Landmark results explain how we process sound, could improve devices from iPods to cochlear implants
Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University have discovered that our ears use the most efficient way to process the sounds we hear, from babbling brooks to wailing babies. These results represent a significant advance in our understanding of how sound is encoded for transmission to the brain, according to the authors, whose work is published with an accompanying “News and Views” editori
Obtaining serum by cardiac puncture of fetal calves raises ethical concerns; non-animal alternatives scientifically superior
In the March issue of Trends in Biotechnology, scientists and doctors with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) recommend using only animal serum-free media to grow live cells in the laboratory. At issue is the use of fetal calf serum, which is obtained by puncturing the heart of a fetal calf without anesthesia. Recent breakthroughs per
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center say they now have a clearer picture of how an extract from the leaves of the Ginkgo biloba tree reduces the risk of aggressive cancer in animal experiments.
In the January-February issue of the journal Anticancer Research, the investigators reported that treating mice with an extract of leaves of Ginkgo biloba both before and after implanting human breast or brain (glioma) tumors decreased expression of a cell receptor associa
Bacteria could help transform a key component of disposable cups, plates and utensils into a useful eco-friendly plastic, significantly reducing the environmental impact of this ubiquitous, but difficult-to-recycle waste stream, according to a study scheduled to appear in the April 1 issue of the American Chemical Society journal, Environmental Science & Technology.
The microbes, a special strain of the soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida, converted polystyrene foam — commonly known as S
TV advertising shown to be most effective
Most smokers want to quit, but even among those who try, less than 5% manage to stop smoking for more than three months. There is a major ongoing effort to encourage quitting, the National Action Plan for Tobacco Cessation. This comprehensive plan has six main initiatives, only one of which, a national telephone quit line, has been implemented to date. To evaluate the effectiveness of various strategies, researchers identified 787 people w
New Hubble Images Offer Best View yet of Distant Planet and its Three Satellites
In the Feb. 23 issue of the journal Nature, a team led by Dr. Hal Weaver of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md., describes its discovery of two new moons around Pluto – a finding that made the ninth planet the first Kuiper Belt object known to have multiple satellites.
In a companion paper, also in the Feb. 23 Nature, discovery team members led by Dr. A
Indicates need for patients to balance oral health with other cardiovascular risk factors
New research is reinforcing the longstanding belief that a connection exists between periodontal disease, or severe gum inflammation, and cardiovascular disease. But according to Moise Desvarieux, MD, PhD, infectious disease epidemiologist in the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, the nature of the relationship is still unclear and
New research shows X-ray bursts from the Sun cause dramatic alterations to the planet’s ionosphere
Boston University astronomers announced today the first clear evidence that solar flares change the upper atmosphere of Mars. In an article published in the February 24th issue of the journal Science, the researchers describe how X-ray bursts from the Sun in April 2001 recorded by satellites near Earth reached Mars and caused dramatic enhancements to the planet’s ionosp
Symptoms of anxiety and depression in childhood and use of MDMA: Prospective population based study; BMJ online first
Children with symptoms of anxiety and depression may have an increased tendency to use ecstasy in adolescence or young adulthood, finds a study published online by the BMJ today.
The use of ecstasy is associated with emotional health problems, such as depression, psychotic symptoms, and anxiety disorders. But it’s not clear whether emotional problem
Bacteria are bad. Mothers and doctors, not to mention the cleaning product industry, repeatedly warn of their dangers. But a Stanford University School of Medicine microbiologist is raising the intriguing idea that persistent bacterial and viral infections have benefits.
Stanley Falkow, PhD, the Robert W. and Vivian K. Cahill Professor in Cancer Research, is publishing his thoughts on this topic in an essay in the Feb. 24 issue of the journal Cell, in which he asks, “Is persistent b
According to a new study appearing in the April issue of the Journal of Dental Research, cigarette smoking can lead to not only tooth discoloration and gum disease, but also a common dental procedure that helps to heal a diseased tooth–the root canal.
“The findings substantiate what most of us already know: Smoking is detrimental to your health,” Elizabeth Krall Kaye, PhD, MPH, epidemiologist at the Boston VA Hospital and professor in the department of health policy and health se
Unlovable lamprey holds clues to skeletal evolution
University of Florida scientists have found that people have an ancient skeleton in their closets – a skeleton personified today by a jawless, eel-like fish. It turns out lampreys, long thought to have taken a different evolutionary road than almost all other backboned animals, may not be so different after all, especially in terms of the genetics that govern their skeletal development, according to findings to be published o
Tech-savvy students and grad transferred use of technology to households and workplaces
Universities played a unique role in the diffusion of Internet technology in the mid-1990s, according to a paper published in the March issue of the International Journal of Industrial Organization.
“The Internet, which many people view as the most important technology of the last 15 years, moved from universities to the public in an unusual way,” says Avi Goldfarb, a professor at the
Selective T cell stimulation could help improve treatment of autoimmune disease and cancer
The findings could also be significant for developing new ways to help patients with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, or juvenile diabetes.
The study, which was published in the February 16 issue of the online journal Science Express, showed that these injections caused a massive selective increase in the immune system’s two main types of T
Banks and insurance companies have widely recognized the need for mutual co-operation in the form of cross-sector alliances. In these articles we study the problem of finding the most suitable alliance structure between banks and insurance companies from the points of view of executive management, supervisory authorities and customers. We also study possible compromise alliance models for several decision maker groups and a group’s understanding of other groups’ decisions.
In the first
VLT Image of SN 2006X in Spiral Galaxy Messier 100
Possibly similar to what our own Milky Way looks like, Messier 100 [1] is a grand design spiral galaxy that presents an intricate structure, with a bright core and two prominent arms, showing numerous young and hot massive stars as well as extremely hot knots (HII regions). Two smaller arms are also seen starting from the inner part and reaching towards the larger spiral arms.
The galaxy, located 60 million light-years
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