Balanced protein diet can cut nitrogen build up on dairy farms

WASHINGTON – Up to 35 percent of the accumulated nitrogen on dairy cattle farms can be reduced with a balanced diet in protein content without reducing milk production, suggests a new research.

Improving the nutrition of dairy cattle is a key instrument for reducing the environmental problems caused by the accumulation of nitrogen on dairy farms. …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Novel mechanism may help turn off cancer growth in humans

WASHINGTON – Despite being different organisms, plants and animals share a surprising number of biological mechanisms. Now, a plant biologist at Tel Aviv University says that one of these mechanisms may be the answer for turning off cancer growth in humans.

Shaul Yalovsky, of the Molecular Biology and Ecology of Plants Department at Tel Aviv University, … Read more : Novel mechanism may help turn off cancer growth in humans.

Simple polymer-based filter cleans water, recovers oil

WASHINGTON – A University of Pittsburgh engineering professor has developed a technique for separating oil from water via a cotton filter coated in a chemical polymer that blocks oil while allowing water to pass through.

Di Gao, an assistant professor and William Kepler Whiteford Faculty Fellow in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering in …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Mosquito saliva on honey-soaked cards may signal infection outbreaks

LONDON – Scientists are analysing saliva samples containing viral RNA, from mosquitoes, to determine the possibility of infection.

Scientists earlier used traps baited with carbon dioxide or light to attract the insects but they were unable to distinguish between viruses that are safely confined to the mosquitoes’ gut and those that have migrated to their salivary … Read more >>.

New method to detect tumours faster

WASHINGTON – Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS in Dresden are working to considerably speed up cancer diagnosis.

They have developed a microscope head with a diameter of just eight millimetres, which can optically resolve and magnify tissue cells measuring just 10 to 20 micrometers. Fitted in the tip of an endoscope it …. Source article  : New method to detect tumours faster.

Diabetes, obesity drugs may help treat hepatitis C

WASHINGTON – A new research led by the University of Leeds has found that common drugs used to treat conditions such as diabetes and obesity can be used to successfully treat hepatitis C virus infection.

Drugs such as anti-diabetic drug Metformin and AICAR, used to combat obesity, can prevent the hepatitis C virus from replicating in …. Read the original article  : Diabetes, obesity drugs may help treat hepatitis C.

Mining responsible for TB epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa: Study

WASHINGTON – Researchers have said that there may be a link between the mining activities and spread of tuberculosis in sub-Saharan Africa.

The study analyzed data from 44 sub-Saharan African countries, to find that the rate of mining was proportional to the country’s incidence of TB.

“We have long known that the conditions on the mines – …. Source article  : Mining responsible for TB epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa: Study.

Indirect medication the best way to stop seizures?

WASHINGTON – A new study says indirect, or non-IV medication may be the best way to stop seizures in a patient immediately.

UC emergency medicine assistant professor Jason McMullan, MD, compared two seizure medications, diazepam and non-intravenous midazolam, in a study of 774 patients.

Both medications are in a class of drugs called benzodiapines, with diazepam the … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Indirect medication the best way to stop seizures?.

‘Psychedelic’ maize may boost crop and bio-fuel yields

WASHINGTON – Scientists have identified new genes in maize, which promote carbohydrate export from leaves. These genes could increase crop yields and the amount of bio-fuel that can be derived from each plant.

“This study shows that there is still a lot to learn about genes that control carbohydrate distribution in plants,” said David Braun, Ph.D, … Read more »».

Low-allergy peanuts on the anvil

LONDON – Scientists in the US are developing ‘low-allergy’ peanuts, offering hope to thousands of people with allergies associated with the popular seed.

Peanut allergies are relatively common and usually cause breathing problems.

But at their most serious, they can lead to a potentially life-threatening anaphylactic shock.

The US team has managed to remove or reduce key proteins …. Read the original article  : Low-allergy peanuts on the anvil.

Genetic factors tied to gambling disorders in both sexes

WASHINGTON – Genetic factors may be associated with development of gambling disorders in men and women, a new study.

To investigate potential genetic and environmental risk factors for development of disordered gambling, Wendy S. Slutske, of University of Missouri-Columbia, and colleagues studied 4,764 individuals from 2,889 Australian twin pairs (age 32 to 43 years, 57 percent …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Genetic factors tied to gambling disorders in both sexes.

Female spiders fight ‘like sumo wrestlers’

WASHINGTON – A new research has shown that while the males of a jumping spider species merely threaten and posture instead of actually fighting each other, fights among females are often fatal.

In most animals the bigger, better fighter usually wins. But the new study of the jumping spider Phidippus clarus suggests that size and skill …. Source  : Female spiders fight ‘like sumo wrestlers’.

Coming soon: vegetarian chicken that tastes just like chicken!

WASHINGTON – Scientists at the University of Missouri may have finally cracked the code to realistic tasting fake chicken with the first soy product.

Lots of meat substitutes are on the market right now, such as the ever-popular Tofurky. But there isn’t one that tastes like chicken or, more importantly to these researchers, has the texture … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Coming soon: vegetarian chicken that tastes just like chicken!.

Existence of historic lakes on Mars confirmed

WASHINGTON – A geologic mapping project using NASA spacecraft data offers new evidence that expansive lakes did exist long ago on Mars.

A series of sedimentary deposits indicates the presence of large standing bodies of water in Hellas Planitia located in the southern hemisphere of Mars, said by Dr. Leslie Bleamaster, research scientist at the Planetary … Original article on : Existence of historic lakes on Mars confirmed.

Man-made aurora could help in predicting space weather

WASHINGTON – New research published today describes how scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at the California Institute of Technology have fired electrons of differing energies through a cloud of nitrogen gas to measure the ultraviolet light emitted by this collision.

In the study, published in IOP Publishing’s Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Man-made aurora could help in predicting space weather.

Boffins find protein that lets brain repair damage from multiple sclerosis

WASHINGTON – Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that a protein – which helps build the brain in infants and children – may aid efforts to restore damage from multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurodegenerative diseases.

In a mouse model of MS, researchers found that the protein, CXCR4, is essential … Read : Boffins find protein that lets brain repair damage from multiple sclerosis.

Soon, crash helmets that ‘raise stink’ when they need to be changed

WASHINGTON – A typical cycling crash helmet would now smell as soon as it starts developing cracks, thanks to a new process developed by German scientists.

The technique has been developed by research scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM in Freiburg in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and …. Source article  : Soon, crash helmets that ‘raise stink’ when they need to be changed.

Neanderthals feasted on lions

WASHINGTON – Looks like our ancestors could boast of the proverbial nerves of steel – Neanderthal cavemen hunted and feasted on lions, according to a new Spanish research.he study appears in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

A team led by Ruth Blasco of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain, found lion bones at the …. Source article  : Neanderthals feasted on lions.

Rains lash north India, mercury scales down

NEW DELHI/CHANDIGARH – Most parts of northern India revelled in moderate to heavy rainfall Tuesday that brought temperatures down considerably and a much-needed respite for people from the sweltering heat.

“The maximum temperature would fall by 2-3 degrees Celsius over parts of north India during the next 24 hours and increase thereafter,” an official of the … Read more >>.

Tiger kills man in Uttar Pradesh

LUCKNOW – A tiger killed a man and mauled two others in Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit district, an official said Tuesday.

The partially eaten body of Ved Prakash, 50, was found Monday evening lying in the fields of Banda village, which is on the periphery of the Pilibhit forest reserve. Those injured are being treated at …. Original article  : Tiger kills man in Uttar Pradesh.