Microorganisms cited as missing factor in climate change equation

Those seeking to understand and predict climate change can now use an additional tool to calculate carbon dioxide exchanges on land, according to a new article.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 4 Jan 2010 | 9:00 am

Loss of sea ice stirs up Arctic waters

The Arctic Ocean is generally considered a remarkably quiet ocean, with very little mixing, because a cover of sea ice prevents wind from driving the formation of internal waves. To study this effect and investigate how melting sea ice might affect ocean mixing in the Arctic, researchers analyzed data from moorings in the northern Chukchi Sea.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 4 Jan 2010 | 9:00 am

How you remember dance steps depends on culture: I think step to the left, you think step to the east

Even the way people remember dance moves depends on the culture they come from, according to a new article. Whereas a German or other Westerner might think in terms of "step to the right, step to the left," a nomadic hunter-gatherer from Namibia might think something more like "step to the east, step to the west."
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 4 Jan 2010 | 9:00 am

Severe asymptomatic heart disease may accompany narrowing in leg arteries

Results of a randomized, controlled clinical trial reveal that one in five patients with narrowing or blockage in arteries that supply blood to the legs and other parts of the body also have significant but silent coronary artery disease.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 4 Jan 2010 | 9:00 am

Brooding fishes take up nutrients from their own children

In the pipefish, the male cares for the offspring. Apart from the ones he sucks the life out of. Researchers have just discovery filial cannibalism in the pipefish.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 4 Jan 2010 | 9:00 am

Breast cancer survival improves if Herceptin is used with chemotherapy

Using Herceptin with chemotherapy, instead of after, clearly improves treatment of women with HER2+ breast cancer, and should be the new standard of care, says a researcher.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 4 Jan 2010 | 9:00 am

'Notch'ing up a role in the multisystem disease tuberous sclerosis complex

Two independent teams of researchers have identified a role for enhanced activation of the signaling protein Notch in tumors characterized by inactivation of either the TSC1 or the TSC2 protein. These data provide a rationale for testing whether Notch inhibitors are of benefit to those with TSC-associated tumors.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 4 Jan 2010 | 6:00 am

Acute stress leaves epigenetic marks on the hippocampus

In trying to explain psychiatric disorders, genes simply cannot tell the whole story. The real answers are in the interaction of genes and the environment. Post-traumatic stress disorder requires some trauma, for instance, and people, for the most part, aren't born depressed. Now research has revealed one mechanism by which a stressful experience changes the way that genes are expressed in the rat brain. The discovery of "epigenetic" regulation of genes in the brain is helping change the way scientists think about psychiatric disorders and could open new avenues to treatment.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 4 Jan 2010 | 6:00 am

Using modern sequencing techniques to study ancient humans

DNA that is left in the remains of long-dead plants, animals or humans allows a direct look into the history of evolution.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 4 Jan 2010 | 6:00 am

Fault weaknesses, the center cannot hold for some geologic faults

Some geologic faults that appear strong and stable, slip and slide like weak faults. Now geologists have provided laboratory evidence showing why some faults that "should not" slip are weaker than previously thought.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 4 Jan 2010 | 6:00 am

China diesel spill prompts water use alert (AP)

AP - Hundreds of thousands of Chinese were told Monday to stop using water from the Yellow River after an upstream pipeline leaked 100 tons of diesel fuel into a tributary.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 4 Jan 2010 | 3:29 am

The nation's weather (AP)

AP - The Northeast was expected to see another day of scattered snowfall on Monday, while precipitation was forecast to return to the Pacific Northwest.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 4 Jan 2010 | 3:00 am

Hong Kong air pollution: 'life-threatening' levels (AFP)

AFP - Hong Kong's roadside air pollution reached life-threatening levels one in every eight days last year, a report said Monday, citing figures obtained from the government.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 4 Jan 2010 | 2:03 am

Age of Solar System Needs to Be Recalculated

A trusted equation for calculating the age of the solar system may need rewriting. New measurements show that one of the equation’s assumptions — that certain kinds of uranium always appear in the same relative quantities in meteorites — is wrong.

“Since the 1950s, or even before that, no one had been able to detect any differences” in the quantities of uranium, says Gregory Brennecka of Arizona State University, coauthor of a paper describing the work published online December 31 in Science. “Now we’re able to measure slight differences.”

Those differences could mean that current estimates of the age of the solar system overshoot that age by 1 million years or more. Historical estimates place the age at about 4.5 billion years—a number that is not precise enough to show a difference of one million—but more finely honed recent calculations place the age at more like 4.5672 billion years. One million years is still an eyeblink at this scale, representing the difference between 4.566 and 4.567, but this difference is important in understanding the infant solar system.

“The building blocks of planets all formed within the span of 10 million years at most,” says coauthor Meenakshi Wadhwa, also of Arizona State. “When you start to try to unravel the sequence of events within that 10 million years, it becomes important to resolve the time scales within a million years or less.”

The study also finds evidence bolstering the idea that a low-mass supernova exploded nearby shortly before the solar system was born, providing heavy elements to build planets.

Geochemists measure the ages of rocks by measuring the abundance of radioactive isotopes — versions of the same element that have different atomic masses — in parts of meteorites called calcium-aluminum–rich inclusions. These inclusions are thought to be the first solids to have condensed from the cooling cloud of gas that gave birth to the sun and planets.

Because a radioactive element decays from a parent isotope to a daughter isotope at a specific rate, scientists can infer the age of a rock by comparing the amounts of each isotope.

The currently accepted calculation of the solar system’s age is derived from comparing lead-206, a daughter isotope of uranium-238, to lead-207, a daughter isotope of uranium-235.

That comparison relies on knowing the ratio of uranium-238 to uranium-235. Earlier calculations of the ratio all came up with the same number, 137.88. The assumption that the ratio was constant simplified calculations greatly — it allowed scientists to combine both uranium values into a single number, eliminating one variable from the equation. Lead isotopes are easier to measure with high precision than uranium isotopes, so an age-estimation system based only on lead values was thought to be extremely precise.

“Everybody was sitting on this two-legged stool claiming it was very stable,” comments Gerald Wasserburg, emeritus professor of geology at Caltech who was involved in much of the early work in measuring uranium ratios. “But it turns out it’s not.”

There were reasons to doubt that the uranium ratio was constant. For one thing, no theoretical reasoning supports the assumption. What’s more, measurements that relied on other, less precise radioisotopes disagreed with the age derived from lead — but agreed with each other.

“It’s kind of been a black eye for a few people in geochronology,” Brennecka says. “To really say we know the age of the solar system based on the age of the rock, it’s essential that they all agree.”

To test whether the uranium ratio really was constant, Brennecka and colleagues took samples from calcium-aluminum–rich inclusions in the well-studied Allende meteorite and measured how much uranium-235 and uranium-238 they held. Technological innovations made their measurements more precise than previous efforts.

Measurements at Brennecka’s lab and at a collaborator’s lab in Frankfurt, Germany, both showed an excess of uranium-235. This excess means that future geochemists will have to first measure the quantities of uranium-235 and uranium-238 in early solar system materials before determining their ages.

“It’s not as if this age dating process doesn’t work anymore,” says coauthor Ariel Anbar, also of Arizona State. “But if you want to push this isotope system to get ages that are really precise, suddenly we realize that there’s this variation you need to take into account.”

The team also determined that the extra uranium-235 comes from trace amounts of a radioactive element called curium present in the early solar system and formed only in certain types of supernova explosions.

“It’s an important step forward,” comments Andrew Davis of the University of Chicago. “There have been so many unsuccessful experiments in the past, but this one succeeded. I think it will be an important piece of the puzzle.”

Image: NASA/JPL

See Also:

• Edge of Solar System Is Not What We Expected
• Pieces of Infant Solar System Found in Comet’s Wake
• Pluto 2015: Journey to the Rim of the Solar System
• Nearby Solar System Looks Like Our Own at Time Life Formed
• Saturn’s Hexagon May Be Solar System’s Coolest Mystery

Source: Wired: Wired Science | 3 Jan 2010 | 10:01 pm

Australia floods peak, but farmers see export boon (Reuters)

Reuters - Australian authorities declared a natural disaster over flood-stricken areas on Monday, but rains submerging large swathes of New South Wales state could be a boon for crop exports after a crippling drought, farmers said.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 3 Jan 2010 | 9:12 pm

Seth Shostak, alien hunter

Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at Seti (the search for extraterrestrial intelligence), discusses the latest developments in the project.

The topics covered in this extended interview include what form signals from an alien civilisation would take, what ET might look like, the day Seti astronomers thought they had made contact, and what a confirmed signal would mean for planet Earth.

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Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 3 Jan 2010 | 5:01 pm

Mars rover Spirit's 6-year stint may be ending: NASA (AFP)

AFP - NASA Sunday celebrated Mars rover Spirit's bountiful, six-year stint on the red planet, way longer than the three months it was forecast to last. But it all may soon come to an end, stuck as it is in Martian sand.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 3 Jan 2010 | 4:02 pm

Never Stop at a Gas Station Again

That would be how it works if you drove an electric vehicle. Your refueling would be done in the garage at your house, in a parking space at work, at the places you shop and dine. If wireless power were ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 3 Jan 2010 | 3:50 pm

Europe unites to build renewable energy 'supergrid'

• North Sea countries plan vast clean energy project
• €30bn scheme could offer weather-proof supply

It would connect turbines off the wind-lashed north coast of Scotland with Germany's vast arrays of solar panels, and join the power of waves crashing on to the Belgian and Danish coasts with the hydro-electric dams nestled in Norway's fjords: Europe's first electricity grid dedicated to renewable power will become a political reality this month, as nine countries formally draw up plans to link their clean energy projects around the North Sea.

The network, made up of thousands of kilometres of highly efficient undersea cables that could cost up to €30bn (£26.5bn), would solve one of the biggest criticisms faced by renewable power – that unpredictable weather means it is unreliable.

With a renewables supergrid, electricity can be supplied across the continent from wherever the wind is blowing, the sun is shining or the waves are crashing.

Connected to Norway's many hydro-electric power stations, it could act as a giant 30GW battery for Europe's clean energy, storing electricity when demand is low and be a major step towards a continent-wide supergrid that could link into the vast potential of solar power farms in North Africa.

By autumn, the nine governments involved – Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden and Ireland and the UK – hope to have a plan to begin building a high-voltage direct current network within the next decade. It will be an important step in achieving the European Union's pledge that, by 2020, 20% of its energy will come from renewable sources.

"We recognise that the North Sea has huge resources, we are exploiting those in the UK quite intensively at the moment," said the UK's energy and climate change minister, Lord Hunt. "But there are projects where it might make sense to join up with other countries, so this comes at a very good time for us."

More than 100GW of offshore wind projects are under development in Europe, around 10% of the EU's electricity demand, and equivalent to about 100 large coal-fired plants. The surge in wind power means the continent's grid needs to be adapted, according to Justin Wilkes of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). An EWEA study last year outlined where these cables might be built and this is likely to be a starting point for the discussions by the nine countries.

Renewable energy is much more decentralised and is often built in inhospitable places, far from cities. A supergrid in the North Sea would enable a secure and reliable energy supply from renewables by balancing power across the continent.

Norway's hydro plants – equivalent to about 30 large coal-fired power stations – could use excess power to pump water uphill, ready to let it rush down again, generating electricity, when demand is high. "The benefits of an offshore supergrid are not simply to allow offshore wind farms to connect; if you have additional capacity, which you will do within these lines, it will allow power trading between countries and that improves EU competitiveness," said Wilkes.

The European Commission has also been studying proposals for a renewable-electricity grid in the North Sea. A working group in the EC's energy department, led by Georg Wilhelm Adamowitsch, will produce a plan by the end of 2010. He has warned that without additional transmission infrastructure, the EU will not be able to meet its ambitious targets. Hunt said the EC working group's findings would be fed into the nine-country grid plan.

The cost of a North Sea grid has not yet been calculated, but a study by Greenpeace in 2008 put the price of building a similar grid by 2025 at €15bn-€20bn. This would provide more than 6,000km of cable around the region. The EWEA's 2009 study suggested the costs of connecting the proposed 100GW wind farms and building interconnectors, into which further wind and wave power farms could be plugged in future, would probably push the bill closer to €30bn. The technical, planning, legal and environmental issues will be discussed at the meeting of the nine this month.

"The first thing we're aiming for is a common vision," said Hunt. "We will hopefully sign a memorandum of understanding in the autumn with ministers setting out what we're trying to do and how we plan to do it."

All those involved also have an eye on the future, said Wilkes. "The North Sea grid would be the backbone of the future European electricity supergrid," he said. This supergrid, which has support from scientists at the commission's Institute for Energy (IE), and political backing from both the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, and Gordon Brown, would link huge solar farms in southern Europe – producing electricity either through photovoltaic cells, or by concentrating the sun's heat to boil water and drive turbines – with marine, geothermal and wind projects elsewhere on the continent. Scientists at the IE have estimated it would require the capture of just 0.3% of the light falling on the Sahara and the deserts of the Middle East to meet all Europe's energy needs.

In this grid, electricity would be transmitted along high voltage direct current cables. These are more expensive than traditional alternating-current cables, but they lose less energy over long distances.

Hunt agreed that the European supergrid was a long-term dream, but one worth making a reality. The UK, like other countries, faced "huge challenges with our renewables targets," he said. "The 2020 target is just the beginning and then we've got to aim for 2050 with a decarbonised electricity supply – so we need all the renewables we can get."

Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 3 Jan 2010 | 3:30 pm

Positive lyrics can hit home with grumpy teenagers, study says

It's a scenario every parent of a teenager will recognise: the bedroom door closes, a volume dial is rotated clockwise and loud music fills the room for hours at a time. But there is some good news – this routine might actually make your child more caring and socially responsible.

After years of studies purporting to show the harmful effects of young people listening to songs with violent or misogynistic themes, a psychologist has concluded that music containing a positive message has a beneficial impact on listeners.

Dr Tobias Greitemeyer from the University of Sussex carried out a series of tests on groups of students in which those exposed to so-called pro-social music – one example was Help! by the Beatles – later acted in a more considerate and empathetic way than peers who had listened to songs containing a neutral or apparently meaningless lyrical message.

His experiments took groups of students and split them at random into those who listened individually either to socially-conscious songs or those with a neutral message, and then used various ways to measure the apparent effect. In one, after the music had stopped, a researcher "accidentally" knocked a cup of pencils from a table and paused briefly before beginning to collect them.

On average, those who had heard songs like Michael Jackson's Heal the World responded more quickly and picked up almost five times as many pencils as people in the other group.

Other volunteers were asked, after listening to the music, whether they would help with a separate research project. Almost three times as many in the "pro-social" group said they would. "It's a very consistent effect. I did not expect it would be so significant," Greitemeyer said.

Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 3 Jan 2010 | 12:22 pm

Future uncertain for stuck Mars rover (AP)

AP - Spirit has always been the unluckier of NASA's twin Mars rovers.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 3 Jan 2010 | 11:27 am

Astronomers Flock to 'Largest Astronomy Meeting in the Universe' (SPACE.com)

SPACE.com - Astronomers are gathering in Washington, D.C. today for what is being billed as the largest astronomy meeting in the history of the universe.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 3 Jan 2010 | 9:46 am

Lobster-Like Creature Eats Wood (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - In the deep sea, food is scarce and the menu short - so short that at least one organism eats the table along with the fare. In fact, the table may be the main course for Munidopsis andamanica, a crustacean known as a "squat lobster," related to true lobsters.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 3 Jan 2010 | 8:20 am

Freeze leads to wildfowl hunt ban

A temporary ban on the shooting of some species of wildfowl is announced in Scotland due to freezing conditions.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 3 Jan 2010 | 7:21 am

Spaceman

Fingers crossed for Mars' Spirit of exploration
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 3 Jan 2010 | 2:44 am