A previously unnoticed cooling trend that persisted for a millennium caused enough ice to build up in Antarctica’s Ross Sea that thousands of Adelie penguins abandoned their colonies beginning about 2,000 years ago, according to newly published research.
Using radiocarbon analyses of abandoned colonies on the Victoria Land coast of the Ross Sea, scientists believe that modern, ice free conditions developed in the region only within roughly the past 1,000 years and that the present Adelie
A species of beetle, that squirts its predators with a high-pressure spray of boiling liquid, could provide the key to significant improvements in aircraft engine design.
The bombardier beetle’s unique natural combustion technique is being studied to see if it can be copied for use in the aircraft industry.
Scientists studying the bombardier beetle’s jet-based defence mechanism hope it will help to solve a problem that can occasionally occur at high altitude – re-igniting a gas t
In species-rich rainforests of the New World tropics most trees have broad geographic distributions–from Mexico to Bolivia and sometimes to the West Indies. Either they have excellent dispersal abilities, or they established broad ranges prior to the formation of present geographic barriers. In a study featured in American Naturalist, Christopher Dick, Kobinah Abdul-Salim and Eldredge Bermingham address these questions in the first phylogeographic study of a rainforest tree.
The morphology
Biophysicists at Stanford University have finally answered one of the most fundamental questions in molecular biology: How does the tiny motor molecule, known as kinesin, move across a living cell? According to the researchers, the solution to this longstanding problem will provide new insight into how motor proteins function, and may open new avenues of investigation for the treatment of cancer and various neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s.
The stud
Several studies presented during the 45th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology shed light on some promising new therapies that are in the pipeline for the treatment of thrombosis, as well as some potential risk factors, and may provide hope for the numerous patients suffering from this condition.
Thrombosis, or more specifically deep vein thrombosis (DVT), is a dangerous medical condition in which the formation of a blood clot blocks circulation in the deep veins of the lowe
The measurement of new genes at diagnosis in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), discovered through new technologies from the human genome project, may be highly predictive of therapeutic outcomes, according to a study presented today during the 45th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). OPAL 1 (Outcome Predictor in Acute Leukemia 1), a novel, fully cloned human gene, and additional newly identified genes, have a strong predictive power to identify patients who may
Review of scientific data may allay parental concerns on vaccine safety
After reviewing dozens of scientific studies, a leading vaccine expert concludes that preservatives, additives and other substances contained in vaccines pose very little risk to children receiving those vaccines.
In addition to the primary ingredient that stimulates a protective immune response, various vaccines may contain small amounts of metals, proteins, and other chemicals, some of which are residu
Future sensors may take the form of microscopic finger-like structures developed at Ohio State University.
Engineers here have found an easy way to carve the surface of inexpensive ceramic material into tiny filaments, creating a platform for devices that detect chemicals in the air. They could also be used to clean up toxic chemicals or gather solar energy, or to form fog-free or self-cleaning surfaces.
Each filament, or “nanofinger,” consists of a single crystal of the com
Breakthrough treatment benefits patients and is less expensive than standard therapy
An inhaled treatment for critically ill newborns is less invasive, more effective and costs less than the treatment that has traditionally been used to treat a potentially fatal condition called hypoxic respiratory failure (HRF), according to a study published today in the journal Pediatrics.
The study focuses on the positive effects of inhaled nitric oxide for the treatment of HRF and revea
Although rings around planets like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are relatively short-lived, new evidence implies that the recycling of orbiting debris can lengthen the lifetime of such rings, according to University of Colorado researchers.
Strong evidence now implies small moons near the giant planets like Saturn and Jupiter are essentially piles of rubble, said Larry Esposito, a professor at CU-Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. These re-constituted small
The belt of high-energy electrons that normally cradles Earth from afar was greatly enhanced and pushed unusually close to our atmosphere during the violent solar activity that occurred in late October, University of Colorado at Boulder researchers say.
The results were obtained from observations by NASA’s Solar, Anomalous, and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer, or SAMPEX satellite, said CU-Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics Director Daniel Baker. An investigato
A coating that tethers DNA to a glass surface and allows the molecule to attach in three different places could make DNA microarrays denser and more affordable, according to Penn State material scientists.
DNA is the basis of enormous efforts in research and development in pharmaceutical and chemical industries across the country. To assay large numbers of DNA fragments, researchers use DNA microarrays – sometimes called biochips or genome chips. Currently, manufacture of these chips is time
Penn State engineers have developed and simulation tested a copper wire transmission scheme for distributing a broadband signal over local area networks (LANS) with a lower average bit error rate than fiber optic cable that is 10 times more expensive.
Dr. Mohsen Kavehrad, the W. L. Weiss professor of electrical engineering and director of the Center for Information and Communications Technology Research who led the study, says, “Using copper wire is much cheaper than fiber optic cable and,
Australia is set to be a safer place due to another outstanding piece of CSIRO technology and innovation.
Called a ’Contraband Scanner’, the device can accurately and rapidly detect illicit drugs and explosives.
Dr Geoff Garrett, the CEO of CSIRO, today welcomed the Federal Government’s announcement that $8.4 million dollars will be allocated to the Australian Customs Service to construct a commercial-scale Scanner and facility in Brisbane to trial the world-f
Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have developed a new breast scanner that is designed to detect subtle changes in breast cells before a lump can be felt by hand or seen with X-ray mammography.
Such early detection should enable doctors to more successfully treat breast cancer before it has formed a tumor or spread to lymph nodes, said Martin Tornai, Ph.D., associate professor of radiology and biomedical engineering at Duke and developer of the device. The new camera has undergo
Bone marrow transplantation offers the hope of a complete cure for patients suffering from certain forms of cancer, such as leukemia or other immune deficiency diseases.
However, there is a risk that transplanted cells may recognize the recipient patient’s tissues as foreign and begin to attack them. This reaction, known as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), can be lethal if it continues unchecked.
It has recently been shown in mice that the use of large numbers of immunoregul
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