Science News – Newsletter for November 4, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Italy carries out world’s first robotically-assisted pancreatic transplant
LONDON – Doctors from Pisa Hospital have conducted the world’s first robotically-assisted pancreatic transplant on a woman in Italy.
The team performed the operation on a 43-year-old mother-of-two who had suffered from type one diabetes for 19 years and had already had a kidney transplant.
She suffered no complications following the three-hour procedure and was discharged from …. Source : Gaea News Network.
Babies born by caesarean ‘are calmer’
LONDON – A Chinese research has revealed that babies born by caesarean are calmer and more peaceful as compared to babies born normally.
Researchers said that babies who are born through a difficult birth involving forceps or a suction cup are more likely to develop behavioural problems than those born through caesarean section, reports the Daily …. Source : Gaea News Network.
Plants engineered to produce new drugs
LONDON – By genetically engineering plants to produce unnatural variants of their usual products, MIT chemists have discovered a new way to expand plants’ pharmaceutical repertoire.
The researchers, led by Associate Professor Sarah O’Connor, have added bacterial genes to the periwinkle plant, enabling it to attach halogens such as chlorine or bromine to a class of …. Source article on Gaea Times at : Plants engineered to produce new drugs.
Specific changes in the brain linked to sleep deprivation
WASHINGTON – Scientists have published the most systematic study to date of the effects of sleep deprivation on gene expression in the brain.
The findings have implications for improving the understanding and management of the adverse effects of sleep deprivation on brain function.
The study, available in Frontiers in Neuroscience, has created an extensive and detailed …. Read the original article : Specific changes in the brain linked to sleep deprivation.
Meditation training improves cellular health of the body
WASHINGTON – Scientists have revealed that positive psychological changes that occur during meditation training are associated with greater activity of telomerase, an enzyme important for the long-term health of cells in the body.
The study by researchers at the University of California, Davis, and the University of California, San Francisco is the first to link positive …. Original article : Meditation training improves cellular health of the body.
Video-game technology may accelerate new drugs’ development
WASHINGTON – A new technology used in video games may help in speeding the development of new products and potentially life-saving drugs.
C and EN Associate Editor Lauren K. Wolf notes that consumer demand for life-like avatars and interactive scenery has pushed computer firms to develop inexpensive yet sophisticated graphics hardware called graphics processing units, or …. Original article : Video-game technology may accelerate new drugs’ development.
Wearing multifocal contact lenses may reduce vision for driving at night
WASHINGTON – Older adults who wear multifocal contact lenses to correct problems with near vision, a very common condition that increases with age, may have greater difficulty driving at night than their counterparts who wear glasses, says a new study.
Age-related problems with near vision, medically termed presbyopia, usually occurs after the age of 40 and …. Read the original article : here.
New compounds may effectively treat both alcohol, cigarette addictions
WASHINGTON – Alcohol and nicotine dependence can be treated simultaneously with the help of two new compounds, says a research.
Researchers at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at the University of California and Pfizer Inc. have determined that two new compounds may be effective in treating both the addictions at the same time.
46pc of international travelers not aware of potential health risks
WASHINGTON – Half of those travelling internationally not aware of potential health risks, says a new study.
More than 30 million people in the United States travel to resource-limited areas of the world each year. This global mobility may contribute to the spread of infectious diseases – such as influenza, measles, and meningitis – and may …. Read the original article : 46pc of international travelers not aware of potential health risks.
Language influences our implicit preferences: Study
WASHINGTON – A study has suggested that the language we speak may influence not only our thoughts, but our implicit preferences as well.
Psychologists at Harvard University found that bilingual individuals’ opinions of different ethnic groups were affected by the language in which they took a test examining their biases and predilections.
“This study suggests that language …. Source article on Gaea Times at : Language influences our implicit preferences: Study.
Scientists identify target for stroke therapy drugs
LONDON – Californian scientists have identified a potential new target to reduce stroke damage in patients.
They found that blocking a molecule, which stops brain cells working properly after a stroke, could help people recover better.
The researchers, from the University of California in Los Angeles, said that doing this in mice helped reverse the effects of … Original article on : Scientists identify target for stroke therapy drugs.
World’s first 3D printed fully functioning hybrid car
MELBOURNE – Two firms in the US have collaborated to develop a car built entirely by a 3D printer.
Urbee was made using additive manufacturing processes, which prints layer upon layer of material to create a product.
Many manufacturers, including aeroplane giant Boeing, print their parts, but this is the first time an entire machine prototype has … Read more >>.
Stressed plants and animals ‘keys to better stock market predictions’
WASHINGTON – A new study has revealed that stock markets react to crisis in a similar way to plants and the human body.
An extensive analysis of biological and financial data has suggested that systems under stress exhibit similar symptoms, whether they are polluted forests, cancer patients or the FTSE 100.
The new findings have suggested that …. Original source : Stressed plants and animals ‘keys to better stock market predictions’.
Autism study reveals how genetic changes rewire the brain
WASHINGTON – Scientists have demystified how genetic variants rewire the brain and it could help in finding therapies for rebalancing the brain’s circuitry in early development.
Using a blend of brain imaging and genetic detective work, the discovery of the scientists at the University of California has offered the missing physical evidence that links altered genes … Read : Autism study reveals how genetic changes rewire the brain.
Updated ‘catastrophe calculator’ estimates asteroid impacts
LONDON – Wondering what would happen if a 10km-wide asteroid came out of the sky and slammed down on your city? Well, now you can find the answer, thanks to the updated version of the impact effects calculator.
Scientists at Purdue University and Imperial College London first produced it in 2004. Users can now dial in …. Original article : Updated ‘catastrophe calculator’ estimates asteroid impacts.
‘Star Wars’ 3D holograms may soon be a reality
LONDON – The 3D hologram you saw in ‘Star Wars’ may soon become a reality, thanks to a new breakthrough made by researchers at the University of Arizona.
The researchers have developed a holographic system that can transmit a series of 3D images in near-real-time, a precursor to holographic videoconferencing, that would eventually let us interact … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : ‘Star Wars’ 3D holograms may soon be a reality.
Now a camera to check multiple traffic violations
LONDON – Motorists in Europe would find it hard to escape penalty for violating traffic rules. A new camera will detect not just speed but it can also peep inside to check if the driver wears seat belt or talks on mobile phones.
Apart from detecting speeding, the lates weapon in speed camera technology is …. Read the original article : here.
New material brings Harry Potter style ‘invisibility cloak’ a step closer
WASHINGTON – Scottish researchers have made a practical breakthrough that brings the possibility of an invisibility cardigan – or any other item of invisibility clothing – one step closer.
Two challenges to the creation of smart flexible materials that can cloak from visible light are making meta-atoms small enough to interact with visible light, and …. Source article on Gaea Times at : New material brings Harry Potter style ‘invisibility cloak’ a step closer.
Goat delivers test tube twins
FARAH – A goat, which had been artificially implanted with fertilised eggs through in-vitro technique, has delivered twins at a research institute in Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura district.
Scientists at the Central Goat Research Institute near here successfully delivered the twins of the goat. The male has been named Ajaat and female Ajaati. The mother … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Goat delivers test tube twins.
Pompeii’s mystery horse is actually a donkey
POMPEII – The strange breed of ‘horse’ that was discovered in 2004, at Pompeii, was actually a donkey, Cambridge University researchers have found.
In 2004 when academics unearthed skeletons found at a house in the ancient Roman town that was covered in ashes in 79 AD, they thought it belonged to an extinct breed of horse, …. Source : Gaea News Network.