Science News – Newsletter for November 22, 2010

Human skin turned into 3-D cancers in tissue culture dishes

LONDON – For the first time ever, Stanford University researchers have successfully transformed normal human tissue into three-dimensional cancers in a tissue culture dish.

Watching how the cells behave as they divide and invade surrounding tissue will help physicians better understand how human cancers act in the body. The new technique also provides a way to …. Read the original article  : here.

Stretched rubber tube device mimics zebra finch songs

WASHINGTON – Harvard scientists have has reproduced many of the characteristics of real bird song with a simple physical model made of a rubber tube.

“We wanted to know if you [could] build a simple device, which has minimal control but reproduces some non-trivial aspects of bird song,” says L Mahadevan, a professor at Harvard.

Aryesh … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Stretched rubber tube device mimics zebra finch songs.

MRI may hold key to improved jet engine performance

WASHINGTON – Apart from the usual task of imaging organs and soft tissues, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) could prove useful in improving the efficiency of jet engines, says researcher.

Lt. Colonel Michael Benson of the Stanford University is using MRI to improve jet engine. The technique could also provide insights into other fluid mixing problems, ranging …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : MRI may hold key to improved jet engine performance.

Milky Way’s smallest black holes ‘don’t exist’

LONDON – A new study has revealed that black holes a few times the mass of the sun may not exist to begin with.

Stars that are eight or more times the mass of the sun explode as supernovae at the end of their lives. If the core left behind weighs less than two or three … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Milky Way’s smallest black holes ‘don’t exist’.

Tumours are capable of making their own blood vessels: Study

LONDON – A new study has revealed that tumours don’t rely on their host’s blood vessels for nourishment because they can make their own blood vessels.

The findings offer an explanation for why a class of drug once heralded as a game-changer in cancer treatment is proving less effective than had been hoped.

In both studies, researchers … Read more : Tumours are capable of making their own blood vessels: Study.

Telling kids to clean their plate may produce fussy eaters

WASHINGTON – A study has suggested that telling your child to clean their plate may help produce a fussy eater, while tight control of what they eat could make children prone to overeating.

Jane Wardle and colleagues at University College London surveyed 213 mothers of 7- to 9-year-old children.

In the study, mothers were asked about how …. Source  : Telling kids to clean their plate may produce fussy eaters.

‘Smooth muscles’ play major role in heart problems, stroke

LONDON – Scottish scientists have found the causes of serious conditions such as heart disease and high blood pressure.

The researchers are investigating the role of “smooth” muscles, which are found inside organs such as the stomach and bladder.

The team from the University of Glasgow and University of Strathclyde has developed a new technique to study … Read more : ‘Smooth muscles’ play major role in heart problems, stroke.

First step of a cancer cell’s beginning identified

WASHINGTON – Scientists have identified factors in the very first step of the process that prompts normal cells to transform themselves into cancerous cells.

The DNA molecule – the elegant, twin-stranded necklace of life in all cells – gets broken and repaired all the time. Breaks are caused by the body’s metabolic activities such as energy … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : First step of a cancer cell’s beginning identified.

World’s first 1,000mph car project ‘on track’

LONDON – The British project to develop the world’s first 1,000mph car is on track.

The construction will start on the rear of the Bloodhound vehicle in January, with an attempt on the World Land Speed record expected in 2012.

“We’ve got companies all over the world wanting to sponsor the car,” director Richard Noble told BBC …. Source article  : World’s first 1,000mph car project ‘on track’.

Coming soon: a diving suit that turns humans into fish

LONDON – Humans may now be able go deep inside the waters, as a US scientist has designed a scuba suit would allow us to breathe liquid like fish.

Arnold Lande, a retired American heart and lung surgeon, has patented a scuba suit that would allow a human to breathe “liquid air”, a special solution that … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Coming soon: a diving suit that turns humans into fish.

Rare disease ‘paves way for creating stem cells’

LONDON – Harvard researchers have found that by mimicking a rare genetic disorder in a dish, they can rewind the internal clock of a mature cell and drive it back into an adult stem-cell stage.

This new ’stem cell’ can then branch out into a variety of differentiated cell types, both in culture and in animal … Read more >>.

Coming soon: Airplanes that look like birds!

WASHINGTON – Airplanes may soon start looking like birds as scientists are pondering over re-designing the current airplanes to make them more fuel-efficient.

Geoffrey Spedding, an engineer at the University of Southern California, and Joachim Huyssen at Northwest University in South Africa have made a simple modular aircraft in three configurations: a flying wing alone, then …. Read the original article  : here.

Brit TV dramas portray characters with mental health issues as ‘dangerous’

LONDON – A study of peak-time British programme has indicated that television dramas too often portray characters with mental health problems as “dangerous”.

Almost half (45 pc) of fictional characters with mental illness have storylines depicting them as violent or posing a threat to others, says a report by Shift, the campaign to tackle the stigma …. Read the original article  : Brit TV dramas portray characters with mental health issues as ‘dangerous’.

Technology is ‘killing traditional face-to-face conversations’

LONDON – A study has concluded that people are unhappy with the lack of face-to-face time they spend with friends and family.

The incessant march of technology is to blame, with text messaging, emailing and social networking taking over from traditional conversation, it revealed.

The research said that 95 per cent of those asked are dissatisfied with … Read more >>.

Global CO2 emissions may reach ‘record levels in 2010???

LONDON – A new study from the University of Exeter (UK) has said that global CO2 emissions may reach record levels in 2010.

The authors found that global CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuel in 2009 were only 1.3 per cent below the record 2008 figures – less than half the drop predicted a … Original article on : Global CO2 emissions may reach ‘record levels in 2010′.

Bacteria ‘trained’ to convert bio-wastes into plastic

LONDON – A scientist has ‘trained’ bacteria to convert all the main sugars in vegetable, fruit and garden waste efficiently into high-quality green bioplastics.

By adapting the eating pattern of bacteria and subsequently training them, Jean-Paul Meijnen, a microbiologist at the TU Delft in The Netherlands, has succeeded in converting sugars in processable materials, … Original source on Gaea Times at : Bacteria ‘trained’ to convert bio-wastes into plastic.

Global CO2 emissions on the rise again in 2010

WASHINGTON – Global carbon dioxide emissions, the main contributor to global warming, show no sign of abating and may reach record levels in 2010, according to a study.

The study, led by the universities of Exeter and East Anglia, both in Britain, and other global institutions, is part of the annual carbon budget update by …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Global CO2 emissions on the rise again in 2010.

Now, capture and store sunlight using liquid battery

WASHINGTON – Ever wondered how sunlight could be stored and used when needed? Well, it may be possible one day, say MIT researchers, who are working on making a new method for capturing and storing sunlight that would make this renewable energy indefinitely storable and transportable.

Jeffrey Grossman and colleagues research is based on the molecule … Read more : Now, capture and store sunlight using liquid battery.

Polluted Yamuna at Mathura scaring away pilgrims (Letter from Mathura)

MATHURA – The Yamuna river flowing through Mathura, Vrindavan and Agra has been reduced to no less than a sewer canal these days, choked with piles of accumulated garbage and industrial effluents, which pose a threat to aquatic life and are scaring away pilgrims.

The pollutants are discharged by industrial clusters upstream of Vrindavan, Delhi …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Polluted Yamuna at Mathura scaring away pilgrims (Letter from Mathura).

Stem cell therapy could ‘help the blind see within 6 weeks’

LONDON – Stem cells derived from spare IVF embryos left over from fertility treatment could help blind patients see within six weeks, according to a new study.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given the go-ahead for the controversial transplant of embryonic stem cells into the eyes of patients with Stargardt’s macular degeneration, where … Original source on Gaea Times at : Stem cell therapy could ‘help the blind see within 6 weeks’.