Science News – Newsletter for January 29, 2011

Global IP address stock ‘nearing depletion’

LONDON – The stock of IP addresses is about to get over very soon, it has emerged.

Once that happens, each of the five regional agencies that hand out net addresses will get one of the remaining blocks (called /8) of 16 million addresses, which will also … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Global IP address stock ‘nearing depletion’.

Study sheds light on asteroid deflection strategy to avert collision

WASHINGTON – A new study from New York City College of Technology sheds light on how a deflection strategy would work best in order to avoid collision with giant space objects such as asteroids.

“A collision with an object of this size traveling at an estimated 30,000 … Read more »»».

Relief in Valley as mercury rises to minus 1.4

SRINAGAR – People in Kashmir Valley got some relief from the freezing chill of the past two months as the night temperature Friday markedly rose to minus 1.4 degrees Celsius, the weatherman said Saturday.

The core of the winter season – ‘Chillai Kalan’ – will end Sunday. The 40-day-long period this year was one of … Read more »»».

Study solves 35-yr-old medical mystery using genetics

WASHINGTON – A team of researchers has finally found the answer to a decades-long medical mystery that started in 1976.

Adolfo Pampena was diagnosed with occurrence of multiple tumours in his stomach and colon.

Now, a genetic study led by investigators at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC), the McGill Program in … Read more »»».

Antibiotic paves way for novel anti-cancer agents

WASHINGTON – Researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine have reported that an antibiotic known for its immunosuppressive functions could also point the way to the development of new anti-cancer agents.

The study determined that the compound, tautomycetin, targets an enzyme called SHP2, which plays an important role in cell activities such as proliferation and …. Source  : Antibiotic paves way for novel anti-cancer agents.

New laser sensing technology ’sniffs bombs, pollutants from a distance’

WASHINGTON – Scientists have developed a new laser sensing technology that could allow soldiers to detect hidden bombs from a distance.

The Princeton University technology may also help scientists better measure airborne environmental pollutants and greenhouse gasses.

“We are able to send a laser pulse out and get another pulse back from the air itself. The returning … Original article on : New laser sensing technology ’sniffs bombs, pollutants from a distance’.

Presence of peers ‘heightens teens’ sensitivity to rewards of a risk’

WASHINGTON – A new study has found that teens become more susceptible to the potential rewards of a risk when they are with friends than when alone.

Temple University psychologists Jason Chein and Laurence Steinberg measured brain activity in adolescents, alone and with peers, as they made decisions with inherent risks.

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), [..] Read the original article: here.

Whipping ‘won’t make racehorses run faster’

LONDON – If you think that whipping would make your horse run faster as it nears the finishing line, then you are wrong.

A new research has suggested that whipping racehorses does not make them run any quicker.

The Australian research meant that “horses are being whipped in the final stages of a race, in the face … Read more >>>.

DNA’s rock ‘n rollin’ alter ego

LONDON – A new research at the University of Michigan and the University of California, Irvine has revealed that DNA, the marvelous, twisty molecule of life, has an alter ego.

On rare occasions, its building blocks “rock and roll,” deforming the familiar double helix into a different shape.

“We show that the simple DNA double helix exists …. Original source  : DNA’s rock ‘n rollin’ alter ego.

Chilly, misty morning in Delhi

NEW DELHI – Delhiites woke up to a chilly morning Saturday as the mercury plunged three notches below normal at 5.5 degrees Celsius accompanied with a mist cover in the early hours.

The maximum temperature is expected to be 21.7 degrees Celsius.
The weatherman forecast mist or shallow fog Sunday morning followed by partly … Read more >>>.

Vitamin D deficiency alters lung structure and function

WASHINGTON – Vitamin D deficiency has been shown to alter lung structure and function in a new study in young mice.

The new study, conducted by researchers in Australia, offers the first concrete evidence linking vitamin D deficiency with deficits in lung function and altered lung structure.

“The results of this study clearly demonstrate that vitamin … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Vitamin D deficiency alters lung structure and function.

Helping others helps alcoholics become and stay sober

WASHINGTON – A researcher from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine reports that participating in community service activities and helping others is not just good for the soul; it has a healing effect that helps alcoholics and other addicts become and stay sober.

In a review article, Maria E. Pagano, associate professor of psychiatry at … Read more »».

Touching a man’s arm is the best way to his heart

LONDON – Ladies, forget fluttering your eyelashes or flicking your hair. The quickest way for a woman to gain a man’s interest is by gently touching his arm, say psychologists.

As part of their study, researchers recruited a 20-year-old woman, rated ‘averagely attractive’ by a panel of 18 men, to approach 64 young, single males chosen …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Touching a man’s arm is the best way to his heart.

Humans switched from living in trees to on the ground 4.2mn yrs ago

WASHINGTON – A new study has revealed that early human ancestors stopped swinging in trees and started walking on the ground sometime between 4.2 and 3.5 million years ago.

Lead author Gabriele Macho, a paleoanthropologist at the Catalan Institute of Paleontology in Barcelona, and his colleagues made the determinations after analyzing wrist bones from two early … Original article on : Humans switched from living in trees to on the ground 4.2mn yrs ago.

Root cause of blood vessel damage in people with diabetes discovered

WASHINGTON – Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a key mechanism that appears to contribute to blood vessel damage in people with diabetes.

The researchers said studies in mice show that the damage appears to involve two enzymes, fatty acid synthase (FAS) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS), that interact in [..] Read the original article: here.

Age of onset of puberty predicts adult osteoporosis risk

WASHINGTON – A team of researchers determined that the onset of puberty was the primary influence on adult bone mineral density, or bone strength.

The researchers, led by Vicente Gilsanz, director of Clinical Imaging at The Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, also found that the length of puberty did not affect bone … Original article on : Age of onset of puberty predicts adult osteoporosis risk.

Mini choppers inspired by spinning seeds could soon be a reality

LONDON – Technology gets inspiration from nature very often – and a new study is just another example of that – a mini helicopter that mimics flying tree seeds.

Standard mini helicopters expend most of their power simply fighting to stay stable in the air, leading researchers at the University of Maryland in College Park to …. Original source  : Mini choppers inspired by spinning seeds could soon be a reality.

Modern humans would easily beat Neanderthals in a marathon

WASHINGTON – If humans were to be pitted against Neanderthals in a marathon, the former would win, says a new study.

Having said that, Neanderthal bones were built for long-distance walking and strength.

University of Arizona researcher David Raichlen and his colleagues have found that our modern human ancestors were better runner, because they have shorter limb … Original article on : Modern humans would easily beat Neanderthals in a marathon.

It’s official: Jupiter was hit by an asteroid in 2009, not a comet

WASHINGTON – A new study has confirmed that in 2009, it was an asteroid that hit the giant planet Jupiter, not a comet.

An international team of researchers used infrared data from ground-based telescopes to observe the planet’s scar to piece together all the evidence.

When an asteroid hits a gas giant’s atmosphere, it leaves different thermal …. Source  : It’s official: Jupiter was hit by an asteroid in 2009, not a comet.

China’s ‘microblog queen’ has 5 mn fans

BEIJING – Chinese television star Yao Chen has been named the “microblog queen” for having more than five million followers on the country’s popular Twitter-like online social microblogging website.

Yao had five million fans on her microblog t.sina.com.cn/yaochen Friday afternoon, and the number grew by another 3,744 in the following one and a half hours, … Read this article on Gaea Times at : China’s ‘microblog queen’ has 5 mn fans.