Science News – Newsletter for January 20, 2011

Malaria parasites caught in act of invading cells

SYDNEY – Scientists relying on new imaging technologies have for the first time caught malaria parasites in the act of invading red blood cells (RBCs).

Researchers from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), achieved the feat combining electron, light and super resolution microscopy.
The detailed look at … Original article on : Malaria parasites caught in act of invading cells.

Man’s best friend bred for meals 10,000 years ago

LONDON – Man’s best friend – the dog – was surprisingly bred for meals some 10,000 years ago.

While this may not shock people in Korea where dog meat is a delicacy, scientists found a bone fragment from what they are calling the earliest confirmed domesticated canine in the Americas.
From this, they have concluded … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Man’s best friend bred for meals 10,000 years ago.

Discovering the secrets of Orion nebula

WASHINGTON – Images seen through the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile have revealed the stars within Messier 42, commonly known as Orion Nebula.

They found that the faint red dwarfs in the star cluster associated with the glowing gas radiate much more light than had previously … Read : Discovering the secrets of Orion nebula.

Why stress, anxiety may be both good and bad for your brain

WASHINGTON – A new study explains why stress and anxiety may be both a boon as well as a bane for your brain.

“That edge sounds good. It sounds adaptive. It sounds like perception is enhanced and that it can keep you safe in the face of danger,” said Alexander Shackman, a researcher at the University … Read more >>>.

New model could predict next political hotspots accurately

WASHINGTON – A new model developed by a team at Kansas State University professors and a colleague in New York could predict the next political hotspots accurately.

Called Predictive Societal Indicators of Radicalism Model of Domestic Political Violence Forecast, it is currently five for five in predicting which countries are likely to experience increases in domestic … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : New model could predict next political hotspots accurately.

Now you can add smell to sight-sound fun of TV game

LONDON – ‘Smell-O-Vision’ is a plug-in device for computer games that emits a variety of odours, depending on the scenario.

If your character is crawling around the jungle, it whiffs out the unmistakable smell of pine.
Should you find yourself at sea, the smell of the water will be instantly delivered by the ‘personal scent … Read more >>>.

Did life on Earth begin in space?

LONDON – Many experts believe that biological raw materials were carried to our planet as lumps of asteroid rock.

The molecular structure of amino acids – the building blocks of proteins and living organisms – does provide a clue.
The molecules come in two mirror-image varieties, the left and right-handed. But only left-handed amino acids …. Original article  : Did life on Earth begin in space?.

Twitter, Facebook act as saviours during Australia floods

SYDNEY – Social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook have become instrumental in bringing relief to the floodhit Queenslanders in Australia.

Queensland’s emergency services and the people took advantage of the versatility and robustness of the social media to prepare for and combat disaster, said Axel Bruns, associate professor of the Queensland University of Technology.
…. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Birth control pills do not cause weight gain: Study

WASHINGTON – According to a new research, the commonly held belief that oral contraceptives cause weight gain appears to be false.

The study was conducted at the Oregon National Primate Research Center at Oregon Health and Science University.

“A simple Google search will reveal that contraceptives and the possibility that they may cause weight gain is …. Original article  : Birth control pills do not cause weight gain: Study.

Video game addiction tied to depression, anxiety in kids

WASHINGTON – Many parents are concerned about the amount of time their kids spend playing video games and have often expressed the difficulty in pulling them away from the screen.

Now, a new study has bolstered the argument that video games can be addictive for children, and identified greater amounts of gaming, lower social competence and …. Source article  : Video game addiction tied to depression, anxiety in kids.

Complete structure of HIV’s outer shell revealed

LONDON – Scientists have determined the structure of the protein package that delivers the genetic material of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to human cells.

The study was carried out by researchers at The Scripps Research Institute and the University of Virginia.

The work is the culmination of studies carried out over the last decade looking at …. Source article  : Complete structure of HIV’s outer shell revealed.

Migraines, headaches ‘do not increase risk of cognitive decline’

WASHINGTON – A study – using MRI to study the brains of migraine sufferers – has shown that a higher proportion of these patients exhibit lesions of the brain microvessels than the rest of the population.

According to several studies, the presence of a large quantity of this type of brain lesion increases the risk of … Read more »»».

Girls who are bullied ‘are at risk for substance use’

WASHINGTON – A new study has found that adolescent girls who are victims of bullying are more likely to engage in substance use as a result of bullying-related depression.

As schools reopen following the holidays, the message to parents of adolescent girls is that bullying can have serious consequences: “If your daughter is a victim of …. Read the original article  : Girls who are bullied ‘are at risk for substance use’.

Sunny morning, warmer day in Delhi

NEW DELHI – A sunny Thursday greeted the capital, with forecast for a warm day. The mercury was 6.5 degrees in the morning, a notch below average.

The maximum temperature is likely to be around 22 degrees Celsius, almost a degree more than the average for this time of the year, according to … Read more : Sunny morning, warmer day in Delhi.

Winter chill freezes Kashmir Valley, Leh

SRINAGAR – Extreme winter chill, highly slippery roads and frozen water taps continued to pose serious problems to people Thursday as the night temperatures remained below the freezing point in Kashmir Valley and also in the Ladakh region.

Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 4.8 degrees Celsius today,” A.R. Zargar, meteorologist, …. Source article  : Winter chill freezes Kashmir Valley, Leh.

Malaria parasite caught invading red blood cells

WASHINGTON – Using new image and cell technologies, Australian scientists have for the first time caught malaria parasites in the act of invading red blood cells.

The researchers, from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne, Australia, and the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), achieved this long-held aim using a combination of electron, light … Read more : Malaria parasite caught invading red blood cells.

NYU grad students create high-tech sweatshirts that detect air pollution

NEW YORK – Two NYU grad students have created high-tech sweatshirts that change colour when exposed to pollution.

Nien Lam and Sue Ngo created the sweatshirt, which is emblazoned with pink lungs that suddenly show blue veins when exposed to dirty air, during a class on wearable technologies in the interactive telecommunications program at Tisch School …. Source article  : NYU grad students create high-tech sweatshirts that detect air pollution.

New study brings quantum computing one step closer

LONDON – A team of researchers from the University of Oxford, UK, has come one step closer to building a solid-state quantum computer.

The team successfully entangled 10 billion pairs of quantum bits (or qubits) simultaneously in a highly purified crystal of silicon.

Theoretical studies have shown that quantum computers could solve problems that would take a …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : New study brings quantum computing one step closer.

Common metal could efficiently produce fuel from sunlight

WASHINGTON – A new study has found that a common metal found in self-cleaning ovens could efficiently convert sunlight into fuel.

Sossina Haile, at the California Institute of Technology, found that cerium oxide-or ceria could be used to concentrate solar energy and convert carbon dioxide and water into fuels.

The process developed by Haile and her colleagues …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Common metal could efficiently produce fuel from sunlight.

Study shows fish can count – up to 3

WASHINGTON – Math skills extend to fish, since new research has found that tropical angelfish can distinguish between larger and smaller quantities, with an additional ability to ‘count’ up to three.

Co-author Robert Gerlai, a University of Toronto Mississauga professor of psychology, and Luis Gomez-Laplaza of the University of Oviedo in Spain exploited the previously determined …. Original article  : Study shows fish can count – up to 3.