Around the world, seagrass beds – shallow-water ecosystems that are important habitats, food sources, and sediment stabilizers – are in decline, says Frederick Short, research professor of natural resources and marine science at the University of New Hampshire. And as these underwater meadows disappear, so do commercially valuable shellfish and fish, waterfowl and other wildlife, water quality, and erosion prevention.
Short, who founded the global monitoring program SeagrassNet in 2001
Enzymes that can harm the brain immediately after a stroke may actually be beneficial days later, according to new research. Insights from the study could change the way stroke is treated, extending the window for effective treatment from a couple of hours to a couple of weeks. The results may suggest new ideas for drug development.
Working with rats, a team from the Harvard Medical School Departments of Radiology and Neurology found that the enzyme matrix metalloproteinase-9 (M
The sun will still cross the equator on March 20th marking the vernal equinox and the official start of spring, but Mother Nature is increasingly getting a jumpstart on the celestial movements. Over the last 150 years, scientific measurements show that events signifying the beginning of spring have all shifted.
These events now happen about a week earlier on average in the northeast United States, according to a new report, Evidence of Early Spring, from the group Clean Air-C
Identifying alterations in DNA methylation may also be useful in determining cancer progression
Researchers at Mayo Clinic have narrowed the search for effective prostate cancer biomarkers (genetic variations that point to a specific disease or condition), identifying changes in the expression of genes of the whole genome closely correlated to prostate cancer development and progression. They also showed that DNA hypermethylation (DNA modification without changing sequence)
Bolstered by recent laboratory findings, researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center are embarking on a National Institutes of Health-funded clinical study to better understand the deceptive role environmental lead exposure plays in bone maturation and loss. The clinical trial is the latest in a growing body of research that is putting yet one more notch in the belt of diseases attributed to lead, and this time, researchers say, its target is older adults at risk for osteoporosis
A jet fuel comparable to Jet A or military JP 8, but derived from at least 50 percent bituminous coal, has successfully powered a helicopter jet engine, according to a Penn State fuel scientist.
“Because the fuel is 50 percent derived from coal, it could reduce our use of imported petroleum for this purpose by half,” says Dr. Harold H. Schobert, professor of fuel science and director of Penn State’s Energy Institute. “We have shown in tests that the mix can go to at least 75
Breakthrough method in growing replacement cartilage
A breakthrough self-assembly technique for growing replacement cartilage offers the first hope of replacing the entire articular surface of knees damaged by arthritis. The technique, developed at Rice University’s Musculoskeletal Bioengineering Laboratory, is described in this month’s issue of the journal Tissue Engineering.
“This has significant ramifications because we are now beginning to talk, for the first time, abou
The sequencing of the rice genome could help mitigate the impact of climate change on the world’s poor
New evidence is emerging that climate change could reduce not only the world’s ability to produce food but also international efforts to cut poverty. However, the recent sequencing of the rice genome is already providing researchers with some of the tools they need to help poor rice farmers and consumers avoid the worst effects of the problem.
The new knowledge genera
Proposals by environmentalists to declare small areas of the North Sea as ’no-fishing’ zones would not save our flagging fish stocks, suggests a new report by Newcastle University for the British Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. (DEFRA).
Marine protected areas (MPAs) would need to be tens of thousands of square miles in size – at least as big as the size of Wales – and would need to be established for decades to restore levels of c
To live we need to breathe. Prior to being born we carry this activity out through the placenta and subsequently by means of our lungs. In normal development, the lungs of the foetus are filled with amniotic liquid and, on being born, the first cry activates this respiration surface. But the main problem that premature babies have is that their lungs are not well formed. Moreover, they often lack surfactant, a compound formed by proteins and lipids that avoids the lungs folding in on themselves
The University of Southampton’s School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) has launched the first video podcast news service from a UK university.
The School, which carries out world-leading research in multimedia and mobile communications, unveiled the first editions of ECS News this month. The programme is available on the School’s web site (www.ecs.soton.ac.uk), and can be downloaded either to be viewed on a portable device (such as an i-Pod video), or a laptop
On Wednesday 29 March 2006, the Moon’s shadow will sweep over the surface of Earth during the fourth total solar eclipse of this century.
The path of the Moon’s ‘umbral’ shadow begins in Brazil at 10:35 CEST and crosses the Atlantic reaching Africa about 11:08 CEST, where it will travel over the northern part of the continent. It next crosses the Mediterranean Sea to Turkey, and then central Asia where it ends at sunset in western Mongolia.
For lucky observe
Investment in new PhD studentships represents unique opportunity for Bournemouth University to raise its research standing and capacity
Bournemouth University will recruit an unprecedented 80 new researchers into PhD studentships over the coming months.
Over £1 million will go directly into the studentships as part of the University’s new investment strategy to build on its research achievements and develop world-class centres of academic excellence. The PhD studentships
Researchers at the University of Hertfordshire have found that individuals who signed up for a new group which could help those who have medically unexplained conditions to resolve them had a drastic reduction in symptoms as soon as they made the call.
The group, which began this month and uses the body’s movement expression to help participants to explore their symptoms, received ethical approval from Welwyn & Hatfield PCT earlier this year, making it the first group of its type in the re
Huge reductions in heating bills, safer surgery and the next generation of miniaturised computers are among the potential benefits of new nanotechnology developed at Leeds.
By suspending nanoparticles in water or other liquids, Professor Richard Williams and Dr Yulong Ding have created ‘nanofluids’ which can transfer heat up to 400% faster than other liquids. In a central heating system, nanofluids could increase efficiency without the need to use a more powerful pump, so saving energy and
Even preschoolers approach the world much like scientists: They are convinced that perplexing and unpredictable events can be explained, according to an MIT brain researcher’s study in the April issue of Child Development.
The way kids play and explore suggests that children believe cause-and-effect relationships in the world are governed by fundamental laws rather than by mysterious forces, said Laura E. Schulz, assistant professor of cognitive science and co-author of
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