Hughes investigator John Scott long studied signal transduction system
A pulsing heart cell is giving Oregon Health & Science University researchers insight into how it sends and receives signals, and that’s providing clues into how heart disease and other disorders develop.
In a study appearing in today’s edition of Nature, John Scott, Ph.D., a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and senior scientist at OHSU’s Vollum Institute, found that heart muscle cells
Infections associated with inserting a medical device can be devastating, painful, and cause prolonged disability, costing tens of thousands of dollars.
Now, researchers at Jefferson Medical College have found a way to create a permanent chemical bond between antibiotics and titanium, a material used in orthopedic implants. The proof-of-principle study showed that an antibiotic can be connected to the titanium surface in an active form, and can kill bacteria and prevent infection
“Coastal erosion, global sea-level rise, and the loss of sand dune plant habitats”
Researchers from Texas A&M University created a model to better understand the impacts of development and coastal erosion on plant communities, including plants that grow in the ever-shrinking strip of habitat between land and the ocean. Rusty Feagin, Douglas Sherman, and William Grant simulated varying levels of sea-level rise to understand the effects of erosion and development on sand dune p
First-ever Human Studies Show Bleach Solution
Reduces Allergenic Properties of Mold
Researchers at National Jewish Medical and Research Center have demonstrated that dilute bleach not only kills common household mold, but may also neutralize the mold allergens that cause most mold-related health complaints. The study, published in the September issue of The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, is the first to test the effect on allergic individuals of mold spores treat
Astronomers have found compelling evidence that a supernova shock wave has produced a large amount of cosmic rays, particles of mysterious origin that constantly bombard the Earth. This discovery, made with NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, supports theoretical arguments that shock waves from stellar explosions may be a primary source of cosmic rays.
This finding is important for understanding the origin of cosmic rays, which are atomic nuclei that strike the Earth’s atmospher
Sub-millimetre APEX telescope inaugurated at Chajnantor
The Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) project celebrates the inauguration of its outstanding 12-m telescope, located on the 5100 m high Chajnantor plateau in the Atacama Desert (Chile). The APEX telescope, designed to work at sub-millimetre wavelengths, in the 0.2 to 1.5 mm range, passed successfully its Science Verification phase in July, and since then is performing regular science observations. This new front-line fac
The 21st century craze to constantly reinvent ourselves is a dangerous addiction that can ruin lives, according to a controversial new book by sociologists Anthony Elliott (University of Kent) and Charles Lemert (Wesleyan University, USA).
The New Individualism: The Emotional Cost of Globalization, published by Routledge on 26 October 2005, is one of the first books to explore the personal and emotional impact of globalisation on real people, rather than its political or economi
As Hurricane Rita entered the Gulf of Mexico, ESA’s Envisat satellite’s radar was able to pierce through swirling clouds to directly show how the storm churns the sea surface. This image has then been used to derive Rita’s wind field speeds.
Envisat acquired this Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) image at 0344 UTC on 22 September (2345 on 21 September in US Eastern Daylight Saving Time), when Hurricane Rita was passing west of Florida and Cuba. The image
Daily multispectral observations from Envisat’s MERIS sensor are being combined with a sophisticated processing algorithm and powerful Grid computing to reveal global photosynthesis activity on land. This permits researchers to trace the state of health of terrestrial plant cover, identifying areas under stress and assessing damage from drought or fires.
An algorithm developed by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (EC-JRC) in Ispra, Italy is the basis for gl
Study supported by the Network for Surviving Stalking (NSS)
Details of media resources and interview arrangements below
The world’s most comprehensive stalking survey carried out by Dr Lorraine Sheridan of the University of Leicester reveals the devastating impact of stalking in the UK and USA. Unfortunately, victims are not the sole casualties.
Results unveiled today (Friday September 23) reveal that virtually all victims of stalking suffer severe emotiona
Playing an increasingly important role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD), controlling one’s weight through healthy eating and regular exercise can directly reduce the risk of heart disease and also the impact of an existing heart condition. The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) joins the World Heart Federation in trumpeting the importance of ‘Healthy Weight, Healthy Shape for a Heart for Life’ on World Heart Day, 25 September 2005.
Through its recent annual scien
Neuralgic Amyotrophy is a painful disorder of the peripheral nervous system. This heritable disease causes prolonged acute attacks of pain in the shoulder or arm, followed by temporary paralysis. Researchers from the Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) connected to the University of Antwerp, have uncovered a small piece of the molecular puzzle of this disease by identifying the defects in the gene responsible for this disorder.
Neuralgic Amyotrophy, a painful
Scientists successfully grow ’dwarf belonging to the sea’ in laboratory
Scientists are now revisiting, and perhaps revising, their thinking about how Archaea, an ancient kingdom of single-celled microorganisms, are involved in maintaining the global balance of nitrogen and carbon. Researchers have discovered the first Archaea known to oxidize ammonia for energy and metabolize carbon dioxide by successfully growing the tentatively named, Nitrosopumilus maritimus, in the lab.
A gradual lengthening of the snow-free season in Alaska’s tundra, and a corresponding northward progression of the growth of shrubs and trees, may be creating a cycle of warmer and longer summers in the Alaskan Arctic according to a new study to be published in the Sept. 22, 2005, issue of Science Express.
The resulting atmospheric heating in the region of northern Alaska is equivalent to what might be observed if there was a doubling of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. C
According to a recent report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, folate, a B vitamin found in foods like leafy green vegetables and citrus fruit, may protect against cognitive decline in older adults. The research was conducted by scientists at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.
A team led by Katherine L. Tucker, PhD, director and professor of the Nutritional Epidemiology Program at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and
Botox, used by Hollywood stars to smooth out facial wrinkles, is playing an important role in UQ research to understand how nerve cells communicate with each other.
The research is exploring basic nerve cell function, minute changes which underlie memory and learning, and possible causes of nerve diseases. Dr Frederic Meunier, a lecturer in UQ’s School of Biomedical Sciences, is studying basic physiological processes at the molecular level. Dr Meunier is one of seven UQ f
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