A team of scientists at UCL (University College London) has discovered why we often miss major changes in our surroundings – such as a traffic light turning green when we’re listening to the radio. Our inability to notice large changes in a visual scene is a phenomenon often exploited by magicians – but only now can scientists put their finger on the exact part of the brain that is so often deceived.
The UCL team shows, in a research paper published in the September issue of
Earlier detection and treatment could prevent impaired mental development
A unique blood test detects iron deficiency in infants earlier and more accurately than the commonly used hemoglobin screening test, according to a study in the August 24/31 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Iron deficiency is estimated to affect nearly 10 percent of American children one to two years of age. Early detection and treatment are critical because iron deficiency
Findings could lead to new types of therapeutic RNAs for cancer, genetic diseases
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have published the first study to test the role of RNA chemical modifications on immunity. They have demonstrated that RNA from bacteria stimulates immune cells to orchestrate destruction of invading pathogens. Most RNA from human cells is recognized as being self and does not stimulate an immune response to the same extent as invading
Higher doses needed to produce effect, more research needed to clarify risks
A new report from the Nurse’s Health Study finds that regular, long-term aspirin use can significantly reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, as suggested by several earlier studies. However, the benefit appears to require more than a decade and is strongest at dose levels associated with a greater risk of side effects such as bleeding. Similar results were found for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory dr
New look but same breadth of information
The new-look is the result of a critical evaluation of website functionality and a review of what registered users want from Nanoforum. The revamped website offers the same level of information and detail as before, but it is now easier to search for related information.
The homepage lists the latest news with quick links to events, organisations, calls and programs, and Nanoforum reports, with the number of entries in each li
Psychologists at The University of Manchester are investigating the idea that out-of-body experiences, commonly thought of as paranormal phenomena, may in fact have their roots in how people perceive and experience their own bodies.
Around 10% of the population have an out-of-body experience (OBE) at some time, typically involving a sensation of floating and seeing the physical body from the outside. It isn’t uncommon for people to have more than one OBE, and they may also oc
Scientists at Karolinska Institutet have discovered a previously unknown virus that has been found to affect children. The virus, called human bocavirus, was identified by the team using a new method for virus discovery on respiratory tract samples drawn from children at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm. Their findings are published in the latest issue of PNAS (the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA).
Respiratory problems caused by infection of the l
A University of Leicester project which will have implications for the quality of magnetic recording has won a prestigious Innovation Fellowship, allowing researchers to develop its commercial potential.
Chris Binns, Professor of Nanoscience at the University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, heads the project, which is a collaboration with Dr Robert Lamberton of Seagate and Dr Roer Bayston of the Queen’s Medical Centre at Nottingham. The project aims to develop a new facili
Media reports of drug trials can lack accuracy and reliability, according to a study published in the open access journal BMC International Health and Human Rights. Researchers say that in controversial issues such as HIV/AIDS prevention drug trials, investigators and funders should engage with the media to avoid misinterpretation and inaccurate reporting.
The governments of Cameroon and Cambodia cancelled planned trials for the antiretroviral drug tenofovir in 2004 following a
EUREKA project E! 2929 ICOLS offers complete automatic control of lighting levels in both work and home environments. This € 300,000 project has developed an intelligent system extending the control offered by dimmer switches to all lighting sources, including fluorescent lamps. The system saves up to 30% of energy costs while providing safer illumination for work locations.
Artificial lighting is an everyday necessity, often taken for granted when readily available. It influe
Two groups of scientists have uncovered key secrets of success of a major pathogen responsible for recent food poisoning outbreaks. The ability of Salmonella bacteria to act quickly, both on an evolutionary timescale and during the early minutes of infection, has been investigated in detail for the first time.
This month more than 1,700 cases of Salmonella food poisoning from chicken were reported in Spain and earlier outbreaks in Europe have been linked to lettuce and eggs.
Enhanced computing capability will make it possible to gain new insights on climate change. On Tuesday, August 23, the climate modelling computer Tornado was inaugurated by Lena Sommestad, who is Environment Minister in Sweden.
Current research reports on climatic evolution unanimously concur that global temperature and precipitation are in a state of change. The extent global warming will reach in the future depends largely on the quantity of future carbon dioxide emission, bu
The current warming trends in the Arctic may shove the Arctic system into a seasonally ice-free state not seen for more than one million years, according to a new report. The melting is accelerating, and a team of researchers was unable to identify any natural processes that might slow the de-icing of the Arctic. Such substantial additional melting of Arctic glaciers and ice sheets will raise sea level worldwide, flooding the coastal areas where many of the world’s people live.
In a groundbreaking experiment, researchers from The City College of New York (CCNY) and Lehman College have measured the speed of magnetic avalanches and discovered that the process is analogous to the flame front of a flammable substance. The discovery of a “magnetic flame” could make it easier for engineers to study the dynamics of fire.
Magnetic avalanches occur when the polarity of a molecular nanomagnet is changed suddenly and sufficient energy is released to cause a chain reactio
According to a new study in The Journal of Finance, private equity has average returns roughly equal to the S&P 500 (net of management fees). This contradicts the myth that private equity outperforms the public market benchmarks by 4%-6% annually. However, there is large variation in performance across private equity partnerships. We also find that there is a significant amount of persistence in private equity, not only among successful funds but also for the unsuccessful ones. Successful private
Scientists have successfully converted human embryonic stem cells into lung cells, taking a first step towards building human lungs for transplantation.
According to research to be published in the journal Tissue Engineering, the team from Imperial College London, took human embryonic stem cells and ’directed’ them to convert into the type of cells needed for gas exchange in the lung, known as mature small airway epithelium.
Dame Professor Julia Polak,
Feedback
