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Discovery of a hepatitis C-related virus in bats may reduce outbreaks in humansViral hepatitis affects more than 500 million people worldwide and while vaccines are available for hepatitis A and B, this is not the case for hepatitis C, which affects as much as two percent of the population in the US. Now, scientists are reporting discovery of a virus related to hepatitis C in Asian bats, which may provide insights into the origins of the hepatitis C virus.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 2 Jul 2010 | 9:00 am New drug restores hearing after noise-induced hearing loss in ratsResearchers from New Zealand have discovered that a potent new drug restores hearing after noise-induced hearing loss in rats. The landmark discovery found that injection of an agent called 'ADAC' activates adenosine receptors in cochlear tissues, resulting in recovery of hearing function. The finding paves the way for effective non-surgical therapies to restore hearing loss after noise-induced injury.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 2 Jul 2010 | 9:00 am Can money buy happiness? Gallup poll asks, and the world answersA worldwide survey of more than 136,000 people in 132 countries included questions about happiness and income, and the results reveal that while life satisfaction usually rises with income, positive feelings don't necessarily follow, researchers report.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 2 Jul 2010 | 9:00 am Warmer is better: Invasive cane toads set to thrive under global warmingAs global warming threatens many animal species with extinction, the cane toad is set to flourish with increasing temperature. This is a major cause for concern as the cane toad, once introduced to Australia as agricultural pest-control of the cane beetle, is an already highly invasive species and considered a pest in Australia.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 2 Jul 2010 | 9:00 am Feathered friends: Ostriches provide clues to dinosaur movementThe flightless ostrich uses its wings as sophisticated air-rudders and braking aids when running at high speed and may provide valuable information about how its dinosaur ancestors used their feathered forelimbs to move more efficiently. A small leg muscle, if also present in dinosaurs may have reduced the energetic cost of carrying a heavy body.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 2 Jul 2010 | 9:00 am Genetic signatures of human exceptional longevity discoveredScientists have identified a group of genetic variants that can predict exceptional longevity in humans with 77 percent accuracy -- a breakthrough in understanding the role of genes in determining human lifespan.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 2 Jul 2010 | 9:00 am Three-legged dogs boost robot researchScientists in Germany are examining how three-legged dogs move to help design and develop robots that can adapt in the event of an "injury." The new research looked at walking and running techniques in dogs with fore-limb or hind-limb amputations, using a treadmill and a set of high-tech infra-red cameras.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 2 Jul 2010 | 6:00 am High fructose diet may contribute to high blood pressure, study findsPeople who eat a diet high in fructose, in the form of added sugar, are at increased risk of developing high blood pressure, or hypertension, according to a new study. The results suggest that cutting back on foods and beverages containing a lot of fructose (sugar) might decrease one's risk of developing hypertension.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 2 Jul 2010 | 6:00 am Tibetan adaptation to high altitude occurred in less than 3,000 yearsScientists have compared the genomes of 50 Tibetans living above 14,000 feet to 40 Han Chinese living at essentially sea level. They found that within the last 3,000 years, Tibetans evolved genetic mutations in a number of genes having to do with how the body deals with oxygen, making it possible for Tibetans to thrive at high altitudes while their Han relatives cannot.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 2 Jul 2010 | 6:00 am Stroke complications may subtract additional two years of healthy lifeStroke complications may deprive patients of about two years of healthy life, in addition to three years of healthy life lost due to the stroke, according to a South Korean study. A combined measure of potential life years and function lost can impact public health decisions, researchers said. However, it's unclear if the findings can be applied to other populations.Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 2 Jul 2010 | 6:00 am Shuttle schedule slips into 2011The final space shuttle flight will now take place in 2011, Nasa has confirmed.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 2 Jul 2010 | 4:14 am Total sees tougher rules as storm spreads Gulf slick (Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 2 Jul 2010 | 4:04 am Volunteers ready but left out of spill cleanup (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 2 Jul 2010 | 4:02 am 'Cookies' point to complex lifeScientists report the discovery of centimetre-sized fossils that may be the earliest known examples of multicellular life.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 2 Jul 2010 | 4:02 am Florida tests inventors' sand-cleaning ideas (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 2 Jul 2010 | 4:00 am In pictures: Jersey birdsConservationists are encouraging a range of birds to return to Jersey's coasts, including the UK's rarest crow.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 2 Jul 2010 | 3:55 am Herschel 'fitted with zoom lens'Europe's Herschel space telescope spies a far-distant galaxy with a cosmic gravitational "zoom lens".Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 2 Jul 2010 | 2:54 am The nation's weather (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 2 Jul 2010 | 2:49 am Marsh harriers breeding successMarsh harriers have successfully colonised a new part of central England.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 2 Jul 2010 | 2:18 am Study: Extreme Longevity May Be More Genes Than Lifestyle (Time.com)Time.com - How long you live has a lot to do with your environment and lifestyle, but exceptional longevity may have even more to do with your genesSource: Yahoo! News: Science News | 2 Jul 2010 | 1:45 am Essence Fest helps sustain New Orleans amid spill (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 2 Jul 2010 | 1:19 am Vacations In Zero Gravity Come of Age (SPACE.com)SPACE.com - As the Fourth of July holiday weekend approaches, American families may be preparing for barbecues, picnics and days at the beach. But what about taking a trip high into the sky and experiencing what it would feel like to be in space, on the moon, or on Mars?Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 1 Jul 2010 | 11:15 pm Tour de France dope test 'flawed'Anti-doping tests for this year's Tour de France cycle race are flawed, the head of the French anti-doping body tells the BBC.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 1 Jul 2010 | 10:49 pm Chronic fatigue findings were held backCDC says delay "strategic" in light of conflicting study.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/news/rss/today/~4/QHW5E1-dO7M" height="1" width="1"/>Source: NatureNews - All articles published today - nature.com science feeds | 1 Jul 2010 | 10:14 pm Remnants of Alex drench northern Mexico, 2 die (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 1 Jul 2010 | 9:46 pm Genes predict living beyond 100Scientists in the US have developed way of predicting how likely a person is to live beyond the age of 100.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 1 Jul 2010 | 9:12 pm Public Swimming Pools: How Dirty Are They? (LiveScience.com)LiveScience.com - Public swimming pools have earned a bad rep as unsanitary perti dishes of infectious diseases - but is this reputation unfounded or well deserved?Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 1 Jul 2010 | 8:20 pm More Death and Controversy at SeaWorldTwo new deaths and a legal controversy plague SeaWorld Orlando, less than 6 months after trainer Dawn Brancheau was fatally injured by a 6-ton killer whale.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 1 Jul 2010 | 7:16 pm Closing in on genes that help people live to 100 (AP)AP - The oldest among us seem to have chosen their parents well. Researchers closing in on the impact of family versus lifestyle find most people who live to 100 or older share some helpful genes.Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 1 Jul 2010 | 6:47 pm Science is a great British successSimon Jenkins's article (Rees makes a religion out of science so his bishops can gather their tithe, 25 June) attacks Martin Rees, who argued in his Reith lectures that science is essential for creating wealth and for improving our health and the quality of our lives. Simon is wrong. Science is crucial for creating the knowledge that leads to all these things and will help us recover from our present economic crisis. Science starts with tentative knowledge and, through the rigorous testing of ideas and the checking of data and observation, proceeds to more reliable knowledge. So Simon is right to point out that science does not always get everything right the first time, giving examples of the volcanic ash cloud, swine flu and BSE. But he fails to observe that we would not even know what these things were without science. It is right that in tough economic times no sector should be safe from scrutiny. When times are tough, we need to invest in our strengths – and the UK is a real world leader in science. Science is perfectly capable of making the economic case for investment and will continue to do so. Simon recognises the wonder of science; so why does he attack the BBC for what he alleges is the cramming of the airwaves with science? It is not special pleading from scientists that has led broadcasters and publishers to produce more science programmes and books, it is the public's appetite. Like the humanities, science helps us to undertake exciting intellectual journeys to better understand ourselves and the world around us. So the BBC and Martin Rees are right to celebrate science – it is truly one of the great British success stories. President, Rockefeller University, New York, and 2001 Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine 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 | 1 Jul 2010 | 5:05 pm Tapping the crowd for technologiesJust how seriously is BP taking its own call for public solutions to the Gulf oil spill?Source: NatureNews - All articles published today - nature.com science feeds | 1 Jul 2010 | 4:56 pm Genetic variations offer longer lifeMany centenarians carry particular genetic signatures.Source: NatureNews - All articles published today - nature.com science feeds | 1 Jul 2010 | 4:00 pm NASA delays shuttle finale until 2011CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA on Thursday postponed the final two missions of the space shuttle program until November and February due to delays preparing the last load of spare parts for the International Space Station.Source: Reuters: Science News | 1 Jul 2010 | 3:29 pm Public Swimming Pools: How Dirty Are They?Public swimming pools have earned a bad rep as unsanitary – but is this reputation unfounded or well deserved?Source: Livescience.com | 1 Jul 2010 | 2:48 pm The Downside to the Recovery of the Ozone HoleClimate change could alter air patterns and bring ozone from ozone hole recovery down to Earth's surface to create smog pollution.Source: Livescience.com | 1 Jul 2010 | 2:46 pm From the NASA Archive: Astronauts Inspect Their Butt Molds
Here Alan Shepard and John Glenn are examining their butt molds, which is a little like checking out your own rear, while the other five astronauts and a Mercury project manager look on. A full contingent of astronaut-style butt molds looks especially cute all lined up together. Photo: Left to right, astronauts Alan Shepard, John Glenn, Walter Schirra, Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, Deke Slayton, Gus Grissom, and Bob Gilruth, director of the Space Task Group./NASA See Also:
Source: Wired: Wired Science | 1 Jul 2010 | 2:05 pm Frozen blood a source of stem cells, study findsWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Frozen blood from stored samples can be used to make cells resembling stem cells, researchers said on Thursday -- opening a potential new and easier source for the valued cells.Source: Reuters: Science News | 1 Jul 2010 | 1:40 pm How Humans Shape Evolution of Fish PopulationsDavid Reznick studies guppy populations to answer questions about evolution and the environment.Source: Livescience.com | 1 Jul 2010 | 1:38 pm NASA Pushes Back End of Shuttle Era to 2011
The aging space shuttle fleet was granted a few more months of life today. NASA decided to postpone the last two flights due to delays with the missions’ hardware. The next launch, STS-133, was pushed from Sept. 16 to Nov. 1. The final shuttle launch, STS-134, was moved from late November 2010 to Feb. 26, 2011. STS-133 will be the last flight for the Space Shuttle Discovery, NASA’s oldest shuttle. Discovery will deliver a humanoid robot assistant called the Robonaut 2 to the International Space Station, as well as a re-purposed cargo pod that will be used as a sort of storage closet. Delays in getting the robot ready are partly responsible for the new launch date, said NASA Space Ops spokesperson John Yembrick. A few other items, like a pump assembly and a heat exchanger, are also running late. That’s pretty normal, Yembrick said. “There are manufacturing delays, processing delays, getting the stuff space certified for flight, that takes time,” he said. “Sometimes you understand when it’s going to happen, and then you reevaluate. This is not unusual.”
Moving Discovery’s flight also pushes back the final flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavor, which is expected to be the last shuttle flight ever. That mission will bring the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer particle physics experiment to the space station. Because of all the traffic going to and from the space station in the winter months, the next available window for launching STS-134 isn’t until February 2011. “It’s a busy time on the space station,” Yendrick said. An unmanned European craft will be docked to the space station in December, and a Japanese vehicle is slated to fly in January. Because the engineering logistics get so complicated, space agencies try to avoid having the shuttle and other vehicles dock at the space station simultaneously. Luckily, NASA’s budget accounted for the possibility of launch slips. “We will have the funding to fly in February,” Yendrick said. “We have the flexibility to do it, so we will.” NASA is still waiting to hear from Congress about whether they might fly one additional mission with the Space Shuttle Atlantis in June 2011. That decision is expected to come in August. No matter how long they put it off, though, the shuttle team knows the end is coming. “The end of the shuttle era is bittersweet for a lot of people who have dedicated their lives to it,” Yendrick said. “But we’re all aware that the space shuttle is retiring soon, in the coming months.” Image: NASA See Also:
Source: Wired: Wired Science | 1 Jul 2010 | 1:23 pm Virtual Government (vGov) Aims to Improve National SecurityvGov is a virtual world that will function much like a secure "Second Life" for government agencies.Source: Livescience.com | 1 Jul 2010 | 1:09 pm Russian Spies Prove Old School Spy Tech Still WorksFive technologies that date back decades remain common in the world of spies.Source: Livescience.com | 1 Jul 2010 | 1:02 pm Brain Freezer Claims Secret of Eternal LifeFor a small fortune, a Russian cryonics firm says it can provide clients with a loophole out of death.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 1 Jul 2010 | 12:55 pm Gene pattern predicts who will live the longestWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers have found a pattern of genes that predicts with more accuracy than ever before who might live to be 100 or older -- even if they have other genes linked with disease.Source: Reuters: Science News | 1 Jul 2010 | 12:51 pm Stem Cells From Human Blood Can Be Reprogrammed
Blood drawn with a simple needle stick can be coaxed into producing stem cells that may have the ability to form any type of tissue in the body, three independent papers report in the July 2 Cell Stem Cell. The new technique will allow scientists to tap a large, readily available source of personalized stem cells.
The findings “represent a huge and important progression in the field,” stem cell biologist Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University in Japan and the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease in San Francisco, writes in a commentary appearing in the same issue of the journal. Three research groups used similar methods to prod certain immune cells in human blood to become induced pluripotent stem cells. Because they are reprogrammed adult cells, these stem cells share many of the same regenerative abilities as true embryonic stem cells but may not have as much versatility in the kinds of mature cells they can become. But induced pluripotent cells are harvested from adults and so don’t face the same ethical mires posed by embryo-derived stem cells. And as techniques for manipulating induced pluripotent cells improve, some researchers think they may be just as useful.
The new studies accomplished the reprogramming feat by using viruses to deliver a four-gene cocktail that reverts the cells to a naive state in which any developmental path is open. In theory at least, these induced pluripotent stem cells could go on to form neurons in the brain, muscle cells in the leg or beating heart cells. Scientists’ manipulations turned the stem cells in the new studies into several types of mature blood cells, including infection-fighting T cells. What’s more, all the groups showed that a batch of the stem cells implanted into mice developed into the three main types of progenitor cells found in human embryos. In embryos, these progenitor cells give rise to different tissues. More research is needed to determine whether these cells can be further coaxed to form fully functional tissue, says Rudolf Jaenisch of MIT and the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who led one of the studies. The concern is that if these cells retain traces of memory from their previous lives as blood cells, they may not be good at forming other tissue types. Past studies have induced other kinds of mature cells to form stem cells. The most common source has been adult skin cells called fibroblasts, which have been manipulated into stem cells and then neurons (SN: 2/27/10, p. 5). But harvesting fibroblasts is harder than drawing blood, requiring surgery and sutures. What’s more, inducing fibroblasts to form stem cells can take about a month in the lab, during which mutations can accumulate. The new blood cell techniques can be completed in a few days. Stanford University stem cell biologist Marius Wernig points out that the new method is still less efficient than the fibroblast technique. “But with improving technology, this cell type could very well replace the skin fibroblasts currently mostly used to generate induced pluripotent stem cells from patients,” Wernig says. Researchers are still a long way off from transplanting such stem cells or their mature offspring into people safely. The viruses used to deliver genes into the cells may have unintended consequences, and the cells’ long-term behavior is still unknown. But even if the cells won’t be put directly into patients, Jaenisch says that the new method “opens up access to enormous resources of collected cells from patients” that can be used to study diseases. For example, lab experiments with cells from these collections might be used to study why motor neurons from people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis die, or how healthy liver cells respond to a promising but potentially toxic drug. Photo: sectionz/Flickr See Also:
Source: Wired: Wired Science | 1 Jul 2010 | 12:43 pm Genetic Secrets of Living to 100
A massive genetic study of people who lived for more than 100 years has found dozens of new clues to the biology of aging. The findings won’t be turned overnight into longevity elixirs or lifespan tests, nor do they untangle the complex interactions between biology, lifestyle and environment that ultimately determine how long — and how well — one lives. But they do offer much-needed toeholds for scientists studying the basic mechanisms of aging, which remain largely unexplained. “It shows that genetics plays an extremely important role at these extreme ages. And it begins to be a not-unsolvable puzzle,” said Boston University gerontologist Thomas Perls. “If we start looking at these genes and what they do, we better understand the biology of extreme longevity.” Published July 2 in Science, the findings come from gene tests of 801 people enrolled in the Perls-founded New England Centenarian Study, the largest study in the world of people who’ve lived past 100.
People who’ve reached that mark tend to have lives that are not only exceptionally long, but unusually healthly. Unlike most people, they rarely develop diseases of aging — such as heart disease, metabolic disease, cancer and dementia — until well into their 90s. They’re also more likely to bounce back from disease, rather than entering a spiral of declining health. That manner of aging is a goal for most people, and a public health necessity. Modern medicine has had success in slowing individual aging diseases, but when one is postponed another soon emerges. Americans are living longer but not healthier. Nearly three-quarters of U.S. health spending now goes to treating diseases of aging. That proportion is rising. In the last decade, scientists using animal models of disease have identified numerous genes and biological pathways implicated in aging. That animal research is valuable, but the gold standard of longevity science involves long-lived people. Other studies suggest that whether or not someone lives to their 80s is mostly a result of common-sense lifestyle choices: moderate drinking, no smoking, plenty of exercise, a vegetable-centric diet and low stress. But beyond that, “genetics plays a stronger and stronger role,” said Perls. The concentrations of telltale gene profiles found by his group suggest “that the genetic influence is very, very strong.” Perls’ team surveyed the genomes of 801 centenarians, focusing on “hot spots” where people are most likely to have mutations. They compared the results to genome scans of 926 random people from the general population. From this came a list of 70 gene mutations found mostly in the centenarians. After comparing those to genome scans of 867 people with Parkinson’s disease, the list was whittled down to 33 key mutations. The researchers used these results to develop statistical models of longevity-associated gene profiles. Used to evaluate anonymized sample genomes, the model could predict whether the sample came from a centenarian with 77 percent accuracy, underscoring the importance of genetics in extreme long life. Centenarians also tended to fit one of 19 different gene profiles. Some of the profiles tracked with especially low rates of cardiovascular disease, dementia and hypertension or diabetes, suggesting specific genetic pathways for those diseases. Perls emphasized that the profiles — which came from Caucasians, and are likely different in other ethnic groups — are not intended as guides for drug cocktails or diagnostic tests. “We’re quite a ways away still in understanding what pathways governed by these genes are involved, and how the integration of these genes, not just with themselves but with environmental factors, are all playing a role in this longevity puzzle,” he said in a press conference. Other were excited about the findings, but echoed Perls’ restraint. National Institutes on Aging neuroscientist Donald Ingram called the study a “very impressive genetic and statistical tour de force,” but one that leaves environmental influences unexplained. According to Perls, one of the study’s most intriguing results is that roughly 15 percent of the general population has some of the longevity-associated genes. Yet only one in 6,000 people currently live to be centenarians — many fewer people than seems to be suggested by the genetics. Some of the discrepancy can likely be attributed to standards of infant care and public health at the beginning of the 20th century, when these centenarians were born, said Perls. Lifestyle and genetics are also sure to play a part. There will also be genetic factors missed by the study’s narrow focus on hot spots. According to Jackson Laboratory gerontologist David Harrison, who called the findings “very interesting,” researchers will use animals to explore the roles of genes and pathways flagged in the study. The findings will also need to be replicated and expanded in more human studies, said National Institutes on Aging gerontologist Winifred Rossi. “It’s groundbreaking work,” she said. “But science is not fast. It’s slow. It takes a lot of steps to get to something with an impact. We’re only at the start of exploring longevity.” Photo: Pedro Ribeiro Simões/Flickr See Also:
Citation: “Genetic Signatures of Exceptional Longevity in Humans.” By Paola Sebastiani, Nadia Solovieff, Annibale Puca, Stephen W. Hartley, Efthymia Melista, Stacy Andersen, Daniel A. Dworkis, Jemma B. Wilk, Richard H. Myers, Martin H. Steinberg, Monty Montano, Clinton T. Baldwin, Thomas T. Perls. 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 | 1 Jul 2010 | 12:28 pm Genetic test can predict chances of living to 100, claim scientistsBoston University researchers say they have uncovered the genetic markers associated with living to a ripe old age A genetic test that can predict whether a person is likely to live long enough to see their 100th birthday has been developed by scientists. Researchers at Boston University claim the test can identify those who can look forward to an exceptionally long life with 77% accuracy. They designed the test after a major study into the genetic makeup of centenarians highlighted a host of DNA variants that boost a person's chances of reaching a ripe old age. Many of the genetic markers the scientists found stave off common, and often lethal, age-related diseases, such as heart disease, dementia and high blood pressure. The US researchers investigated the genetic secrets of a longer life after studies showed that living beyond 100 often runs in families. "These families might share healthy lifestyles, but it also suggests there is a strong genetic background to exceptional longevity," said Professor Paola Sebastiani, a biostatistician at Boston University school for public health. Lifespan is governed by a complex interplay of genes, lifestyle and environment, with factors like smoking, diet, exercise and pollution all having a role, but many scientists believe that living beyond the mid-90s is largely down to having good genes. Sebastiani and colleagues scanned the genomes of 1,055 centenarians and compared them with scans from 1,267 normal, healthy people. They found 150 DNA variants that were more common in the old-aged group and seemed to make their bodies healthier and more resilient. The centenarians could be divided into 19 groups based on their genetic makeup. One of these groups was particularly resistant to age-related diseases and contained nearly half of all the centenarians that lived to 110 years or more. "There are particular combinations of these genetic variants that allow people to live not only a longer life, but also a healthier life. In centenarians, disability and disease tend to be delayed until the very end of their lives," Sebastiani said. The study, published in the US journal Science, will help researchers unravel why and how the body ages and potentially lead to drugs that can slow down the ageing process. "If we can pinpoint genetic variants that delay the onset of diseases, it could have very important medical implications for the population in general," said Sebastiani. One intriguing finding in the study was that gene variants that raise a person's risk of disease may matter less than genes that protect against disease. The scientists found that centenarians had roughly the same number of high-risk genes as the rest of the population, but had more protective genes to cancel them out. The finding is important, because commercial genetic tests look only for genes that raise a person's disease risk, rather than reduce it. The study looked only at Caucasians, but Sebastiani said scientists should now look for DNA markers of longevity in other populations, such as Africans and Asians. Jeffrey Barrett, an expert on disease genetics at the Wellcome Trust's Sanger Institute near Cambridge, said the test might turn out to be less accurate when it is independently verified. "Some of the genetic variants in this study are claimed to have much, much stronger effects on longevity than we've seen in similar studies of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. For instance, the strongest single effect makes someone 10 times more likely than average to be extremely long-lived, compared to other complex diseases where typical variants only make someone, say, one and a half times as likely to be diabetic," he said. "Subtle biases in their work could contribute to these surprisingly large effects, which would make the test seem more accurate than it really is. Evaluation of the test by an independent laboratory will be the ultimate test of its accuracy," he added. 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 | 1 Jul 2010 | 12:26 pm Prostate Cancer Diagnosed and Treated Too Much, Docs SayAre doctors over-treating prostate cancer?Source: Livescience.com | 1 Jul 2010 | 12:18 pm Fusion reactor set to raid Europe's research funds€1.4-billion gap in ITER project could be plugged with Framework cash.Source: NatureNews - All articles published today - nature.com science feeds | 1 Jul 2010 | 12:09 pm Longevity Genes Predict Whether You'll Live Past 100Our genes provide clues as to whether we will live 100 years or more.Source: Livescience.com | 1 Jul 2010 | 12:07 pm Who Lives to 100? Centenarian FactsLiving to 100 and beyond is quite a feat. Here are some facts about centenariansSource: Livescience.com | 1 Jul 2010 | 12:04 pm Tibetans Underwent Fastest Evolution Seen in HumansIn a relative blink of the eye, ancient Tibetans evolved to thrive in low-oxygen conditions of the Plateau.Source: Livescience.com | 1 Jul 2010 | 12:04 pm Long Life Is in the Genes, Study ShowsDiet and exercise can certainly help you to live a long, healthy life, but that might not be the whole story.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 1 Jul 2010 | 12:00 pm Drinking During Pregnancy May Damage Sperm in SonsMother who drink during pregnancy might be damaging the fertility of their future sons, a new study suggests.Source: Livescience.com | 1 Jul 2010 | 11:33 am New Muon Detector Could Find Hidden Nukes
A prototype of a device that could someday detect nukes through layers of steel just passed its first test. The detector, which uses technology that was developed for particle physics experiments at the Large Hadron Collider, can tell the difference among iron, lead and other heavy metals. By detecting the signature of heavy elements that could be used to build nuclear weapons, the new machine could someday find nuclear contraband hidden in shielded vehicles. “This is the first time that we actually built and operated successfully the equipment to actually do this in real life, rather than in a computer,” said high-energy physicist Marcus Hohlmann of the Florida Institute of Technology, a co-author of the study. The device takes advantage of charged particles called muons, which are created in the atmosphere and zip through every square centimeter of material on Earth — human bodies and armored trucks alike — at a rate of one per minute. “They sort of rain upon us like a light drizzle all the time,” Hohlmann said. Despite their high energies, muons don’t interact very strongly with matter. “They can go through 6 to 8 feet of steel without being stopped,” Hohlmann said. “That’s nice for our application, because what we’re trying to do is look into things that are shielded.” But though matter typically doesn’t stop muons in their tracks, heavy elements like uranium and metals like lead can deflect the charged particles. By tracking the muons’ paths, scientists can construct a 3-D image of whatever material got in their way.
The new prototype uses detectors called GEMs, or Gas Electron Multipliers, to trace muons’ trajectories before and after they hit a bit of heavy material. The detectors are thin plates filled with gas that were originally developed for particle physics experiments at places like CERN and Fermilab. When a muon plows through the detector, it rips electrons from the gas, leaving a distinctive trail readable by electronics on the detector’s surface. “This is a very common technique,” Hohlmann said. “When you look at the fancy pictures of experiments from the LHC, and they say here’s this particle and here’s that particle, that’s how they get those tracks. In some sense, this whole thing is a spin-off from experiments from particle physics.” Working in a lab at CERN, Hohlmann and his colleagues positioned two detectors above a 250-cubic-centimeter volume, and two below. Because their target area was so small, the researchers could collect only about 1,000 muons per day, so each trial took at least two days. The team tested the device on a block of iron, a block of lead and a cylinder of the dense rare metal tantalum. Each object was left in the detector until it had been hit by 3,000 to 5,000 muons. Using computer imaging techniques, the researchers successfully resolved the raw data from the detectors into plots of each muon strike, which revealed the composition and the shape of each target. Heavier elements deflect muons more strongly, so the average angle of the muons’ post-impact path tells physicists the material’s identity. “I was surprised it worked as well as it did, especially that we could tell the difference in shape between cylinder and cube,” Hohlmann said. The results are reported in a paper submitted to Nuclear Instruments and Methods A. The prototype is not practical as it stands now, Hohlmann said. For one thing, it’s far too small to drive a truck through. It also takes days to collect enough muons to make an image. Using bigger detectors will let physicists collect more muons, just as putting a bigger bucket out in a storm collects more raindrops. The researchers are working on a larger version that would surround the target on four sides, not just two. “We’re hoping we can get sort of an alarm — yes, there is something in there, or no, there is nothing — within a few minutes,” Hohlmann said. The team hopes to ultimately build a box similar to an airport security scanner, or a tunnel to drive trucks through, that could probe incoming packages at borders and ports in a manner of minutes. He expects a version big enough to test luggage in the next year, and big enough for cars and trucks within three or four years. Hohlmann’s team is not the first to try using muons to detect nuclear contraband. That distinction goes to a group at Los Alamos National Laboratory, which built a prototype using drift-tube detectors in 2005. But the GEM detectors used in Hohlmann’s device can resolve features one-quarter the size detectable by earlier devices. “This looks to be a solid piece of detector technology development based on the well-established GEM technique,” said physicist Roy Schwitters of the University of Texas at Austin, who has used the muon technique to peer inside Mayan ruins. “Whether the GEM approach will supersede the drift-tube detectors used by LANL is more of a detailed engineering question.” Images: 1) A lump of lead waits in the detector for a muon strike. See Also:
Source: Wired: Wired Science | 1 Jul 2010 | 10:36 am Synthetic Signals Could Foster Unprecedented Life FormsWhat could the future of this technology look like? Two words: living spaceships.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 1 Jul 2010 | 10:30 am BP Burning Sea Turtles Alive?Animal welfare groups sued BP for burning endangered sea turtles during the oil giant's "controlled burns" on the Gulf of Mexico spill.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 1 Jul 2010 | 10:25 am Fossil of mega-toothed killer whale found in PeruLIMA (Reuters) - The fossil of a giant whale called Leviathan for having teeth bigger than a grown man's forearms has been found in Peru by paleontologists who on Thursday said it may have been the largest predator to ever roam the seas.Source: Reuters: Science News | 1 Jul 2010 | 10:16 am Scientists seek 20,000 Labrador retrievers for lifestyle studyScientists in Edinburgh launch a search for 20,000 Labrador retrievers to help them understand dog lifestyles.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 1 Jul 2010 | 9:26 am Final Nail in the iPhone 4's Coffin: CostApple's market share will fall precipitously as more users abandon the iPhone for the more economical Android.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 1 Jul 2010 | 8:15 am 'Immigrants' Make Up Galaxy's Oldest StarsMany of the Milky Way's oldest stars are refugees from other older galaxies that were torn apart by collisions.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 1 Jul 2010 | 7:25 am Wind Farms Float Away from NIMBYismCoastal residents protest that offshore wind farms foul up their beautiful views. Engineers have designed a floating ocean-based wind turbine to satisfy even the worst "Not In My Back Yard," whinging.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 1 Jul 2010 | 7:09 am X Prize Foundation to Reward Spill SolutionsThe X Prize Foundation announced its intention to launch a competition that generates solutions for cleaning up the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The winner will get a multi-million dollar cash prize.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 1 Jul 2010 | 6:41 am Flying Car Gets FAA ApprovalThe Federal Aviation Administration has just removed a major hurdle from the path of a vehicle that may well be the first commercially viable flying car.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 1 Jul 2010 | 6:26 am Premature pupsFishing's history makes seals give birth earlierSource: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 1 Jul 2010 | 5:49 am Ignore the anti-soya scaremongersThere's no evidence that soya is harmful to humans. In fact, both we and the planet would benefit tremendously from eating more Last time I was interviewed for BBC Radio London, the presenter asked if soya foods were safe, then fell about laughing saying he didn't want to grow man-boobs. I've been asked if soya is safe for babies, can it interfere with the thyroid, does it contribute to deforestation, some people even think it may cause cancer… Soya is the great divider; you're either for it, or against it. Is this humble pulse really such a demon bean, or is the anti-soya brigade using scare stories and pseudo science to further their own agenda? If you look carefully, most anti-soya stories can be traced back to one single group in the US called the Weston A Price Foundation (WAPF). WAPF claims to be dedicated to promoting good nutrition by restoring nutrient-dense animal products to the diet – particularly unpasteurised "raw" whole milk. It claims that saturated animal fat is essential for good health and that animal fat intake and high cholesterol levels have no link with heart disease or cancer. They say that vegetarians have lower life expectancy than meat-eaters, and that historically humans have always eaten large amounts of animal fat. All this, of course, contradicts all the leading health advisory bodies in the world, including the World Health Organisation, American Dietetic Association and the British Medical Association. This US-based fringe organisation is bent on citing scientifically flawed studies to promote their own agenda and has influenced a vast number of consumers, duping them into thinking of soya as some sort of dietary pariah. The soya story dates back to New Zealand in the early 1990s, when a successful lawyer, Richard James, a millionaire on a mission, approached toxicologist Mike Fitzpatrick and asked him to investigate what was killing his expensive parrots (very Monty Python, I know). Anyway, Fitzpatrick agreed it was soya and has since campaigned vigorously against it as a food for humans –nonsense, since people have been eating soya for 3,000 years. I have been interviewed for Radio New Zealand with Mike Fitzpatrick who campaigns against soya there. He was so aggressive they couldn't broadcast the interview. Fitzpatrick is a supporter of WAPF (actually an honorary board member). Another of the organisation's supporters is a man called Dr Stephen Byrnes, who published an article in the Ecologist magazine claiming that vegetarianism is unhealthy and is destroying the environment. He boasted of his high animal fat diet and robust health – and, unfortunately, died of a stroke at 42. There were more than 40 scientific inaccuracies in the said article, including the direct misquoting of scientific studies. Incidentally, the editor of the Ecologist, Zac Goldsmith, is also an honorary board member of the WAPF. Another of the organisation's supporters, Kaayla Daniel PhD, sits on the board of directors and has written an entire book attacking soya (The Whole Soy Story). Curiously, this group appears to spend more time attacking soya than promoting the foods they say we should be eating (unpasteurised "raw" milk, cream, cheese, eggs, liver, etc). One of the concerns raised about soya is that the phytoestrogens (plant hormones) found in soya foods may disrupt sexual development and affect fertility. If there was any evidence for this in humans at all, the UK government would have banned soya infant formula or at least issued health warnings. Even after commissioning a 440-page investigation into the safety of soya – they have not issued such warnings because there was no evidence for any harmful effect. The 2003 Department of Health's committee on toxicity report acknowledged that there was no evidence that people who regularly eat high quantities of soya, such as the Chinese and Japanese, have altered sexual development or impaired fertility. It should be remembered that China is the world's most populous nation, with over 1.3 billion citizens, and who have been consuming soya for over 3,000 years. In reality, there is no scientific evidence that the consumption of soya is harmful to humans. The majority of what the WAPF says is anecdotal, untrue or based on scientifically flawed animal experiments. First, phytoestrogens behave differently in different species, so animal studies are not applicable to humans. Second, the intestines act as a barrier to phytoestrogens, so artificially boosting levels in animals by injection has no relevance. Finally, many of these experiments have exposed animals to phytoestrogens at levels many, many times higher than those absorbed by people eating soya. More and more scientists and doctors are acknowledging that the results of animal experiments should not form the basis of a public health policy. Dr Kenneth Setchell, professor of paediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, states that mice, rats and monkeys all metabolise soya isoflavones differently from humans and that the only appropriate model for examining human reproductive development is the human infant. About 25% of infants in the US are fed soya formula. Many of them are now well into their late 30s and early 40s. The absence of any reported ill-effects would suggest there are none, either biological or clinical. In fact, soya beans contain a wide range of valuable nutrients and are an excellent source of protein. Evidence shows that soya protein lowers cholesterol and protects against cardiovascular disease. Soya foods protect against diabetes, menopausal hot flushes and certain cancers. There is good evidence that eating soya foods in adolescence and as an adult lowers the risk of breast cancer. Recent evidence showed that this protective effect of soya also applies to women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Soya foods may also help boost bone health and cognitive ability in some people. The number of peer-reviewed scientific studies reporting the beneficial health effects of soya continues to grow. As a last resort, the soya detractors have attempted to condemn soya by citing the environmental impact soya farming is having on the Amazonian rain forest. They are quite right to be concerned, but people eating soya is not the problem; 80% of the world's soya production is fed to livestock so that people can eat meat and dairy foods. Both the rain forests and our health would benefit tremendously if more people switched from animal-based foods to a more plant-based diet, including soya. The next time you hear some daft story about soya wreaking havoc on human health or the environment, ask where the evidence is. 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 | 1 Jul 2010 | 4:08 am Turtle egg rescue plan announcedScientists announce plans to protect sea turtle nests and eggs from potential impacts of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 1 Jul 2010 | 3:55 am
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