Science News – Newsletter for March 2, 2011

Himachal may experience heavy snow, rain

SHIMLA – Himachal Pradesh may experience heavy rain and snowfall in the next two days, a weather official said here Tuesday.

“There are chances of heavy snowfall and rainfall at some places in Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur, Chamba, Kangra, Mandi, Kullu and Shimla districts till March 3,” meteorological office director Manmohan Singh told IANS.
He …. Source article  : Himachal may experience heavy snow, rain.

14 tigers died in two months in India

NEW DELHI – As many as 14 tigers have died in the country till February this year alone, including two due to poaching, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh told Lok Sabha Tuesday.

Replying to a question in Rajya Sabha, Ramesh said 161 tigers – 51 due to poaching — have died since 2008.
“About 14 …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : 14 tigers died in two months in India.

Nano tool inspired by silk moth antenna could aid Alzheimer’s research

LONDON – The silk moth’s antenna has inspired researchers from the University of Michigan to develop a better nanotechnology tool that could help understand a class of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s.

Nanopores-essentially holes drilled in a silicon chip-are miniscule measurement devices that enable the study of single molecules or proteins.

Even today’s best nanopores clog easily, [..] Read the original article: here.

The mere sight, smell of food hikes dopamine levels in binge eaters

WASHINGTON – A new brain imaging study has revealed that just the mere sight or smell of food elevates dopamine – a brain chemical linked to reward and motivation – levels in binge eaters.

The findings suggested that the chemical spike could explain compulsive overeating.

The researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory looked …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : The mere sight, smell of food hikes dopamine levels in binge eaters.

Lifestyle intervention helps women cut pregnancy flab

WASHINGTON – A lifestyle intervention can help women control their weight gain during and after pregnancy, according to a new study.

It will also help normal-weight, obese and overweight women return to pre-pregnancy weight after delivery.

“This study suggests that a lifestyle intervention can help women manage their weight during pregnancy, prevent health problems during pregnancy, … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Lifestyle intervention helps women cut pregnancy flab.

How game of golf won ‘The King’s Speech’ its Oscars

LONDON – It has emerged that British historical drama film ‘The King’s Speech’ would have missed winning its Oscars had it not been for a game of golf.

Joan Lane, a theatrical agent, read the script in 2007 and was convinced that she had a hit play on her hands, but when she sent it to … Read more : How game of golf won ‘The King’s Speech’ its Oscars.

Customized health messages help quit smoking in 4 months, says study

LONDON – A new study has found that tailored health messages to those who smoke were more likely to kick the butt in four months.

Hannah Faye Chua at the University of Michigan and colleagues have also begins to uncover the underlying neural reasons why these individually tailored messages are so much more effective than a …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Customized health messages help quit smoking in 4 months, says study.

Now a billboard that profiles people, flashes ads as per their tastes

LONDON – Advertisers are developing digital posters that will recognise people’s faces and respond by flashing ads that are according to their tastes.

The technology is so sophisticated that it could soon even be possible to link the posters to a store’s profile of each individual and display goods that would appeal just to them.

The posters …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Now a billboard that profiles people, flashes ads as per their tastes.

New personalized therapy to ‘fool cancer cells into killing themselves’

LONDON – A Wayne State University School of Medicine researcher has developed a personalized therapy that will fool cancer cells into killing themselves.

Developed by Karli Rosner, assistant professor and director of Research in the Department of Dermatology, the treatment uses genetic constructs that contain a genetically modified enzyme to seek out and destroy cancer cells. …. Read the original article  : here.

Junk DNA makes humans so different from primates

WASHINGTON – Repetitive stretches of “junk” DNA may partly explain why humans are so different from primates.

Medical researchers at the University of Iowa found that when a particular type junk DNA segment, known as an Alu element, is inserted into existing genes, they can alter the rate at which proteins are produced.
“Repetitive …. Source  : Junk DNA makes humans so different from primates.

E-books on the rise with sales of digital books growing 18-fold in 2010

LONDON – The sale of e-books is on the rise, with Bloomsbury, the publisher of the Harry Potter books, saying its digital book sales grew 18-fold in 2010.

Now e-books account for 10 percent of Bloomsbury print sales as more customers download titles to read on iPads, Kindles and other hand-held devices.

The publishing house said revenues …. Source article  : E-books on the rise with sales of digital books growing 18-fold in 2010.

French team unearths Maurya dynasty wall in Bangladesh

DHAKA – A French excavation team dug out a wall belonging to the Maurya dynasty at Mahasthangarh archaeological site in Bogra recently.

It also found a huge number of Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) and Barind soil layer along with other objects, said team members.

A Bangladeshi excavation team also dug out brick-built structures of Muslim dynasties.

The … Original article on : French team unearths Maurya dynasty wall in Bangladesh.

Protein pathway find may help solve Parkinson’s disease

WASHINGTON – Iowa State University researchers have discovered a protein pathway that may hold the secret to understand Parkinson’s disease.

Anumantha Kanthasamy, a distinguished professor of biomedical sciences and the W. Eugene and Linda R. Lloyd Endowed Chair in Neurotoxicology at the ISU College of Veterinary Medicine, believes this recent discovery offers hope for the cure.

Parkinson’s …. Read the original article  : here.

Most lottery winners choose to save money than squander it

WASHINGTON – A new thesis shows that in most cases, lottery winners prefer to save up the money won than squandering it for short-term comforts.

“It’s common for people to say that ‘they are who they are’ as an explanation for why they do not change more,” said University of Gothenburg researcher Anna Hedenus.

She surveyed 420 …. Original article  : Most lottery winners choose to save money than squander it.

Dogs were seen as thinking, social beings 7000 years ago

WASHINGTON – Experts have found 7000-year-old remains of a Husky-like dog in Siberia that suggest that people saw it as a thinking, social being.

They believe it probably lived and died similar to how humans did at that time and place, eating the same food, sustaining work injuries, and getting a human-like burial.

“Based on how northern … Original article on : Dogs were seen as thinking, social beings 7000 years ago.

‘Hopping’ bot to explore Moon valleys, hilltops by firing rocket nozzles

WASHINGTON – Engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Charles Stark Draper laboratory in Cambridge, Mass., are developing a new robot rover that would move on the Moon by firing downward and sideways-facing rocket nozzles.

Current stationary landers or slow-moving rovers have been trudging along due to the rough terrain of surfaces on Moon or planets … Read this article on Gaea Times at : ‘Hopping’ bot to explore Moon valleys, hilltops by firing rocket nozzles.

Google accidentally wipes accounts of 150,000 Gmail users

LONDON – Search giant Google has confirmed that about 150,000 Gmail users around the world have had their accounts, including every email, application, contact and calendar information, deleted.

The problem first arose on Sunday when thousands logged onto their accounts, only to find all their personal information had been erased, reports the Daily Mail.

Many found … Read : Google accidentally wipes accounts of 150,000 Gmail users.

Genes associated with binge drinking identified

WASHINGTON – Scientists have identified two genes associated with binge drinking that may open doors to new, more effective treatments for excessive alcohol drinking.

University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers found that manipulating two receptors in the brain, GABA receptors and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), “caused profound reduction” of binge drinking for two weeks in …. Read the original article  : Genes associated with binge drinking identified.

Cloudy day in Delhi, rains expected

NEW DELHI – It was a windy and cloudy morning in the capital Tuesday with the weather office predicting rain and thunderstorm later in the day.

Delhi recorded a minimum of 11.3 degrees Celsius — a notch below the average for this time of the season.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast …. Original article  : Cloudy day in Delhi, rains expected.

Discovery astronauts complete ‘textbook’ spacewalk

WASHINGTON – Two space shuttle Discovery astronauts moved a failed ammonia cooling pump during a more than six-hour spacewalk outside the International Space Station.

NASA officials called Monday’s work a “textbook” spacewalk, after overcoming a problem with the station’s robotic arm that left astronaut Steve Bowen holding the weightless pump for a bit longer than … Original source on Gaea Times at : Discovery astronauts complete ‘textbook’ spacewalk.