Iran says missing nuclear scientist has taken refuge in Pakistani embassy in Washington

Iran: Missing scientist surfaces in Washington

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran says a missing Iranian nuclear scientist has taken refuge at the Pakistani embassy in Washington and is asking to return to his homeland.
The state TV says the scientist, Shahram Amiri, entered the embassy’s office representing Iranian interests in the U.S. and demanded an “immediate return” to …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Apathy, depression may increase dementia risk

WASHINGTON – A new study says that apathy and depression significantly predict an individual’s progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia.

Depression causes changes in mood, thinking, physical well-being and behavior, while apathy is loss of motivation without associated feelings of being depressed or blue.

Yonas E. Geda, M.D., …. Source  : Apathy, depression may increase dementia risk.

New radiation device paves way for improved breast cancer treatment

WASHINGTON – A new study has found that the radiation given with the Strut-Adjusted Volume Implant (SAVI(tm)) controls the rate of cancer and may reduce the complications seen with alternate types of brachytherapy.

The device concentrates dosage to the target tissue with minimum exposure of healthy surrounding tissue and organs.

“After almost two years, the patients …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Dogs could help curtail Chagas disease

LONDON – A new study says that although dogs are the one of the main carriers of the Chagas disease parasite, they can also help health officials monitor the disease.

The parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is the triatomine insect, or “kissing bug,” which sucks the blood of mammals – cats, dogs and humans.

“One of our most significant … Read : Dogs could help curtail Chagas disease.

Gene mutation that leads to mental retardation in boys identified

LONDON – Researchers have found that a subtle mutation affecting the epigenome – a set of dynamic factors that influence gene activity – may lead to an inherited form of mental retardation that affects boys.

The findings may help scientists further understand why X-linked disorders cause cognitive impairment and develop new therapies to treat or prevent … Original article on : Gene mutation that leads to mental retardation in boys identified.

Calls hold clues to a male’s paternal potential

WASHINGTON – A new study has shown that courtship calls help females penguin decide which males are likely to be devoted dads.

Penguin calls may not be music to our ears, but to penguin females they hold clues to a male’s paternal potential, author Emma Marks of the University of Auckland and colleagues reported.

To find out, … Read more »»».

Archaeologists discover oldest written document ever found in Jerusalem

WASHINGTON – Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have discovered a tiny clay fragment dating from the 14th century B.C.E. Found in excavations outside Jerusalem’s Old City walls, the tablet contains the oldest written document ever found in the Israeli capital.

The find further testifies to the importance of Jerusalem as a major city in … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Archaeologists discover oldest written document ever found in Jerusalem.

NASA, Microsoft collaborate to ‘bring Mars to life’

WASHINGTON – NASA and Microsoft Research have joined hands in a bid to bring Mars to life with new features in the WorldWide Telescope software that provide viewers with a high-resolution 3-D map of the Red Planet.

Microsoft’s online virtual telescope explores the universe using images NASA spacecraft return from other worlds. Teams at NASA’s Ames …. Read the original article  : NASA, Microsoft collaborate to ‘bring Mars to life’.

Greenland glacier breaks up, retreats nearly 1.5km in a day

WASHINGTON – A seven square kilometre section of Greenland’s Jakobshavn Isbrae glacier broke up on July 6 and 7.

The calving front – where the ice sheet meets the ocean – retreated nearly 1.5 kilometres in a day and is now further inland than at any time previously observed. The chunk of lost ice is roughly [..] Read the original article: here.

Asthma warning for expecting mums

WASHINGTON – A new research has revealed that asthma is the most common complication of pregnancy in Australia with harmful effects on babies, but many of these could be prevented.

Asthma affects 16 percent of pregnancies in South Australia but women are often not identified as asthmatic, says Associate Professor Vicki Clifton from the University of …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

‘Mixed practice’ makes a man perfect

LONDON – A new American study explains why variable practice improves the brain’s memory of most skills better than practice focused on a single task.

The research, by cognitive neuroscientists at the University of South Carolina and the University of California, Los Angeles, appears in Nature Neuroscience.

The researchers split 59 volunteers into six groups: three …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : ‘Mixed practice’ makes a man perfect.

Trick the mind into satisfying the belly

WASHINGTON – The key to weight loss could lie in tricking our mind into thinking about how filling the food will be before we eat it.

Test subjects were more satisfied for longer periods after consuming varying quantities of food for which they were led to believe that portion sizes were larger than they actually were. … Read more >>.

Chunk of Greenland glacier breaks up overnight

WASHINGTON – A seven square kilometre section of a Greenland’s Jakobshavn Isbrae glacier broke up July 6 and 7.

The chunk of lost ice is roughly one-eighth the size of Manhattan Island, New York.
The calving front – where the ice sheet meets the ocean – retreated nearly 1.5 km in one day and is …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Dozen villages inundated in Haryana floods

CHANDIGARH – Large swathes of agriculture land were inundated and nearly a dozen villages submerged in flood waters in Haryana’s Sirsa and Fatehabad districts due to breaches in the Ghaggar river, officials said Tuesday. However, flood waters have begun receding in Punjab.

The water level in the Ghaggar river in Sirsa district was flowing above the … Read : Dozen villages inundated in Haryana floods.

Has Large Hadron Collider rival Tevatron found elusive ‘God particle’?

WASHINGTON – The Tevatron, the most powerful huge particle accelerator in the world after the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) – housed at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois – is rumoured to have discovered the Higgs boson, or so-called “God particle”.

Tommaso Dorigo, a physicist at the University of Padua, writes about the speculation …. Original source  : Has Large Hadron Collider rival Tevatron found elusive ‘God particle’?.

Weight loss program improves hot flushes in obese menopausal women

WASHINGTON – An intensive weight loss intervention program could bring improvements in bothersome hot flushes during menopause among overweight and obese women, according to a study.

Alison J. Huang, M.D., from the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues in a six-month randomized controlled trial, used self-administered questionnaires to assess bothersome hot flushes.

“Hot flushes are …. Original article  : Weight loss program improves hot flushes in obese menopausal women.

Low vitamin D levels lead to Parkinson’s disease

WASHINGTON – For the first time, researchers have shown that low vitamin D levels can help predict whether someone will later develop Parkinson’s disease, according to an editorial.

The study on vitamin D levels and Parkinson’s disease risk points to the need for further research on whether vitamin D supplements can protect against the movement disorder, … Read more : Low vitamin D levels lead to Parkinson’s disease.

Coming soon: Clothes that can hear and speak!

LONDON – A team of MIT researchers has developed fibres that can detect and produce sound.

Shunji Egusa, a former postdoc in Fink’s lab, and current lab members No???mie Chocat and Zheng Wang developed the fibre in the lab with a plastic commonly used in microphones.

“If you connected them to a power supply and applied a … Original source on Gaea Times at : Coming soon: Clothes that can hear and speak!.

Arsenic could be a potential cancer treatment

WASHINGTON – A form of arsenic-the notorious poison-could be useful in treating a variety of cancers, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Arsenic trioxide has been used as a therapy for a particular type of leukemia for more than 10 years.

Combining arsenic with other therapies may give doctors … Original source on Gaea Times at : Arsenic could be a potential cancer treatment.

New method to help nerves grow after trauma or injury found

WASHINGTON – Scientists have discovered a new method to enhance nerve regeneration in the peripheral nervous system.

The find could lead to new treatments for nerve damage caused by diabetes or traumatic injuries.

Peripheral nerve damage can lead to pain, tingling, numbness or difficulty coordinating hands, feet, arms or legs.

Dr. Douglas Zochodne, a neurologist and professor …. Source article  : New method to help nerves grow after trauma or injury found.