The most accurate test to date of Einstein’s theory of special relativity is taking place at the University of Sussex. The investigation of Einstein’s 1905 theory could change the face of modern physics. It will examine quantum gravity, a theory which introduces very small modifications into the accepted 1905 theory.
Examination of Einstein’s theory is usually a costly and time-consuming exercise. Existing experiments involve multi-million dollar space projects. Physicist Dr Ben Varc
A new dissertation shows that relaxation in a flotation tank can serve as an alternative form of treatment to reduce stress or relieve persistent pain, and it has no side-effects whatsoever.
In times like these, we are surrounded by stress and troubled by burn-out. Stress seems to retain its place as the greatest enemy to good health, well-being, and self-esteem. A major international field of research is now focusing on neurogenesis, that is, the generation of new nerve cells. This i
Plastic lamp-posts that cause less damage on collision could save hundreds of lives across Europe. In the UK alone, over 500 motorists are killed each year hitting roadside objects such as lampposts. The collapsing posts developed in this EUREKA project E! 2534 THERMOPOLE are able to absorb much of the force in a collision, saving the car driver from the full impact.
According to Gerry Boyce, Director of the UK lead partner Euro Projects, “the THERMOPOLE project team “set out to create a la
No proven benefit of detection of human papillomavirus alone compared with the conventional Pap smear
Under the aegis of the French Society of Clinical Cytology, physicians at the Institut Curie have evaluated the relevance of the papillomavirus detection test, Hybrid Capture‚ II, in screening for cervical cancer, the second most common cancer in women worldwide. They have shown that this test cannot replace cytological analysis of the cervical smear.
For the first time a learn
Research aimed at understanding how lice feed off humans may lead to new methods to control the blood-sucking pest that can transmit fatal diseases.
In the November issue of the journal Insect Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Purdue and Harvard university researchers report finding lice genes that control the breakdown of their human blood meal into energy and waste. They also identified the first gene in lice that may impact the insects’ ability to fight off bacterial infections. The
An international team of astronomers from France, Italy, the UK and Australia has found a previously unknown galaxy colliding with our own Milky Way. This newly-discovered galaxy takes the record for the nearest galaxy to the centre of the Milky Way.
Called the Canis Major dwarf galaxy after the constellation in which it lies, it is about 25000 light years away from the solar system and 42000 light years from the centre of the Milky Way. This is closer than the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy, dis
A novel method of genetic fingerprinting, analysed and tested by more than 200 European laboratories, has been developed in conjunction with the Gaiker Technological Centre and enables the avoidance of fraud, thus guaranteeing safe foods for the consumer.
For their brand products the Eroski Group has developed and introduced a series of Food Safety control techniques and guarantees which are pioneer in Europe. This initiative started to be developed five years under the auspices of th
According to Professor Matti Haltia, a new form of the hereditary disorder Alzheimer’s disease, which paralyses the lower extremities of its victims, has been discovered in Finland. This disease has since also been discovered in many other countries. The disorder is caused by a new type of genetic defect, which leads to the accumulation of cotton-wool plaque in the cerebral cortex. These cotton-wool plaques lack the traditional Alzheimer plaques, i.e. an amyloid core. This discovery is altering the
Findings provide new molecular drug targets, validate transgenic mouse models
Breast cancer researchers have demonstrated for the first time that it is possible to block genetic switches in mice that turn cancer on and off — thus preventing and even reversing breast cancer in the animals. The findings, reported Sunday morning at the 24th Congress of the International Association for Breast Cancer Research, suggest potential new molecular targets for drugs to prevent and potentially er
While most scientists agree that a meteor strike killed the dinosaurs, the cause of the largest mass extinction in Earth’s history, 251 million years ago, is still unknown, according to geologists.
“During the end-Permian extinction 95 percent of all species on Earth became extinct, compared to only 75 percent during the KT when the dinosaurs disappeared,” says Dr. Lee R. Kump, professor of geosciences. “The end-Permian is puzzling. There is no convincing smoking gun, no compelling evi
Following surgical liver resection, a technique known as partial hepatectomy, which is often employed in the removal of benign or malignant tumors, a large reservoir of stem cell factor (SCF) in the liver drives increased hepatocyte proliferation in order to restore liver mass to normal. Lisa Colletti and colleagues from the University of Michigan report their findings in the November 3 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Following most cases of partial hepatectomy the remnant l
Screening newborns for a rare but treatable genetic disease benefits families and society, according to a team of pediatricians and health care economists who analyzed patient records and data from mass screening programs in several states. The study appears in the November issue of Pediatrics.
The researchers, from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, analyzed the cost-effectiveness of screening for medium-chain acyl-CoA-dehydr
The discovery of a gene believed to be connected to morbid obesity has international origins and began as an exploration into the causes of Type I diabetes.
The discovery, which will be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Public Library of Science (http://www.plos.org), involves researchers originally from Sweden and France who collaborated at the University of Washington in Seattle.
The gene, on Chromosome 10, was first connected to diabetes in 1991 by Dr. Åke Lernmark,
Wine lovers take note: global warming is already tinkering with your favorite indulgence.
A study of the world’s top 27 wine regions’ temperatures and wine quality over the past 50 years reveals that rising temperatures have already impacted vintage quality. As for the next 50 years, climate modeling for these same wine regions predicts a 2°C temperature rise that is likely to make cool growing regions better producers of some grape varieties, and already warm wine regions
Mars is kind of like Texas: things are just bigger there. In addition to the biggest canyon and biggest volcano in the solar system, Mars has now been found to have sand ripples twice as tall as they would be on Earth.
Initial measurements of some of the Red Planet’s dunes and ripples using stereo-images from the Mars Orbiter Camera onboard the Mars Global Surveyor have revealed ripple features reaching almost 20 feet high and dunes towering at 300 feet.
One way to imagine the ta
Amino acids have been found in interstellar clouds and in meteorites – but with some enigmatic omissions and tantalizing similarities to life on Earth. Just why some amino acids are present in meteorites and others are absent, and why they seem to prefer the same “left-handed” molecular structure as Earth’s living amino acids are questions that could unravel one of the most fundamental questions of science: Where and how did life begin?
“The bottom line is that you have these materials
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