Orbit affects climate on Mars similar to the way it affects climate on Earth, say three scientists, who used a model of climate change on Earth to explain the layers of deposits in the polar regions of the Red Planet.
Their study appears in the Sept. 26 issue of Nature, and suggests that a climate change theory for Earth can also be applied to Mars and possibly to other Earth-like planets.
“The orbital theory of climate change has been successful in explaining changes in the Earth&
Scientists may soon be able to influence muscle formation more easily as a result of research conducted in the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases’ Laboratory of Muscle Biology. The researchers there and at institutions in California and Italy have found that inhibitors of the enzyme deacetylase can switch the pathway of muscle precursor cells (myoblasts) from simply reproducing themselves to becoming mature cells that form muscle fibers (myotubules).
It has
When a stroke affects the language areas in the left side of the brain, the right side takes over and learns how to perform language tasks, according to research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The study found that patients’ right side of the brain is more active than normal during a verbal language task, and that the right side’s activity decreases with practice, similar to what happens on the left side of the brain in healthy individuals.
“This is the f
One of the known facts about landfalling hurricanes is their rapid decay, yet some of them retain tropical storm winds and gusts well inland. While studies have shown that the reduction in surface evaporation is a reason for hurricane decay during landfall, little is known about the effect of land surface water on the intensity of hurricanes.
In a recent issue of the Journal of Atmospheric Sciences, URI Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO) physical oceanographer Isaac Ginis, Weixing Shen, f
An international team of scientists have today reported the discovery of a protein, called DIR1, that is a key step in the pathways that enable plants to protect themselves against disease. DIR1 is involved in the transmission of a warning signal from plant cells infected by disease. The signal alerts cells, in areas remote from the infected site, that the plant is under attack and switches on defence mechanisms that prevent the disease establishing further infection sites. The report, from scientis
Charles Darwin, the founder of the modern theory of evolution, was an avid proponent of sympatric speciation, the idea that a single species need not be geographically divided in order to evolve into two separate species. In the mid-20th century, however, certain vocal scientists convinced the scientific community that geographically isolating two halves of a population was a necessary factor in creating a new species. It wasn’t until the last few decades that modern biologists began to reexamine Da
Losartan tops beta blocker in patients with ’high top number’ blood pressure
A drug that reduces high blood pressure in people with a form of the disease that’s common later in life also cuts their risk of stroke and death, and does it better than another hypertension drug, a new study finds.
In the Sept. 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, an international team of researchers report that patients over age 55 who took a drug called los
The European Commission is organising a conference entitled The 4th SME Technology Days in Leeds (UK) on 25-27/9/2002. Recognising the essential role of the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the EU economy, this major conference provides concrete examples of European Union initiatives to foster the creation and development of SMEs through pioneering research, innovation and stronger international partnerships.
The New Framework Programme devotes the highest ever budget to SMEs. Over 15%
People who cope with a life-threatening situation by ignoring their anxiety or diverting their attention away from it may be doing themselves a favor. Such practices may act as a buffer against stress disorders, according to the results of an Israeli study of heart attack patients.
“The findings of this study suggest that a repressive coping style may promote adjustment to traumatic stress, both in the short and longer term,” says lead study author Karni Ginzburg, Ph.D., of the Bob Shapell
Researchers at Ohio State University and their colleagues have expanded the possibilities for a new kind of electronics, known as spintronics.
Though spintronics technology has yet to be fully developed, it could result in computers that store more data in less space, process data faster, and consume less power. It could even lead to computers that “boot up” instantly, said Arthur J. Epstein, professor of physics and chemistry and director of Ohio State’s Center for Materials Research.
More than one-third of patients undergoing chemotherapy at risk for heart failure
Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have found that cancer patients who develop heart failure as a result of chemotherapy treatment can be effectively treated, with the condition potentially reversed, when standard medicated therapy for heart failure is utilized.
The findings were presented today at the Sixth Annual Scientific Meeting of the Heart Failure Society
Habitat fragmentation is a primary threat to amphibians worldwide, and new research suggests one of the reasons why. Experimental evidence for three species shows that fragmentation may hinder the dispersal of juvenile amphibians, which could contribute to population declines.
“Habitat fragmentation is likely to reduce dispersal rates between local populations of these three species,” say Betsie Rothermel and Raymond Semlitsch of the University of Missouri in Columbia in the October issue o
A new medical study offers good news for expectant mothers facing the difficult choice of treating the nausea and vomiting of early pregnancy with things like soda, crackers or crushed ice, which are only marginally helpful, or trying prescription or over-the-counter medications, which may have potential side effects.
The September/October issue of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine features results from a new double-blind, placebo-controlled, and hospital-based study conducted by
Large changes unnecessary for multimodal transport
Multimodal transport is not in need of redesigned networks, rather of well designed ones. This is one of the conclusions from the PhD research of Rob van Nes, who will defend his thesis on Wednesday 25 September at TU Delft. “A highway with too many on and off ramps actually becomes a main road. This might be handy, but it is not effective.” Van Nes, who carried out his research at TRAIL research school, laid the theoretical foundati
A new Scottish multi-million pound photonics company is geared up for the future of telecommunications after securing a seven figure private investment deal.
The investment has allowed Helia Photonics Ltd, a Heriot-Watt University spin-out to purchase the coatings division of Terahertz Photonics in a technology transfer deal, and say they are already in discussions with a European partner over a major contract.
Helia Photonics CEO, David Hamilton, says they will be concentrating on
Zeolites are an extremely important class of inorganic materials that can separate gases or liquids on the basis of molecular size and shape. The backbone of a billion-dollar-a-year industry, these molecular sieves are used in numerous applications, from the production of biodegradable detergents, to the removal of moisture from natural gas pipelines, to the catalytic cracking of heavy petroleum distillates into gasoline.
Now, chemist Kenneth S. Suslick and colleagues at the University of Il
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