Science & Technology - Aug 20, 2009 4:00 - 0 Comments

‘Born-again’ eggs offer peek into past

A female copepod carries a bright red egg sac at the base of her body. (Actual size is approximately 2 mm.) These eggs were likely hatched within a few days of this photomicrograph. (Credit: Nelson Hairston Jr.)

Science & Technology - Aug 19, 2009 15:23 - 0 Comments

See the writing on the cells

University of Michigan researchers demonstrate their technique for sketching experiments on a canvas of live cells by writing “UMICH” with a fluorescent water-based solution on cells growing in another water-based medium. (Courtesy: Hossein Tavana)

Earth & Environment - Aug 19, 2009 14:56 - 0 Comments

Global fisheries launch a comeback

The cowcod rockfish population collapsed in the 1980s but is now showing signs of recovery. (Courtesy: Stanford University)

Health & Medicine - Aug 19, 2009 12:22 - 0 Comments

Brain ‘sees’ even when eyes can’t

Blue shows regions of the brain that were more activated when both sighted and blind participants thought about nonliving things rather than animals. (Courtesy: University of Rochester)

Earth & Environment - Aug 19, 2009 4:00 - 0 Comments

When a toxic pond runneth over

A Duke graduate student takes samples from coal ash sludge shortly after a December 2008 spill at a power plant in Tennessee. (Courtesy: Avner Vengosh/Duke University)

Science & Technology - Aug 18, 2009 11:19 - 0 Comments

To get a reaction, molecules do the twist

A folded molecule is a new type of catalyst, and can selectively speed chemical reactions. A chain-like molecule (grey, lower right) was designed to fold in a helical pattern, mimicking the folding of peptides found in nature. This arrangement allows it to selectively interact with a pair of mirror-image chemical compounds (in green). The trajectory depicts how the folded molecule interacts with only one member of the pair, and selectively accelerates its conversion to a new chemical form.

Health & Medicine - Aug 18, 2009 10:26 - 0 Comments

Potent target for stopping colon cancer

“If we can use an inhibitor to block ERBB3, then it should be a very potent anti-cancer therapeutic,” says the study’s lead author David Threadgill.

Earth & Environment - Aug 18, 2009 4:00 - 0 Comments

Clues to bee collapse raise questions

“While the study’s results don’t indicate a specific cause of CCD, the results do help scientists narrow the direction of future CCD research by showing that some possible causes are less likely,” says Jeff Pettis, an entomologist with the ARS Bee Research Laboratory. (Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/http://commons.wikimedia.org)

Science & Technology - Aug 18, 2009 4:00 - 0 Comments

‘Green’ foam that’s cheap and dirty

“The flexibility of the clay aerogel composites is amazing,” says engineering professor David Schiraldi, who adds that almost anyone can make the composites if they have pure clay in a form that resembles cat litter pellets, a blender, and a $50,000 freeze dryer.

Society & Culture - Aug 18, 2009 4:00 - 2 Comments

Even in small doses, happiness is healthy

“The levels of positive emotions that produced good benefits weren’t extreme. Participants with average and stable levels of positive emotions still showed growth in resilience even when their days included negative emotions,” says study author Barbara Fredrickson.

Earth & Environment - Aug 17, 2009 4:00 - 0 Comments

Harbinger of hurricanes to come

Close-up of Hurricane Isabel taken from the International Space Station in 2003. (Credit: NASA)

Science & Technology - Aug 17, 2009 4:00 - 0 Comments

Entire genome on the cheap

The lower cost of sequencing the human genome could help researchers understand how genes and mutations result in the traits that make individuals unique.

Society & Culture - Aug 17, 2009 4:00 - 3 Comments

Poverty linked to early sexual activity in kids

IOWA STATE (US)—A study of nearly 1,000 low-income families in three major American cities finds that, on average, children start having sex around age 12. (more…)

Society & Culture - Aug 14, 2009 10:59 - 2 Comments

Virtual economies mirror the real deal

Researchers studied big economic trends—like GDP and inflation—taking place in the online role-playing game EverQuest II and found parallels to real-world economies. (Courtesy: Sony Online Entertainment)

Health & Medicine - Aug 14, 2009 9:51 - 3 Comments

Depression kills cravings for delight

Decreased motivation to seek and experience pleasurable experiences, known as anhedonia, is a primary symptom of major depressive disorder. Anhedonia is less responsive to many antidepressants and often persists after other symptoms of depression subside.

Science & Technology - Aug 14, 2009 4:00 - 0 Comments

‘Kissing’ tetrahedra break world record

“We wanted to know this: What’s the densest way to pack space?” says Salvatore Torquato. “It’s a notoriously difficult problem to solve, and it involves complex objects that, at the time, we simply did not know how to handle.” (Courtesy: Torquato Laboratory)

Health & Medicine - Aug 14, 2009 4:00 - 0 Comments

New way to size up placentas

“In this study, we showed that the equation predicted the actual placental weight with an accuracy of up to 89 percent,” says Harvey Kliman. “The method works best during the second and early third trimesters, just when routine ultrasound screening is done on many women in the U.S.”

Health & Medicine - Aug 13, 2009 13:57 - 0 Comments

‘Superman’ B-cells bash MS in mice

“It’s easy to collect B-cells from a patient. It’s just like donating blood. We purify them in the lab, treat them with GIFT15 in a petri dish, and give them back to the patient,” says study leader Jacques Galipeau. “That’s what we did in mice, and that’s what we believe we could do in people. It would be very easy to take the next step; it’s just a question of finding the financial resources and partnerships to make this a reality.” (Credit: Claudio Calligaris/McGill University)