Collaborative effort develops novel tool and discovers surprising correlation of microRNA expression and cancer type
Despite significant progress in understanding the genetic changes in many different cancers, diagnosis and classification of tumor type remain, at best, an imperfect art. This could change quickly, thanks to the findings of a group of researchers from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, MIT, and St. Jude’s Children
University of Colorado at Boulder researchers have developed a new polymer that resists cracking and shrinking, paving the way for creative breakthroughs in fields ranging from dentistry and microelectronics to the auto industry.
CU-Boulder chemical and biological engineering department Chair Christopher Bowman said polymers, or plastics — which are made up of identical molecules linked by chemical bonds to form repeating chains or webs — generally show an increase in strain
Highlights from final report on December 26, 2004 tsunami’s impact in Banda Aceh
Waves more than 15 meters (49 feet) high. Flooding of 25 square miles of land. A coastline moved a mile. In a brief report in the June 9, 2005 issue of Science, University of Southern California tsunami expert Jose Borerro presents the results of the detailed survey he made on the scene at Banda Aceh, Indonesia following the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami
Banda Aceh and the nearby area of
Method enables scientists to study all stages of virus’ life cycle
A team of researchers led by scientists at The Rockefeller University has produced for the first time an infectious form of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in laboratory cultures of human cells. The finding, reported in the June 9 issue of Science Express, will allow scientists to study every stage of the HCV life cycle and develop drugs to treat this life-threatening disease that affects more than 170 million people
Last December’s tsunami was a destructive force of nature that swept entire villages away and resulted in the deaths of approximately 200,000 people. Now, a team of researchers including Arizona State University’s Harinda Joseph Fernando reports that some areas of Sri Lanka were devastated more than others and that the increased destruction follows human development along coastal regions.
Fernando, director of ASU’s environmental fluid dynamics program and a nativ
Yerkes and CBN researchers find variations in genetic code affect social behavior
Why are some people shy while others are outgoing? A study in the current issue of Science demonstrates for the first time that social behavior may be shaped by differences in the length of seemingly non-functional DNA, sometimes referred to as junk DNA. The finding by researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center of Emory University and the Atlanta-based Center for Behavioral Neuroscien
Most of the excess carbon dioxide pouring into the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels will ultimately be absorbed by the oceans, but it will take about 100,000 years. That is how long it took for ocean chemistry to recover from a massive input of carbon dioxide 55 million years ago, according to a study published this week in the journal Science.
James Zachos, professor of Earth sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz, led an international team of scientists t
Today sees the launch of the new “Xplora” portal, a new European gateway for science education. Such initiatives will be an important part of improving Europe’s economic position in coming years, as more researchers are needed to drive innovation. “Xplora” provides resources for primary and secondary education, and is aimed at teachers, pupils, scientists, communication professionals and others involved in science education. Xplora has been developed with funds from the Science and Society ac
Astronomers Commission New High-Speed Camera on the Very Large Telescope
British scientists have opened a new window on the Universe with the recent commissioning of ULTRACAM on the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile.
ULTRACAM is an ultra fast camera capable of capturing some of the most rapid astronomical events. It can take up to 500 pictures a second in three different colours simultaneously. It has been designed and built b
ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft has for the first time ever detected an aurora on Mars. This aurora is of a type never previously observed in the Solar System.
Observations by the SPICAM instrument (SPectroscopy for the Investigations and the Characteristics of the Atmosphere on Mars) taken on 11 August 2004, revealed light emissions now interpreted as an aurora.
Aurorae are spectacular displays often seen at the highest latitudes on Earth. On our planet, as well as on the
Scientists at the University of York are warning that dramatic changes may soon occur in Africa’s vegetation in response to global warming.
They believe the effect may be on a similar scale to the climatic disruption in the last Ice Age and the African forest decline 2,500 years ago.
Scientists in the University’s Environment Department studied the likely impact of future climate fluctuations on the continent by modelling the responses of more than 5000 plant species to
If you see men crawling around in the neighbour’s garden at dusk wearing headlights, it may well be that they are researchers hunting for Spanish slugs.
Spanish slugs were previously seen as a garden nuisance, but now they have started to become a serious problem also for commercial horticulture, affecting strawberries and cabbage. A glaring example is garden owners in Hordaland county, who has had up to hundred thousand slugs in their garden, while a lot of strawberry and cabbage
Scientists at SINTEF Health Research in Trondheim have developed rapid tests that can identify Legionella bacteria in water reservoirs or biofilms in only a couple of days.
Senior scientist Catrine Ahlén at SINTEF Health Research emphasises that many laboratories can test for Legionella, but that the Trondheim scientists test for Legionella pneumophila, which is the most common species that causes Legionnaire’s disease. She has been carrying out such tests on a large scale in cruise ships.
New guidance on NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) use is urgently needed to ensure the best patient care, European experts said today. The news coincides with the results from a European survey of 626 arthritis patients which found that many are confused and worried about the potential side-effects of their medication.
Primary care physicians now face an increasingly limited range of prescribing options for long-term arthritis pain management, following the withdraw
Many chemicals in the occupational and non-occupational environment may be hazardous to skin and health. This will be the topic for an international scientific conference “Occupational and Environmental Exposures of Skin to Chemicals-2005” in Stockholm, Sweden 12-15 June 2005.
“Wet work and skin exposure to solvents, cement and pesticides are some of the important causes of disease. New chemical substances and products are developed, and it is important to know how they may affect
A team of European and US scientists, using Cassini-Huygens data, have found that Saturn’s smoggy moon Titan may have volcanoes that release methane in the atmosphere.
These findings may lead scientists to revise the theories that the presence of methane in Titan’s atmosphere is mainly due to the presence of a methane-rich hydrocarbon ocean.
Infrared images taken by the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) on board the Cassini orbiter, show a bright, 30-kilom
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