Science News – Newsletter for December 4, 2010

New standard treatment for breast cancer at early stages established

LONDON – Spanish Oncology has established a new standard treatment for breast cancer at early stages, thanks to the results of a new study.

The results have suggested that docentaxel during quimotherapy reduces the risk of recurrence by 32 percent in women with high-risk but node-negative, early stage breast cancer when cancer has not spread to … Read more : New standard treatment for breast cancer at early stages established.

New mice study offers hope in the fight against Alzheimer’s

WASHINGTON – In a new study, scientists found that dynamic regulation of the chaperone protein Hsp27 is required to get rid of abnormally accumulating tau in the brains of mice genetically modified to develop the memory-choking tau tangles associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

The University of South Florida-led study has shown that the effective switching of … Read this article on Gaea Times at : New mice study offers hope in the fight against Alzheimer’s.

Anaesthetic gasses also contribute to global warming: Scientists

WASHINGTON – Atmosphere scientists have warned that anaesthetic gasses that are conveniently used during surgeries have a global warming potential.

These gases are as harmful for the environment as a refrigerant, yet they are not reported along with other greenhouse gasses such as CO2, refrigerants and laughing gas.

University of Copenhagen researchers and NASA scientists found … Read : Anaesthetic gasses also contribute to global warming: Scientists.

New high-performance fiber promises better bulletproof vests, airplanes

WASHINGTON – Northwestern University researchers have created a new kind of fibre that could be tougher than Kevlar.

Working in a multidisciplinary team, the group has created a high performance fibre from carbon nanotubes and a polymer that is remarkably tough, strong, and resistant to failure.

Using state-of-the-art in-situ electron microscopy testing methods, the group was able …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : New high-performance fiber promises better bulletproof vests, airplanes.

Culprits in life-threatening clotting disorder uncovered

WASHINGTON – Individuals with a potentially life-threatening condition predisposing them to blood clots, or thrombosis, might someday receive therapy to prevent the condition, thanks to new findings by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers.

The findings offer new clues into the mechanisms underlying antiphospholipid syndrome (APS).

“Patients with APS have circulating antibodies that cause exaggerated thrombosis. … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Culprits in life-threatening clotting disorder uncovered.

IAEA board agrees to set up nuclear fuel bank

WASHINGTON – Aiming to curb proliferation of nuclear material, the UN nuclear energy watchdog has decided to set up a $150-million uranium bank which would guarantee unrestricted supply of the fuel to be used for peaceful purposes.

Nations on the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) voted 28-0 to approve the …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

How cannabis dampens the body’s immune system

LONDON – A new study, involving an Indian-origin boffin, has explained how cannabis dampens the body’s immune system.

Cannabis is a double-edged sword: by dampening the immune system, it provides relief from inflammatory diseases, but also increases the risk of infections.

Now, scientists have found that its active ingredient targets a newly discovered type of cell [..] Read the original article: here.

World’s 1st high performance infrared camera created

WASHINGTON – Researchers at the Northwestern University have created world’s first high performance infrared camera based on Type-II InAs/GaSb superlattices.

It produces much higher resolution images than previous infrared cameras.

The long wavelength infrared focal plane array camera provides a 16-fold increase in the number of pixels in the image and can provide infrared images in the …. Source  : World’s 1st high performance infrared camera created.

Information technology could help prevent, treat depression

WASHINGTON – Information technology and data mining techniques can be used to improve the diagnosis and treatment of depression, suggests a new study.

Depression often precedes and may cause, directly or indirectly, many chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Using information technology could bring to bear the power of computing in early diagnosis … Read : Information technology could help prevent, treat depression.

New discovery shows promise against non-small cell lung cancer

WASHINGTON – Scientists have discovered a mechanism in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells that contributes to their ability to maintain and grow tumors.

The previously unknown mechanism was brought forth by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center led by Charles E. Chalfant, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular Biology.

The researchers believe that narrowing … Read more : New discovery shows promise against non-small cell lung cancer.

Can human waste be used as a power source in space?

WASHINGTON – A satellite experiment will test if human feces can be a fuel source in space.

The experiment is part of a United Nations educational mission scheduled for launch next year.esearchers will test how well microbes in human waste survive in space and whether they could offer a power source.

The project, spearheaded by a group … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Can human waste be used as a power source in space?.

Solar wind contains more oxygen than previously believed

WASHINGTON – The solar oxygen abundance may be slightly higher than other recent studies have found, say researchers.

Oxygen is abundant in the Sun, yet the solar oxygen abundance has not been measured with high accuracy.

Von Steiger et al. use long-term solar wind data from the Ulysses spacecraft to measure the flux of oxygen ions, … Read more »».

It’s official: Men are hornier than women

WASHINGTON – Innumerable studies have gone into finding out ‘reality of the male sex drive’, but now a new study claims that men really are ‘hornier’ than women.

Roy F. Baumeister at Florida State University, Kathleen Catanese at a Midwestern college and Kathleen Vohs, a professor of marketing, set out to find the truth, reports Oxford … Read more >>>.

‘Attraction chemicals’ pheromones do not exist, claims scientist

LONDON – Pheromones-the mysterious chemical signals that ‘trigger attraction’-do not even exist, a scientist has claimed.

Richard Doty at Penn State University’s School of Medicine said that mammals, unlike insects, do not give off chemical signals that other mammals can then pick up.

Doty said he does not believe that a single chemical emitted by one mammal … Read more »».

Imagining stressful situations ‘gives confidence to survive them’

WASHINGTON – Thinking about a crisis situation, especially violent ones, helps the brain respond more efficiently during an emergency, suggests a new study.

Art Markman, a cognitive psychologist who studies the brain’s performance under stress, had his research put to the test last September when a masked man entered the University of Texas campus where he …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Imagining stressful situations ‘gives confidence to survive them’.

Artificial tornadoes developed to test Japanese homes

LONDON – In an effort to understand how extreme weather causes structural damage, some Japanese companies have developed artificial tornadoes.

Four organisations- the National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management (NILIM), the Building Research Institute, the University of Tokyo and the Disaster Prevention Research Institute at Kyoto University – have developed the tornado simulator, reports New …. Source article  : Artificial tornadoes developed to test Japanese homes.

Tiny gold and silver nanoparticles could revolutionize optics

WASHINGTON – Scientists in the US and Mexico have created tiny spherical particles of gold and silver that are more than 100 million times smaller than the gold and silver baubles used to decorate seasonal fir trees.

Nanoparticles are of great interest to chemists and materials scientists for their potential as catalysts for speeding up chemical …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Exploding stars reveal never-before seen patterns

WASHINGTON – Astronomers have for the first time, observed post star explosion pauses, flickers and flares- patterns that aren’t yet accounted for in our current understanding of how these eruptions occur.

Using data from a sensitive instrument aboard a satellite that images the entire sky every 102 minutes, they studied four of these stars, or novae, … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Exploding stars reveal never-before seen patterns.

New ‘poison’ discovery could pave way for leukaemia therapy

WASHINGTON – Research led by Weill Cornell Medical College revealed that newly identified mutant enzymes in AML create a chemical poison to cause leukaemia.

The findings should prove useful in treating patients by providing a molecular target against which to develop new drugs against one subset of AML as well as other cancers.

People with AML have … Read : New ‘poison’ discovery could pave way for leukaemia therapy.

JavaScript can allow anyone to access your web-surfing history

WASHINGTON – A new study has shown that your web surfing history is easily accessible without your permission – through JavaScript code.

Research from computer scientists at the University of California, San Diego, showed that JavaScript code deployed by real websites and online advertising providers uses browser vulnerabilities to determine which sites you have and have … Read more »»».