 | 2:10 am