Data from NASA’s Terra satellite is adding to our understanding of how pollution spreads around the globe. The information will help scientists protect and understand the Earth.
NASA funded scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Boulder, Colo., will present two studies focusing on global air pollution. Their presentations are part of the 2004 Joint Assembly of the American and Canadian Geophysical Unions.
David Edwards will discuss “Observations
NASA and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) are teaming up to create one of the most complete databases of magnetic properties of Earth’s rocks ever assembled. The partnership demonstrates ongoing interagency collaboration.
Satellite data of Earth’s magnetic field combined with rock magnetic data collected on the ground will provide more complete insight into Earth’s geology, gravity and magnetism.
Satellites, including NASA’s Magsat, have detected magnetic signals in the
On June 19, NASA will launch Aura, a next generation Earth-observing satellite. Aura will supply the best information yet about the health of Earth’s atmosphere.
Aura will help scientists understand how atmospheric composition affects and responds to Earth’s changing climate. The satellite will help reveal the processes that connect local and global air quality. It will also track the extent Earth’s protective ozone layer is recovering.
Aura will carry four in
Experiments reverse cells’ developmental course
In experiments with fruit flies, Johns Hopkins scientists have restored the insect’s sperm-making stem cells by triggering cells on the way to becoming sperm to reverse course. The unexpected findings are described in the May 13 issue of Science.
Like all stem cells, the fruit fly’s sperm-making stem cells can renew themselves or can develop into more specialized cells — eventually sperm in this case. While a few types of fai
Astronomers have detected and probed dark energy by applying a powerful, new method that uses images of galaxy clusters made by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. The results trace the transition of the expansion of the Universe from a decelerating to an accelerating phase several billion years ago, and give intriguing clues about the nature of dark energy and the fate of the Universe.
“Dark energy is perhaps the biggest mystery in physics,” said Steve Allen of the Institute of Astronomy (Io
UMHS researcher finds gap between what parents, children report
Parents think their children use bicycle helmets and seatbelts more often than children say they use them, according to a new study by a University of Michigan Health System pediatric surgeon.
In a survey of 731 fourth and fifth grade pupils and 329 of their parents, researchers found that while 70 percent of parents say their child always wears a bicycle helmet while riding, only 51 percent of children report we
While-you-wait medical tests that screen patients for thousands of disease markers could be possible with compact-disk technology patented by Purdue University scientists.
A team led by physicist David D. Nolte has pioneered a method of creating analog CDs that can function as inexpensive diagnostic tools for protein detection. Because the concentration of certain proteins in the bloodstream can indicate the onset of many diseases, a cheap and fast method of detecting these biological
Johns Hopkins researchers have developed the basis of an inexpensive, simple urine test that identifies impending kidney failure or rejection following transplant surgery. Their work, presented this week in a special invited lecture to the American Transplant Congress in Boston, Mass., is based on proteins found in urine, and could lead to a urine test kit that may allow many patients to skip painful biopsies.
“This has the potential to radically change the way transplant patients are manage
Blocking a molecule that rids cells of potentially toxic molecules might make chemotherapy for leukemia more effective, but it could also leave healthy stem cells more vulnerable to toxic cancer treatment drugs
Inactivating a protective molecule in leukemic cells to make them more vulnerable to chemotherapy might also make healthy blood-forming cells more sensitive to the toxic effects of those same drugs. These findings have been published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry by in
The progressing AIDS epidemic has prompted a revival of interest in pneumocytosis, a respiratory infection which appears only in immunodepressed humans and can be fatal if treatment is not given. The agent responsible is a microscopic fungus, albeit usually non-pathogenic, which lives in the pulmonary alveoli. Searching for possible sources of human contamination in animal reservoirs proved negative: only the species specific for humans, Pneumocystis jirovecii, can trigger pneumonia in humans. This w
Celebrities who spend thousands of pounds perfecting their smile are making image-conscious young adults worry about the health of their teeth, research carried out in Britain and Australia suggests.
Even though statistics show younger generations enjoy better oral health than ever, a study by an international team of researchers led by the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, and the University of Adelaide in Australia, has revealed they are more likely to complain about problems with th
An engineer at the University of Sheffield is leading a £4.5m project that could revolutionise the way scientists, medics and others see the world – by allowing the earlier detection of cancer, the instant analysis of medical screening tests, and permitting the emergency and security services to work effectively in murky surroundings. It will also open up broad tracts of science to unique high-quality imaging by enabling physicists to understand better the most fundamental interactions of matter, by
A study by researchers at U of T suggests that music teachers are routinely exposed to noise levels that could result in hearing loss
Led by research associate Alberto Behar and electrical and computer engineering professors Hans Kunov and Willy Wong, the team found that while general noise exposure over the course of an average day is marginally acceptable, noise levels during teaching periods could damage the inner ear. “The hair cells of the inner ear simply crumble under the load
Leading-edge technology is being used by two CSIRO Livestock Industries’ research teams to identify genes that enable sheep to resist intestinal parasites.
The discovery of such genes could lead to new products, control strategies, and markers to identify superior animals in selective breeding programs, which will substantially improve the overall health and welfare of the national flock.
With support from Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) and Australian Wool Innovation (A
While the Cassini spacecraft has been flying toward Saturn, chemists on Earth have been making plastic pollution like that raining through the atmosphere of Saturn’s moon, Titan.
Scientists suspect that organic solids have been falling from Titan’s sky for billions of years and might be compounds that set the stage for the next chemical step toward life. They collaborate in University of Arizona laboratory experiments that will help Cassini scientists interpret Titan data and plan a futur
In the battle against forest fires COMETS’ Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) monitoring and evaluation capabilities may offer beleaguered emergency crews the lifeline they need to control the fire.
The COMETS project improved the capabilities of two helicopters and an airship to enable them to cooperate. These UAVs can be used in aerial missions including natural disasters remediation, traffic and environmental monitoring, surveillance, security and law enforcement, and terrain mapping.
Feedback
