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Discovery of rare genetic mutation could help battle Tourette syndromeA single, very unusual family with Tourette syndrome has led researchers to identify a rare mutation in a gene that is required to produce histamine. The finding provides a new framework to understand many years of data on the role of histamine function in the brain and points to a potentially novel approach to treatment of tics and Tourette.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 7 May 2010 | 9:00 am British summer is advancing, experts showThe onset of summer in England has been advancing since the mid 1950s, new research has shown. The investigations examined records of the first blooming date of early summer flowering plants (phenology) and the timing of first occurrences of warm "summer" temperatures -- events linked with the onset of summer.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 7 May 2010 | 9:00 am New genes involved in human eye color identifiedThree new genetic loci have been identified with involvement in subtle and quantitative variation of human eye color. Previous studies on the genetics of human eye color used broadly-categorized trait information such as 'blue', 'green', and 'brown'. However, variation in eye color exists in a continuous grading from the lightest blue to the darkest brown.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 7 May 2010 | 9:00 am Candidate gene culprits for chronic pain discoveredScientists report that chronic pain may be caused by the inadvertent reprogramming of more than 2,000 genes in the peripheral nervous system. The research might ultimately lead to "transcription therapy," the researchers speculate, which would employ drugs that kill pain by correcting the activity of specific genes.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 7 May 2010 | 9:00 am Chromosome 'glue' surprises scientistsProteins called cohesins ensure that newly copied chromosomes bind together, separate correctly during cell division, and are repaired efficiently after DNA damage. Scientists have found that cohesins are needed in different concentrations for their different functions. This discovery helps to explain how certain developmental disorders, arise without affecting cell division essential to development.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 7 May 2010 | 9:00 am Wash away your doubts when you wash your handsWashing your hands "wipes the slate clean," removing doubts about recent choices, according to researchers. Their study expands on past research by showing that hand-washing does more than remove the guilt of past misdeeds.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 7 May 2010 | 9:00 am Endometrial stem cells restore brain dopamine levels; Mouse study may lead to new therapies for Parkinson's DiseaseEndometrial stem cells injected into the brains of mice with a laboratory-induced form of Parkinson's disease appeared to take over the functioning of brain cells eradicated by the disease. The finding raises the possibility that women with Parkinson's disease could serve as their own stem cell donors. Similarly, because endometrial stem cells are readily available and easy to collect, banks of endometrial stem cells could be stored for men and women with Parkinson's diseaseSource: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 7 May 2010 | 6:00 am Trapping giant Rydberg atoms for faster quantum computersIn an achievement that could help enable fast quantum computers, physicists have built a better Rydberg atom trap. Rydberg atoms are highly excited, nearly-ionized giants that can be thousands of times larger than their ground-state counterparts.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 7 May 2010 | 6:00 am Nanocoating makes perfectly non-reflecting displaysA new nanocoating ensures a perfectly non-reflecting view on displays and through eyeglasses. The necessary surface structure is applied to the polymeric parts during manufacture, obviating the need for a separate process step. The hybrid coating has further advantages: the components are scratch-proof and easy to clean.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 7 May 2010 | 6:00 am Prescription drug could boost effects of vaccines for HIV and other diseasesA prescription drug already approved to treat genital warts and skin cancer may have a new use in boosting the effectiveness of future vaccines for bacterial and viral diseases, such as hepatitis C and HIV.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 7 May 2010 | 6:00 am BP hopes giant steel dome will stem US Gulf leak (Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 7 May 2010 | 3:40 am Giant box close to being over oil-spewing well (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 7 May 2010 | 3:26 am The nation's weather (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 7 May 2010 | 2:55 am SpacemanHerschel telescope paints the cosmic landscapeSource: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 7 May 2010 | 2:30 am Crews lower dome in bid to cap oil leak (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 7 May 2010 | 1:08 am Genetic Switch Could Restore Memory
Like older humans, elderly mice often don’t remember where they were when something happened. In the study, published May 7 in Science, researchers put mice into a box with particular lighting, smells and other cues the animals should remember, and then delivered a foot shock. Young mice, encountering the same box 24 hours later, remembered the foreboding place and froze in fear. But middle-aged 16-month-old mice had trouble recalling the danger and scurried about unafraid.
To figure out what caused this memory decline, a team led by André Fischer of the European Neuroscience Institute in Göttingen, Germany looked for minute chemical changes that might literally hide some of the genes needed for memory formation. Earlier studies had found that as memories are encoded in the brain, a suite of over 1,000 genes turn on and act as helpers in the memory-making process. To activate helper genes, chemical tags called acetyl groups must first loosen tightly wrapped DNA. This signals that the helper genes are open for business. In the new study, Fischer and his colleagues found that these chemical decorations were responsible for the old mice’s inability to remember. Old mice had many fewer acetyl groups at the time that they should have been storing the memory of the shock. As a result, the suite of genes that should have been loosened up and ready for action remained turned off. In additional experiments, the researchers injected a drug into the brains of older mice to counter the drop in acetyl tag attachment, or acetylation. As a result, the battery of memory genes kicked on, and the mice were able to remember the shock as well as the younger mice did, freezing just as often. If memory formation works the same way in people, scientists might be able to counter memory loss by boosting acetylation. One challenge: acetylation has many roles in the body, so a drug would have to boost this process specifically in the brain. “Everyone’s looking for some way to alleviate these age-related deficits,” says molecular neuroscientist Farah Lubin at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “There’s a lot more work to be done,” she says. Image: ernest figuera/flickr See Also:
Source: Wired: Wired Science | 7 May 2010 | 12:43 am Crew couldn't stop oil disaster; can they fix it? (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 6 May 2010 | 10:01 pm Genes Tie Blood Fat to Heart Disease (HealthDay)HealthDay - THURSDAY, May 6 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists have long debated the role triglyceride levels might play in heart disease, and finally they have genetic evidence linking high concentrations of the blood fat to an increased risk of heart trouble.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 6 May 2010 | 9:48 pm Stephen Hawking's Time MachineBritish cosmologist Stephen Hawking has outlined not one, but three, theoretically realistic ideas for traveling through time, one of which he says is even practical.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 6 May 2010 | 9:22 pm Smoking is Good For You!*Nicotine jolts our brains -- in a good way.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 6 May 2010 | 8:47 pm The Pill Linked to Low Libido in Women (LiveScience.com)LiveScience.com - Women who use hormonal contraceptives, such as birth control pills and skin patches, are more likely than others to have low sex drive, suggests a new and remarkably simple study.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 6 May 2010 | 8:45 pm Mayan Plumbing More Than a Pipe DreamArchaeologists discovered that Mayans had pressurized water -- perhaps a form of modern plumbing -- hundreds of years before European conquerors arrived in the New World.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 6 May 2010 | 8:37 pm Oil slick reaches wildlife refugeOil from a huge slick in the Gulf of Mexico is washing ashore on a chain of islands off the coast of Louisiana, officials say.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 6 May 2010 | 6:20 pm NASA succesfully tests Orion abort system (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 6 May 2010 | 6:01 pm European and Asian genomes have traces of NeanderthalMigrating humans interbred with Neanderthals after leaving Africa.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/news/rss/today/~4/XlLiR21epb8" height="1" width="1"/>Source: NatureNews - All articles published today - nature.com science feeds | 6 May 2010 | 4:57 pm New director floated for international fusion reactorSecond management change in recent months for ITER.Source: NatureNews - All articles published today - nature.com science feeds | 6 May 2010 | 3:01 pm What Were the Worst Days Ever on Wall Street?The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged almost 1,000 points today amidst fears over Greece’s financial solvency. Lucky, the market recovered, but on some days in the past, stocks failed to rebound from similarly large drops.Source: Livescience.com | 6 May 2010 | 3:00 pm Problem Detected with Voyager 2 Spacecraft at Edge of Solar System (SPACE.com)SPACE.com - NASA has commanded the famed Voyager 2 probe to send only information on its health and status after spotting a puzzling change in the spacecraft's pattern of communication from the edge of the solar system.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 6 May 2010 | 2:45 pm Scientists decry "assaults" on climate researchWASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 250 U.S. scientists on Thursday defended climate change research against "political assaults" and warned that any delay in tackling global warming heightens the risk of a planet-wide catastrophe.Source: Reuters: Science News | 6 May 2010 | 2:37 pm Neanderthal Genome Shows Most Humans Are Cavemen
After years of anticipation, the Neanderthal genome has been sequenced. It’s not quite complete, but there’s enough for scientists to start comparing it with our own. According to these first comparisons, humans and Neanderthals are practically identical at the protein level. Whatever our differences, they’re not in the composition of our building blocks. However, even if the Neanderthal genome won’t show scientists what makes humans so special, there’s a consolation prize for the rest of us. Most people can likely trace some of their DNA to Neanderthals. “The Neanderthals are not totally extinct. In some of us they live on a little bit,” said Max Planck Institute evolutionary geneticist Svante Pääbo. It took four years for Pääbo’s team to assemble a working sequence from DNA in the bones of three 38,000-year-old Neanderthal women, found in Croatia’s Vindija Cave. The sequence, published May 6 in Science, covers about 60 percent of the entire genome. Though much remains unfinished, researchers were able to compare the Neanderthal genome to the human at 14,000 protein-coding gene segments that differ between humans and chimpanzees. Researchers link these proteins to changes in humans’ cognitive development, physiology and metabolism. At all but 88 of those hot spots, Neanderthals were no different than us. The differences are so slight that the researchers suspect them to be functionally irrelevant. If more genomes could be compared, there might be no differences at all.
That type of evolution won’t be easy to study by looking at a few ancient fossils. “There are a lot of aspects of differences between species that can’t be solely obtained from DNA sequence,” said University of Michigan genetic anthropologist Noah Rosenberg, who wasn’t involved in the study. “But at the same time, the DNA sequence is a good place to start.” Such studies will occupy scientists for years to come. In the meantime, the researchers produced a more immediately stirring result. They compared the Neanderthal genome to genomes of five people from China, France, Papua New Guinea, southern Africa and western Africa. Among non-Africans, between one and four percent of all DNA came from Neanderthals. On a functional level, the DNA was no different from our own, but bore telltale molecular marks of Neanderthal heritage. Many studies have posited a Neanderthal-human inbreeding. In 1999, researchers discovered a 25,000-year-old girl with mixed features. Population geneticists have found historical patterns of genetic influx so sudden that breeding with Neanderthals seems the most plausible explanation. But studies like those have not proved conclusive. For people of African descent disappointed that they lack Neanderthal ancestry, Pääbo gave solace. “It’s totally possible that inside Africa, there was a contribution from other archaic humans that we don’t know about,” he said. “We shouldn’t take these results as saying that only people outside Africa have caveman biology.” Images: 1. Neanderthal sculpture by John Gurche./ Photographed by Chip Clark, Smithsonian. 2) Neanderthal bone fragments./Max Planck Institute. See Also:
Citations: “Targeted Investigation of the Neandertal Genome by Array-Based “A Draft Sequence of the Neandertal Genome.” By Richard E. Green, Johannes Krause, Adrian W. Briggs, Tomislav Maricic, Udo Stenzel, Martin Kircher, Nick Patterson, Heng Li, Weiwei Zhai, Markus Hsi-Yang Fritz, Nancy F. Hansen, Eric Y. Durand, Anna-Sapfo Malaspinas, Jeffrey D. Jensen, Tomas Marques-Bonet, Can Alkan, Kay Prüfer, Matthias Meyer, Hernán A.Burbano, Jeffrey M.Good, Rigo Schultz, Ayinuer Aximu-Petri, Anne Butthof, Barbara Höber, Barbara Höffner, Madlen Siegemund, Antje Weihmann, Chad Nusbaum, Eric S. Lander, Carsten Russ, Nathaniel Novod, Jason Affourtit, Michael Egholm, Christine Verna, Pavao Rudan, Dejana Brajkovic, Željko Kucan, Ivan Gušic, Vladimir B. Doronichev, Liubov V. Golovanova, Carles Lalueza-Fox, Marcodela Rasilla, Javier Fortea, Antonio Rosas, Ralf W. Schmitz, Philip L. F. Johnson, Evan E. Eichler, Daniel Falush, Ewan Birney, James C. Mullikin, Montgomery Slatkin, Rasmus Nielsen, Janet Kelso, Michael Lachmann, David Reich, Svante Pääbo. Science, Vol. 328 No. 5979, May 6, 2010. Brandon Keim’s Twitter stream and reportorial outtakes; Wired Science on Twitter. Brandon is currently working on a book about ecological tipping points.
Source: Wired: Wired Science | 6 May 2010 | 2:35 pm Review prioritizes NASA's astrophysics missionsSpace agency's committee sifts winners from losers.Source: NatureNews - All articles published today - nature.com science feeds | 6 May 2010 | 2:30 pm Neanderthals live on in some of us: DNA studyWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Neanderthals and modern humans interbred, probably when early humans first began to migrate out of Africa, according to a genetic study released on Thursday.Source: Reuters: Science News | 6 May 2010 | 2:25 pm Powerful Laser Makes Raindrops Out of Thin AirShort laser pulses can create water condensation out of humid air. The technique could one day be used to make rain on demand.Source: Livescience.com | 6 May 2010 | 2:24 pm El Nino weakening as hurricane season nears (AP)AP - The weather-altering El Nino condition in the Pacific Ocean seems to be easing and could be over by June, government climate experts reported Thursday.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 6 May 2010 | 1:34 pm How Tsunami Warnings Fail, and How to Fix ThemDespite scientists' excellent tsunami forecasting ability, there remains a large gap between how they issue their warnings, and what the public understands.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 6 May 2010 | 12:47 pm Laser Conjures Clouds Over BerlinBy firing a laser into the sky over Berlin, scientists have successfully created clouds from thin air. It could be the first step towards a radical new way to modify weather.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 6 May 2010 | 12:45 pm Brazil and U.S. Ranked Worst for Environmental ImpactNew rankings of countries' impact on environment puts U.S. and Brazil at top.Source: Livescience.com | 6 May 2010 | 12:13 pm Neanderthal genes 'survive in us'Many people alive today possess some Neanderthal ancestry, according to the results of a landmark genetic study.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 6 May 2010 | 12:02 pm Humans and Neanderthals Mated, Making You Part CavemanHumans and Cavemen mated, according to an analysis of Neanderthal genes, which were sequenced for the first time in a recent study.Source: Livescience.com | 6 May 2010 | 12:02 pm Washing Hands Makes Tough Choices EasierWashing is both literally and figuratively cleansing, suggesting that sensory experiences often reflect abstract feelings.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 6 May 2010 | 12:01 pm Hand-Washing Wipes Away Buyer's RemorseCleansing one's hands may wipe the mental state clean as well.Source: Livescience.com | 6 May 2010 | 12:00 pm Scientists condemn 'political assaults'Open letter defends the integrity of climate science and hits out at recent attacks driven by 'special interests or dogma' A group of 255 of the world's top scientists today wrote an open letter aimed at restoring public faith in the integrity of climate science. In a strongly worded reproof of the recent escalation of political assaults on climatologists, the letter, published in the US Journal Science and signed by 11 Nobel laureates, attacks critics driven by "special interests or dogma" and "McCarthy-like" threats against researchers. It also attempts to set the record straight on the process of rigorous scientific research. The letter is a response to negative publicity following the release of thousands of hacked emails from climate scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA) and two mistakes makes by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN climate body. The letter sets out some basic features of the scientific method. "Like all human beings, scientists make mistakes, but the scientific process is designed to find and correct them. But when some conclusions have been thoroughly and deeply tested, questioned, and examined, they gain the status of 'well-established theories' and are often spoken of as 'facts'," it says. The document, citing theories including the age and origin of the Earth, the Big Bang and Darwin's evolution by natural selection, says that anthropogenic climate change is now so well-supported by evidence that it has achieved the same status. It adds that owing to science's adversarial nature, "fame" awaits any scientists who can prove the theory wrong. "There is nothing remotely identified in the recent events that changes the fundamental conclusions about climate change," the letter says. The authors – who are all members of the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the country's premier scientific institution – include some of the academic community's most distinguished climate researchers. But the list also includes top anthropologists, biochemistists and physicists who have felt the need to defend climate science in the wake of what they regard as politically motivated attacks. Three senior scientists from the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford and Manchester have also added their endorsement. All of the scientists signed up in a personal capacity, not on behalf of the National Academy or on behalf of their institution. "Many recent assaults on climate science and, more disturbingly, on climate scientists by climate change deniers, are typically driven by special interests or dogma, not by an honest effort to provide an alternative theory that credibly satisfies the evidence," the letter says. Its call for an end to "McCarthy-like threats of criminal prosecution against our colleagues based on innuendo and guilt by association" appears to be jibe at Republican senator, James Inhofe, who has called for a criminal investigation into US and British climatologists whose email exchanges were stolen from UEA. The letter also condemns the "harassment of scientists by politicians seeking distractions to avoid taking action, and the outright lies being spread about them." The letter's co-ordinator, Peter Gleick, of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security in Oakland, California, said: "[It] originated with a number of NAS members who were frustrated at the misinformation being spread by climate deniers and the assaults on scientists by some policy-makers who hope to delay or avoid making policy decisions and are hiding behind the recent controversy around emails and minor errors in the IPCC." guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 6 May 2010 | 12:00 pm Open letter: Climate change and the integrity of scienceFull text of an open letter from 255 members of the US National Academy of Sciences in defence of climate research We are deeply disturbed by the recent escalation of political assaults on scientists in general and on climate scientists in particular. All citizens should understand some basic scientific facts. There is always some uncertainty associated with scientific conclusions; science never absolutely proves anything. When someone says that society should wait until scientists are absolutely certain before taking any action, it is the same as saying society should never take action. For a problem as potentially catastrophic as climate change, taking no action poses a dangerous risk for our planet. Scientific conclusions derive from an understanding of basic laws supported by laboratory experiments, observations of nature, and mathematical and computer modelling. Like all human beings, scientists make mistakes, but the scientific process is designed to find and correct them. This process is inherently adversarial— scientists build reputations and gain recognition not only for supporting conventional wisdom, but even more so for demonstrating that the scientific consensus is wrong and that there is a better explanation. That's what Galileo, Pasteur, Darwin, and Einstein did. But when some conclusions have been thoroughly and deeply tested, questioned, and examined, they gain the status of "well-established theories" and are often spoken of as "facts." For instance, there is compelling scientific evidence that our planet is about 4.5bn years old (the theory of the origin of Earth), that our universe was born from a single event about 14bn years ago (the Big Bang theory), and that today's organisms evolved from ones living in the past (the theory of evolution). Even as these are overwhelmingly accepted by the scientific community, fame still awaits anyone who could show these theories to be wrong. Climate change now falls into this category: there is compelling, comprehensive, and consistent objective evidence that humans are changing the climate in ways that threaten our societies and the ecosystems on which we depend. Many recent assaults on climate science and, more disturbingly, on climate scientists by climate change deniers, are typically driven by special interests or dogma, not by an honest effort to provide an alternative theory that credibly satisfies the evidence. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and other scientific assessments of climate change, which involve thousands of scientists producing massive and comprehensive reports, have, quite expectedly and normally, made some mistakes. When errors are pointed out, they are corrected. But there is nothing remotely identified in the recent events that changes the fundamental conclusions about climate change: (i) The planet is warming due to increased concentrations of heat-trapping gases in our atmosphere. A snowy winter in Washington does not alter this fact. (ii) Most of the increase in the concentration of these gases over the last century is due to human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. (iii) Natural causes always play a role in changing Earth's climate, but are now being overwhelmed by human-induced changes. (iv) Warming the planet will cause many other climatic patterns to change at speeds unprecedented in modern times, including increasing rates of sea-level rise and alterations in the hydrologic cycle. Rising concentrations of carbon dioxide are making the oceans more acidic. (v) The combination of these complex climate changes threatens coastal communities and cities, our food and water supplies, marine and freshwater ecosystems, forests, high mountain environments, and far more. Much more can be, and has been, said by the world's scientific societies, national academies, and individuals, but these conclusions should be enough to indicate why scientists are concerned about what future generations will face from business- as-usual practices. We urge our policymakers and the public to move forward immediately to address the causes of climate change, including the unrestrained burning of fossil fuels. We also call for an end to McCarthy- like threats of criminal prosecution against our colleagues based on innuendo and guilt by association, the harassment of scientists by politicians seeking distractions to avoid taking action, and the outright lies being spread about them. Society has two choices: we can ignore the science and hide our heads in the sand and hope we are lucky, or we can act in the public interest to reduce the threat of global climate change quickly and substantively. The good news is that smart and effective actions are possible. But delay must not be an option. • The signatories are all members of the US National Academy of Sciences but are not speaking on its behalf or on behalf of their institutions. Adams, Robert McCormick, University of California, San Diego Amasino, Richard M, University of Wisconsin Anders, Edward, University of Chicago Anderson, David J, California Institute of Technology Anderson, Wyatt W, University of Georgia Anselin, Luc E, Arizona State University Arroyo, Mary Kalin, University of Chile Asfaw, Berhane, Rift Valley Research Service Ayala, Francisco J, University of California, Irvine Bax, Adriaan, National Institutes of Health Bebbington, Anthony J, University of Manchester Bell, Gordon, Microsoft Research Bennett, Michael V L, Albert Einstein College of Medicine Bennetzen, Jeffrey L, University of Georgia Berenbaum, May R, University of Illinois Berlin, Overton Brent, University of Georgia Bjorkman, Pamela J, California Institute of Technology Blackburn, Elizabeth, University of California, San Francisco Blamont, Jacques E, Centre National d' Etudes Spatiales Botchan, Michael R, University of California, Berkeley Boyer, John S, University of Delaware Boyle, Ed A, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Branton, Daniel, Harvard University Briggs, Steven P, University of California, San Diego Briggs, Winslow R, Carnegie Institution of Washington Brill, Winston J, Winston J. Brill and Associates Britten, Roy J, California Institute of Technology Broecker, Wallace S, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia University Brown, James H, University of New Mexico Brown, Patrick O, Stanford University School of Medicine Brunger, Axel T, Stanford University Cairns, Jr John, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Canfield, Donald E, University of Southern Denmark Carpenter, Stephen R, University of Wisconsin Carrington, James C, Oregon State University Cashmore, Anthony R, University of Pennsylvania Castilla, Juan Carlos, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Cazenave, Anny, Centre National d' Etudes Spatiales Chapin, III F, Stuart, University of Alaska Ciechanover, Aaron J, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology Clapham, David E, Harvard Medical School Clark, William C, Harvard University Clayton, Robert N, University of Chicago Coe, Michael D, Yale University Conwell, Esther M, University of Rochester Cowling, Ellis B, North Carolina State University Cowling, Richard M, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Cox, Charles S, University of California, San Diego Croteau, Rodney B, Washington State University Crothers, Donald M, Yale University Crutzen, Paul J, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry Daily, Gretchen C, Stanford University Dalrymple, Brent G, Oregon State University Dangl, Jeffrey L, University of North Carolina Darst, Seth A, Rockefeller University Davies, David R, National Institutes of Health Davis, Margaret B, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis De Camilli, Pietro V, Yale University School of Medicine Dean, Caroline, John Innes Centre DeFries, Ruth S, Columbia University Deisenhofer, Johann, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas Delmer, Deborah P, University of California, Davis DeLong, Edward F, Massachusetts Institute of Technology DeRosier, David J, Brandeis University Diener, Theodor O, University of Maryland Dirzo, Rodolfo, Stanford University Dixon, Jack E, Howard Hughes Medical Center Donoghue, Michael J, Yale University Doolittle, Russell F, University of California, San Diego Dunne, Thomas, University of California, Santa Barbara Ehrlich, Paul R, Stanford University Eisenstadt, Shmuel N, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Eisner, Thomas, Cornell University Emanuel, Kerry A, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Englander, Walter S, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Ernst, W, G, Stanford University Falkowski, Paul G, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey Feher, George, University of California, San Diego Ferejohn, John A, Stanford University Fersht, Sir Alan, University of Cambridge Fischer, Edmond H, University of Washington Fischer, Robert, University of California, Berkeley Flannery, Kent V, University of Michigan Frank, Joachim, Columbia University Frey, Perry A, University of Wisconsin Fridovich, Irwin, Duke University Medical Center Frieden, Carl, Washington University School of Medicine Futuyma, Douglas J, Stony Brook University Gardner, Wilford R, University of California, Berkeley Garrett, Christopher J R, University of Victoria Gilbert, Walter, Harvard University Gleick, Peter H, Pacific Institute, Oakland Goldberg, Robert B, University of California, Los Angeles Goodenough, Ward H, University of Pennsylvania Goodman, Morris, Wayne State University School of Medicine Greengard, Paul, Rockefeller University Hake, Sarah, Agricultural Research Service Hammel, Gene, University of California, Berkeley Hanson, Susan, Clark University Harrison, Stephen C, Harvard Medical School Hart, Stanley R, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Hartl, Daniel L, Harvard University Haselkorn, Robert, University of Chicago Hawkes, Kristen, University of Utah Hayes, John M, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Hille, Bertil, University of Washington Hökfelt, Tomas, Karolinska Institutet House, James S, University of Michigan Hout, Michael, University of California, Berkeley Hunten, Donald M, University of Arizona Izquierdo, Ivan A, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul Jagendorf, André T, Cornell University Janzen, Daniel H, University of Pennsylvania Jeanloz, Raymond, University of California, Berkeley Jencks, Christopher S, Harvard University Jury, William A, University of California, Riverside Kaback, H Ronald, University of California, Los Angeles Kailath, Thomas, Stanford University Kay, Paul, International Computer Science Institute Kay, Steve A, University of California, San Diego Kennedy, Donald, Stanford University Kerr, Allen, University of Adelaide Kessler, Ronald C, Harvard Medical School Khush, Gurdev S, University of California, Davis Kieffer, Susan W, University of Illinois Kirch, Patrick V, University of California, Berkeley Kirk, Kent C, University of Wisconsin Kivelson, Margaret G, University of California, Los Angeles Klinman, Judith P, University of California, Berkeley Klug, Sir Aaron, Medical Research Council Knopoff, Leon, University of California, Los Angeles Kornberg, Sir Hans, Boston University Kutzbach, John E, University of Wisconsin Lagarias, J Clark, University of California, Davis Lambeck, Kurt, Australian National University Landy, Arthur, Brown University Langmuir, Charles H, Harvard University Larkins, Brian A, University of Arizona Le Pichon, Xavier T, College de France Lenski, Richard E, Michigan State University Leopold, Estella B, University of Washington Levin, Simon A, Princeton University Levitt, Michael, Stanford University School of Medicine Likens, Gene E, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies Lippincott-Schwartz, Jennifer, National Institutes of Health Lorand, Laszlo, Northwestern University Lovejoy, Owen C, Kent State University Lynch, Michael, Indiana University Mabogunje, Akin L, Foundation for Development and Environmental Initiatives Malone, Thomas F, North Carolina State University Manabe, Syukuro, Princeton University Marcus, Joyce, University of Michigan Massey, Douglas S, Princeton University McWilliams, Jim C, University of California, Los Angeles Medina, Ernesto, Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research Melosh, Jay H, Purdue University Meltzer, David J, Southern Methodist University Michener, Charles D, University of Kansas Miles, Edward L, University of Washington Mooney, Harold A, Stanford University Moore, Peter B, Yale University Morel, Francois M M, Princeton University Mosley-Thompson, Ellen, Ohio State University Moss, Bernard, National Institutes of Health Munk, Walter H, University of California, San Diego Myers, Norman, University of Oxford Nair, Balakrish G, National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases Nathans, Jeremy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Nester, Eugene W, University of Washington Nicoll, Roger A, University of California, San Francisco Novick, Richard P, New York University School of Medicine O'Connell, James F, University of Utah Olsen, Paul E, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University Opdyke, Neil D, University of Florida Oster, George F, University of California, Berkeley Ostrom, Elinor, Indiana University Pace, Norman R, University of Colorado Paine, Robert T, University of Washington Palmiter, Richard D, University of Washington School of Medicine Pedlosky, Joseph, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Petsko, Gregory A, Brandeis University Pettengill, Gordon H, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Philander, George S, Princeton University Piperno, Dolores R, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Pollard, Thomas D, Yale University Price Jr. Buford P, University of California, Berkeley Reichard, Peter A, Karolinska Institutet Reskin, Barbara F, University of Washington Ricklefs, Robert E, University of Missouri Rivest, Ronald L, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Roberts, John D, California Institute of Technology Romney, Kimball A, University of California, Irvine Rossmann, Michael G, Purdue University Russell, David W, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center of Dallas Rutter, William J, Synergenics, LLC Sabloff, Jeremy A, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology Sagdeev, Roald Z, University of Maryland Sahlins, Marshall D, University of Chicago Salmond, Anne, University of Auckland Sanes, Joshua R, Harvard University Schekman, Randy, University of California, Berkeley Schellnhuber, John, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research Schindler, David W, University of Alberta Schmitt, Johanna, Brown University Schneider, Stephen H, Woods Institute for the Environment Schramm, Vern L, Albert Einstein College of Medicine Sederoff Ronald R, North Carolina State University Shatz, Carla J, Stanford University Sherman, Fred, University of Rochester Medical Center Sidman, Richard L, Harvard Medical School Sieh, Kerry, Nanyang Technological University Simons, Elwyn L, Duke University Lemur Center Singer, Burton H, Princeton University Singer, Maxine F, Carnegie Institution of Washington Skyrms, Brian, University of California, Irvine Sleep, Norman H, Stanford University 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California, Berkeley Walker, Alan, Pennsylvania State University Walker John E, Medical Research Council Watson, Bruce E, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Watson, Patty Jo, Washington University, St. Louis Weigel, Detlef, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology Wessler, Susan R, University of Georgia West-Eberhard, Mary Jane, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute White, Tim D, University of California, Berkeley Wilson, William Julius, Harvard University Wolfenden, Richard V, University of North Carolina Wood, John A, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Woodwell, George M, Woods Hole Research Center Wright, Jr Herbert E, University of Minnesota Wu, Carl, National Institutes of Health Wunsch, Carl, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Zoback, Mary Lou, Risk Management Solutions, Inc guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 6 May 2010 | 12:00 pm Neanderthals live on in the DNA of humansThe first comparison of the complete genomes of humans and Neanderthals reveals that up to 4% of our DNA is Neanderthal There is a little Neanderthal in nearly all of us, according to scientists who compared the genetic makeup of humans with that of our closest ancient relatives. Most people living outside Africa can trace up to 4% of their DNA to a Neanderthal origin, a consequence of interbreeding between the two groups after the great migration from the contintent. Anthropologists have long speculated that early humans may have mated with Neanderthals, but the latest study provides the strongest evidence so far, suggesting that such encounters took place around 60,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent region of the Middle East. Small, pioneering groups of modern humans began to leave Africa 80,000 years ago and reached land occupied by the Neanderthals as they spread into Eurasia. The two may have lived alongside each other in small groups until the Neanderthals died out 30,000 years ago. Scientists led by Svante Pääbo at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig took four years to sequence the whole Neanderthal genome from powdered bone fragments taken from three females who lived in Europe 40,000 years ago. To see how similar the Neanderthal was to modern humans, the team compared the ancient DNA with the genomes of five people from France, China, southern Africa, western Africa and Papua New Guinea. The study is the first to attempt a whole-genome comparison between Neanderthals and modern humans. The researchers found that modern humans and Neanderthals shared 99.7% of their DNA, which was inherited from a common ancestor 400,000 years ago. Further analysis revealed that Neanderthals were more closely related to modern humans who left Africa than to the descendants of those who stayed. Between 1% and 4% of the DNA in modern Europeans, Asians and those as far afield as Papua New Guinea, was inherited from Neanderthals. "Those of us who live outside Africa carry a little Neanderthal in us," said Professor Pääbo. "Neanderthals probably mixed with early modern humans before Homo sapiens split into different groups in Europe and Asia. The comparison of these two genetic sequences enables us to find out where our genome differs from that of our closest relative." Interbreeding between humans and Neanderthals may nonetheless have been rare. Just two Neanderthal females in a group of around a hundred humans would have been enough to leave such a trace in our genome, provided that was the group that gave rise to all modern humans outside Africa. The study, reported in the journal Science, was greeted by scientists as almost certain confirmation that modern humans and Neanderthals mated when the groups crossed paths. "It certainly tells us something about human nature," said Chris Stringer, head of human origins at the Natural History Museum in London. Ed Green, a senior author on the study at the University of California, Santa Cruz, said: "How these peoples would have interacted culturally is not something we can speculate on in any meaningful way. But knowing that there was gene flow is important, and it is fascinating to think about how that may have happened." He added: "The scenario is not what most people had envisioned. We found the genetic signal of Neanderthals in all the non-African genomes, meaning that the admixture occurred early on, probably in the Middle East, and is shared with all descendants of the early humans who migrated out of Africa." The German group has yet to investigate what purpose, if any, the Neanderthal genes play in modern humans. But the study did highlight several genes that are unique to modern humans. They are thought to be involved in the development of brain function, features of the skull, metabolism and formation of the collar bone and rib cage. "A major next step will be to find out not only what the unique human genes are doing, but whether the genes we've got from Neanderthals are of functional significance. Is there something in the biology of people outside Africa that is coming from those Neanderthal genes?" said Prof Stringer. guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 6 May 2010 | 12:00 pm Neanderthals, Humans Interbred, DNA ProvesA newly mapped Neanderthal genome reveals that between 1-4 percent of DNA of many humans today came from Neanderthals.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 6 May 2010 | 12:00 pm The Astronomy of Mother's DayDo you dare wake Mom at dawn ... on Mother's Day? Under the circumstances, she might not mind. May 9th begins and ends with a lovely display of stars and planets.Source: Science@NASA Headline News | 6 May 2010 | 11:56 am NASA Tests Orion Capsule's Launch-Abort SystemA trio of high-performance rocket motors would whisk astronauts to safety in case of an emergency.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 6 May 2010 | 11:50 am We recreate BP's solution to the Deepwater Horizon crisisAdam Gabbatt demonstrates how BP plans to use a 'cofferdam' to stem the flow of leaking oil from the Deepwater Horizon wellhead Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 6 May 2010 | 11:05 am On the Origin of DinosaursA new understanding of how dinosaurs evolved shows that these "terrible lizards" were once underdogs.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 6 May 2010 | 10:59 am Iron Man Technology Has Real-Life AnalogsGet a sneak a peek into the inventions that power Iron Man's quest to save the world.Source: Livescience.com | 6 May 2010 | 10:47 am Curious creatureMeet the animal dubbed a 'sabre-toothed sausage'Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 6 May 2010 | 10:30 am Surprising New Diet Tip: Lose Weight QuicklyFast weight lost initially might help obese patients keep off the pounds later, a new study suggests.Source: Livescience.com | 6 May 2010 | 10:02 am Conservation's poverty reduction claims questionedDoes greater biodiversity help or hinder the world's poorest people?Source: NatureNews - All articles published today - nature.com science feeds | 6 May 2010 | 9:55 am Images show volcano intensifyingA series of images released by the Met Office clearly show Iceland's volcanic eruption intensifying.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 6 May 2010 | 9:47 am U.S., other big powers to refrain from atomic testsUNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The five official nuclear powers said on Wednesday they will continue to refrain from conducting any atomic tests and called for all nations to ratify a treaty banning all nuclear explosions.Source: Reuters: Science News | 6 May 2010 | 9:03 am Oil Containment Box Arrives at Leak SiteThe dome-like top of the structure is designed to act like a funnel and siphon the oil spilling into the Gulf.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 6 May 2010 | 8:40 am 25 Percent of U.S. Women Don't Care if They Get PregnantNearly a fourth of women are ambivalent about whether they get pregnant.Source: Livescience.com | 6 May 2010 | 8:20 am Amtrak Tests Beef Byproducts as BiofuelAmtrak is testing a beef-based biofuel to reduce emissions and dependence of foreign oil.Source: Livescience.com | 6 May 2010 | 8:18 am The Pill Linked to Low Libido in WomenWomen’s sexual health may suffer from the use of hormonal contraceptives, suggests a new study.Source: Livescience.com | 6 May 2010 | 7:43 am British summer comes earlier each yearScientists say onset of British summer has become increasingly early in the last 50 years, consistent with global warming Britain is broke and the bank holiday weekend was a washout, but scientists at Sheffield University have some rare good news in these uncertain times: summer is coming earlier each year. According to a new study, the English summer arrives some 18 days sooner than during the late 1950s, when Harold Macmillan succeeded Anthony Eden in No 10 and announced: "We have a difficult task before us in this country, all of us." Grant Bigg and Amy Kirbyshire of the department of geography at Sheffield University examined temperature records of central England over recent decades, together with observations of 140 types of summer flowering plant, such as geraniums and roses, and when they came into bloom. To determine the onset of summer, they looked for the third day of each year when average temperatures reached 14C. That may sound distinctly chilly for summer, but comfortably allows for daytime temperatures above 20C. "We wondered if we could set a defining moment of when summer begins," Bigg said. According to the analysis, summer should, on average, arrive in Britain tomorrow. Records show that in the period 1954-1963, the average date for the third such day was 25 May. By the 1990s, it had shifted forwards to 14 May. By 1998-2007, on average, summer arrived on 7 May. The shift is consistent with global warming, Bigg said. "It's always very difficult to make direct attributions but scientists say global warming is very likely driven by human activity and I think we can say the same thing." The researchers saw a similar, though smaller, pattern with summer plant flowering. On average, the first flowering date for 1954-1963 was 29 May. By 1991-2000 it was 26 May. Announcing their results in the journal Climatic Change, the duo say they "present a convincing argument that the onset of the British summer season has become increasingly early in the last 50 years". The finding is consistent with similar studies that have used the timing of natural events to investigate the onset of spring and autumn. Earlier summers may have encouraged drought or heatwave conditions by prolonging the period of warm temperatures, the scientists suggest. The earliest recorded summer onset day was 18 April in 2003, which was followed by a record breaking heat wave. An early start does not always herald a good summer. The second-earliest onset day was in 2007, which preceded the wettest summer in England and Wales since records began in 1766. "An early summer onset is clearly no guarantee of a barbecue summer," the scientists say. This year is not following the early summer pattern however, as there has not yet been a day with an average temperature of 14C. guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 6 May 2010 | 6:50 am 'Why are females obsessed with size?'Carole Jahme shines the cold light of evolutionary psychology on readers' problems. This week: penis size Anonymous, age and sex unspecified Carole replies: Today, the average erect gorilla penis is 3cm (1.25 inches) long, the average chimp or bonobo penis comes in at around 8cm and the average human penis stands at around 13cm. Most primates, including chimpanzees, have a penis bone and achieve erections through muscle contraction.2 The human penis has evolved the unusual system of vasocongestion to achieve erection, making the erect organ far more flexible than that of other primate species. This unique adaptation is thought to have been selected through female mate choice, and by the time Homo erectus arrived on the scene, the hominid penis was significantly longer, fatter and more bendy than our ape cousins'. It has even been theorised that bipedalism evolved in humans to allow the fashionably new, larger, flexible penis to be displayed to discerning females.3 Interestingly, while the human penis is the biggest of all the ape species in length and girth, both in absolute terms and as a proportion of body size, the human testes are not. As a proportion of overall body size, chimp and bonobo testes are twice as large as human testes, whereas gorilla testes are half the size. Why? Correlations can be found between primate mating systems and male genital anatomy.4 In multi-male/multi-female groups, males must compete to reproduce and frequently the competition takes place inside the female reproductive tract. The more sperm a male produces and ejaculates inside a female the greater the probability that one of his will fertilise the ovum. Female chimps or bonobos in oestrus often mate with several different individuals, so males must reproductively compete in this way and larger testes will therefore confer greater reproductive fitness. By contrast, female gorillas live in harems and don't often get a chance to exercise a choice between mates, though occasionally a female and a male from outside the group may risk it. The impressive 200kg (400lb) silverback gorilla does have the smallest penis and testes of all male apes, but his massive canines and biceps and his controlling, jealous temper allow him to intimidate and fight off potential competitors. Human testis size indicates that males evolved under conditions in which their sperm competed inside females, but perhaps not to the same extent as chimp sperm. But the larger human penis suggests that hominids needed to keep females with choice sexually satisfied. Ancestral females would have experienced a sexual freedom denied in Western cultures today and it has been suggested that our ancestors went through a period of matriarchy and enhanced female choice.5 When compared with patriarchal chimps, the matriarchal bonobo is a far more sex-oriented ape. Enthusiastic females initiate both hetero- and homosexual activity, particularly when aggression begins to surface, resulting in satisfied, contented and peaceful bonobos. Patriarchy, on the other hand, correlates with a lack of openly displayed female choice. Women with choice are not all "obsessed with the size of a man's cock". Women are as aware as men that to build a stable relationship you need trust, shared interests and the ability to keep each other amused. But a woman is not going to "put the size of a man's cock right out of her mind", because she can't. Females have an evolved interest in the size of a man's penis, which has been sexually selected for its size and shape. But humans are also selected for creativity – we are highly innovative, imaginative apes. Accordingly, women's minds can be aroused by creativity and being sexually imaginative can be physically arousing, adding satisfying metaphorical inches to one's love life. References You can email your questions to Carole by clicking here. Please put "Ask Carole" in the subject line. We regret that Carole cannot answer all the mails we receive. We cannot provide urgent advice and suggest that if you need such advice you seek it immediately without waiting for a response from Carole. With regards to legal, medical or financial issues, we recommend seeking the advice of a listed professional. We will not be held liable for any loss, damage or injury you incur as a result of using this site or as a result of any advice given. We will not enter into personal correspondence via email. Carole is UK-based and as such any advice she gives is intended for a UK audience only. guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 6 May 2010 | 6:25 am Herschel pierces huge star bubbleA colossal star many times the mass of our own Sun is seen growing in a bubble of gas and dust by the Herschel telescope.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 6 May 2010 | 5:35 am Watching, waitingOil slick spreads uncertainty in US coast communitiesSource: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 6 May 2010 | 5:13 am Push for new sensors to monitor volcanic ashIceland's ongoing eruption is likely to press the case for new satellite instruments to monitor volcanic ash in the atmosphere.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 6 May 2010 | 4:00 am Tsunami alerts 'confuse public'Tsunami warnings need to convey information that is more meaningful to the public, a top researcher says.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 6 May 2010 | 3:42 am 'Profound decline' in fish stocksOver-fishing means that UK trawlermen have to work 17 times as hard for the same fish catch as 120 years ago, a study shows.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 6 May 2010 | 3:41 am
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