International meeting to enact deforestation measures opens in Oslo

Int’l conference to save forests opens in Oslo

OSLO, Norway – Last December, an international conference on climate change approved global plans prevent deforestation. But those plans have not been implemented, and now a smaller meeting of nations in Oslo will try Thursday to find ways to start to put them in place – even if … Read more : International meeting to enact deforestation measures opens in Oslo.

Smarter robots set to replace clumsier ones

WASHINGTON – Scientists are developing faster and smarter robots that would not only replace their clumsier counterparts, but also use much less energy, says a new study.

The goal eventually is to design the first robot that can move 10 km within 10,000 seconds, through and over obstacles, using less energy than it would take a … Read : Smarter robots set to replace clumsier ones.

Protein switch that kills deadly water-based pathogens discovered

TORONTO – Scientists have discovered a protein switch that will help kill deadly water-based pathogens like E. coli and make for safer drinking water.

Zongchao Jia, a professor of biochemistry at Queen’s University, and post-doctoral student Jimin Zheng, discovered exactly how the AceK protein acts as a switch in some bacteria to bypass the energy-producing …. Read the original article  : Protein switch that kills deadly water-based pathogens discovered.

New oral drug promises treatment for aggressive lymphoma

WASHINGTON – A new oral drug called lenalidomide promises positive results in patients with transformed lymphoma with few side effects, suggests a new study.

45 per cent patients responded positively when treated with immunomodulatory medication, which kills lymphoma cells by activating the body’s natural killer cells and by interrupting cancer cell signaling that leads to cell …. Original source  : New oral drug promises treatment for aggressive lymphoma.

Why horror movie music is so scary

NEW YORK – UCLA researchers claimed to have solved the mystery of why horror-flick music causes goosebumps.

According to the boffins, freak-out film scores, from the screeching violins to the two thundering notes have one thing in common: they ape the cries that wild animals in distress have used for millions of years.

Scientifically speaking, these cries, … Read more : Why horror movie music is so scary.

Retina from human embryonic stem cells created

WASHINGTON – An eight-layer, early stage retina from human embryonic stem cells has been created by UC Irvine scientists.

The scientific breakthrough is the first three-dimensional tissue structure to be made from stem cells.

It also marks the first step toward the development of transplant-ready retinas to treat eye disorders such as retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Retina from human embryonic stem cells created.

Novel mechanism for clearing blockages from smallest blood vessels found

LONDON – A previously unknown protective mechanism by which the smallest blood vessels remove blood clots and other blockages from the brain has been discovered in mice by researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

The findings, described in the May 27 issue of Nature by Jaime Grutzendler, M.D., and colleagues, provide insights into mechanisms …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Novel mechanism for clearing blockages from smallest blood vessels found.

Why we can’t get a song out of our head

WASHINGTON – You must have at some point been “infected” with a song, which you just can’t shake off. Scientists have now revealed how earworms can linger on for days at a stretch in some people.

Andreane McNally-Gagnon, a PhD student at the University of Montreal Department of Psychology, said that mostly earworms would disappear after …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Why we can’t get a song out of our head.

New species of invertebrates discovered in the Antarctic

WASHINGTON – Scientists have discovered two new species of invertebrates – polyps of the new gorgonia in the region of Austasen and and Isla Nueve.

Called Tauroprimnoa austasensis and Digitogorgia kuekenthali, both species are small and elongated, and stand out for the number, shape and layout of the scales of calcium carbonate that cover the polyps, …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : New species of invertebrates discovered in the Antarctic.

New vaccine may offer skin cancer cure

WASHINGTON – Scientists in the UK have been given the go-ahead to test a vaccine, which they believe, could be used as a powerful weapon in the fight against malignant melanoma, the most deadly type of skin cancer.

Lead author Professor Lindy Durrant of Nottingham University, and colleagues hope that the new vaccine, which targets tumour [..] Read the original article: here.

How auditory memories are formed

WASHINGTON – In a new study, researchers used “noise”- sound waves formed from many thousands of completely unpredictable random numbers played as a sound-to probe how the human brain acquires auditory memories.

And the study revealed that learning new sounds is quick, robust, and long lasting, resembling a sudden insight.

Auditory perception requires the listener to …. Read the original article  : How auditory memories are formed.

‘Smoking gun’ of black hole activation found

WASHINGTON – NASA’s Swift satellite has provided astronomers the answer to the long standing puzzle about why a small percentage of black holes emit vast amounts of energy.

The findings suggest that black holes “light up” when galaxies collide, and the data may offer insight into the future … Read more : ‘Smoking gun’ of black hole activation found.

After 40 years, Nasa spacecraft solves Martian ice caps mystery

LONDON – After 40 years, scientists claim to have solved mysteries of climate change on Mars – using data from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).

The Shallow Radar, or SHARAD, instrument aboard MRO revealed sub-surface geology allowing scientists to reconstruct the formation of a large chasm and a … Read more »»».

Soon: High tech, low cost machines to improve election voting process

WASHINGTON – Ballot boxes and manual vote counting may soon be history, as computer scientists are building a new high tech but low cost system to improve the voting process in elections.

Computer scientists at the Universities of Surrey and Birmingham are developing the system, with funding from …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Opioid-blocking med reduces brain’s response to alcoholism cues

WASHINGTON – Opioid blocker extended-release injectable naltrexone (XR-NTX) is able to reduce the brain’s response to cues that may cause alcoholics to relapse, researchers at Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital have reported.

In data presented …. Original article  : Opioid-blocking med reduces brain’s response to alcoholism cues.

Lions, crocodiles and bears, oh my! Iraq’s trade in exotic pets largely unregulated

Baghdad’s trade in wildlife anything but tame

BAGHDAD – A dozen fluffy white kittens with piercing blue eyes frolic in a wire cage, perched perilously atop a pen containing two African lion cubs. Neighborhood schoolchildren stop to feed sunflower seeds to a chained monkey, while three red foxes cower in their curbside enclosure from the street … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Lions, crocodiles and bears, oh my! Iraq’s trade in exotic pets largely unregulated.

Discovery paves way for safer drinking water, cheaper medicine

WASHINGTON – Queen’s University scientists have made a new discovery that not only may pave the way to helping reduce health hazards such as E. coli in water, but could also make chemicals and drugs such as insulin cheaper to produce and their production more …. Original source  : Discovery paves way for safer drinking water, cheaper medicine.

‘Law-like’ patterns in human preference behaviour found

WASHINGTON – Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) scientists have found mathematical patterns underlying the way individuals unconsciously distribute their preferences regarding approaching or avoiding objects in their environment.

These patterns appear to meet the strict criteria used to determine whether something is a … Read more >>>.

Dwarfed horned dinos may have migrated from Asia to Europe

LONDON – Scientists have discovered that horned dinosaurs, which were thought to belong only to Asia and North America, may have roamed in Europe too.

Palaeontologists have announced the discovery of fossils belonging to a horned creature called Ajkaceratops kozmai, in the … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Dwarfed horned dinos may have migrated from Asia to Europe.

Coming closer to walking and running robots

WASHINGTON – Making an important fundamental advancement in robotics, researchers at Oregon State University have come closer to robots that not only can walk and run effectively, but use little energy in the process.

Studies are moving closer to robots that … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Coming closer to walking and running robots.