Science News – Newsletter for November 2, 2010

ISRO to focus on sustainable development, healthcare

NEW DELHI – The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will focus on environment and sustainable development and healthcare using innovative technologies, its chairman K. Radhakrishnan said here Tuesday.

“The future thrust areas for ISRO will be in food and water security, weather and climate, environment and ecosystem, sustainable development, education and healthcare,” Radhakrishnan said.
…. Source article on Gaea Times at  : ISRO to focus on sustainable development, healthcare.

Massive, carnivorous “shrimp”‘may not be Earth’s first predator’

WASHINGTON – A study has revealed that the infamous, carnivorous “shrimp” that is considered Earth’s first great predator may, in fact, be not.

A new 3-D modeling of the mouth parts of the Anomalocaris shows that the creature had flexible, not hard, parts and could not have been munching on the hard shells of trilobites and … Original article on : Massive, carnivorous “shrimp” ‘may not be Earth’s first predator’.

Anger makes us want things more

WASHINGTON – Anger is usually considered a negative thing, but it also has some of the features of positive emotions.

A new study has found that associating an object with anger actually makes people want the object-a kind of motivation that’s normally associated with positive emotions.

People usually think of anger as a negative emotion. … Original article on : Anger makes us want things more.

Long-standing mystery behind Saturn’s rings solved

WASHINGTON – Images captured by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft have finally revealed the answer to the perplexing behaviour of one of the most dynamic regions in Saturn’s rings.

The answer is: the rings are behaving like a spiral galaxy. Images of the B ring’s outer edge have also revealed at least two perturbed regions above the ring … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Long-standing mystery behind Saturn’s rings solved.

‘Mysterious, jiggly alien pod’ found in Virginia lake

WASHINGTON – An employee at Home Technologies in City Center at Oyster Point saw a large, mysterious blob floating in the Center’s manmade lake.

Co-worker Dale Leonart’s initial guess was that “it has to be an alien pod.”

Pictures of the blob was sent to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science in Gloucester Point, along with an … Read more : ‘Mysterious, jiggly alien pod’ found in Virginia lake.

Drunk bar manager eaten alive by lions

LONDON – A bar manager was eaten alive by lions after he wanted to play with them following an all-night party at a wildlife park in South Africa, it was reported here.

Thirty-year-old Jan-Friederick Bredenhand was dragged into the lions’ complex by his legs after he climbed up a fence pole. He was then “ripped … Read more »»».

People aren’t accurate at predicting how they’ll feel after an event: Study

WASHINGTON – A new research has concluded that people aren’t very accurate at predicting how good or bad they’ll feel after an event-such as watching their team lose the big game or getting a flat-screen TV.

But afterwards, they “misremember” what they predicted, revising their prognostications after the fact to match how they actually feel.

Although … Read more >>.

Fresh evidence links mobile phone use to brain tumours

WASHINGTON – Evidence from a study on the effects of long-term exposure to microwaves from cellular phones has suggested that it could lead to an increased risk of brain tumours.

Though the debate on the effects of long-term use of cellular or cordless phones continues, independent studies have strongly suggested that there is an increased risk …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Fresh evidence links mobile phone use to brain tumours.

UV light doubles vacuum’s effectiveness in removing carpet microbes

WASHINGTON – Addition of ultraviolet light to the brushing and suction of a vacuum cleaner can almost double the removal of potentially infectious microorganisms from a carpet’s surface when compared to vacuuming alone, suggests a new research.

Researchers say the findings suggest that incorporating the germicidal properties of UV light into vacuuming might have promise in … Read more >>>.

Compounds offer novel approach to fight cancer

WASHINGTON – A study has indicated that a class of compounds that interferes with cell signaling pathways may provide a new approach to cancer treatment.

The compounds, called PITs (non-phosphoinositide PIP3 inhibitors), limited tumor growth in mice by inducing cell death.

“PITs cause cells to self-destruct by interfering with the signaling pathways that regulate cell survival. As …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Compounds offer novel approach to fight cancer.

Depression recurs in about half of treated adolescent patients

WASHINGTON – A report has shown that most depressed teens who receive treatment appear to recover, but the condition recurs in almost half of adolescent patients and even more often among females.

Major depressive disorder affects approximately 5.9 percent of teen females and 4.6 percent of teen males, according to background information in the article.

John …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Depression recurs in about half of treated adolescent patients.

Learning to swim ‘could make kids smarter’

MELBOURNE – Queensland researchers believe that learning to swim could make children smarter.

A Griffith University research project will examine over 10,000 kids aged up to five to find out if swimming advances physical, social, intellectual and language development.

Professor Robyn Jorgensen said anecdotal evidence found swimmers tended to be more confident than same-age, non-swimming peers.

She said …. Original article  : Learning to swim ‘could make kids smarter’.

Heavy rains claim 16 lives in Andhra

HYDERABAD – Heavy rains in coastal Andhra Pradesh have claimed 16 lives and damaged crops in over 100,000 acres even as the threat of cyclonic storm looms large over the state, officials said Tuesday.

Dozens of villages and residential areas in several towns remained inundated as rains continued to cause havoc in north and south … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Heavy rains claim 16 lives in Andhra.

‘Introspection’ brain networks fully formed in newborn babies

WASHINGTON – Brain areas thought to be involved in introspection and other aspects of consciousness are fully formed in newborn babies, a new study has found.

The new research challenges some previous theories about brain’s
activity and how the brain develops.

Researchers led by a team from the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre at Imperial College London used …. Source  : ‘Introspection’ brain networks fully formed in newborn babies.

Males more considerate than previously thought

WASHINGTON – It looks like males are more considerate than imagined – at least, in nematode worms.

A new study showed that male worms plug females after copulation as a form of ‘gift’, rather than to prevent them from mating again, as had previously been thought.

Researchers found that plugged females mated just as often and … Original source on Gaea Times at : Males more considerate than previously thought.

Bacteria can lead to evolution of new species

LONDON – A new study has suggested that bacteria that live on the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster can affect their host’s choice of mate by altering the fly’s pheromones.

This in turn could lead to the evolution of new fly species – suggesting that bacteria can indirectly change the species of their hosts, reports Nature.

Eugene Rosenberg, a …. Source  : Bacteria can lead to evolution of new species.

‘Cloud seeding’ to encourage rainfall ‘not as effective as thought’

WASHINGTON – New research from Tel Aviv University has revealed that the practice of cloud seeding with materials such as silver iodide and frozen carbon dioxide may not be as effective as thought.

During the course of his study, Prof. Alpert and his colleagues looked over fifty years’ worth of data on cloud seeding in a …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

How fat hormone guards against stress-induced heart damage

WASHINGTON – Scientists at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute have discovered how a cardioprotective hormone called adiponectin prevents stress-induced damage in the heart.

“Whereas healthy people usually have high adiponectin levels circulating in their bodies, obese fat is different from healthy fat. Obese fat produces less adiponectin, reflected in lower levels of adiponectin found in serum,” explained …. Original article  : How fat hormone guards against stress-induced heart damage.

Sexually abused ‘at higher risk of developing psychotic disorders’

WASHINGTON – Children who are sexually abused, especially if it involves penetration, are at higher risk for developing schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, according to an Australian study.

Margaret C. Cutajar, D.Psych., M.A.P.S., of Monash University, Victoria, Australia, and colleagues linked data from police and medical examinations of sexual abuse cases to a statewide register of …. Original article  : Sexually abused ‘at higher risk of developing psychotic disorders’.

Email storm ‘leads to workplace stress’

SYDNEY – An IBM survey has found that the welter of emails arriving at workstations is a key contributor to workplace stress.

The survey of 629 managers found 45 per cent agree that having too many irrelevant emails in their inbox makes for a stressful workplace.

Seven per cent find it very stressful, whilst half of respondents …. Source  : Email storm ‘leads to workplace stress’.