Futurity.org

Spry robot built to zip like the butterfly

Phil Sneiderman-JHU — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:59:46 +0000

JOHNS HOPKINS (US) — High-speed video of butterflies’ agility in flight may help researchers build tiny robots that mimic the insects’ maneuvers.

The Air Force, which funded the research, is supporting the development of bug-size flyers to carry out reconnaissance, search-and-rescue, and environmental monitoring missions without risking human lives. The devices are commonly called micro aerial vehicles (MAVs).

For better mammogram readings, direct the gaze

Diana Lutz-WUSTL — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:00:33 +0000

WASHINGTON U.-ST. LOUIS (US) — A new technique called “subtle gaze direction” could lower the learning curve for reading mammograms, researchers say.

In 2011—to the consternation of many women—a systematic review of randomized clinical trials showed that routine mammography was of little value to younger women at average or low risk of breast cancer.

Charge the electric car while you drive

Mark Shwartz-Stanford — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:28:24 +0000

STANFORD (US) — New technology could lead to wireless charging of electric vehicles while they cruise down the highway.

The long-term goal of the high-efficiency charging system—that uses magnetic fields to transmit large electric currents between metal coils placed several feet apart—is to dramatically increasing the driving range of electric cars and trucks and develop an all-electric highway.

Brain directs traffic to stay on task

Andy Fell-UC Davis — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:03:07 +0000

UC DAVIS (US) — Just like a road sign alerts us to merging traffic ahead, the brain can change its connections to minimize distraction and take advantage of what we know of the situation at hand.

“In order to behave efficiently, you want to process relevant sensory information as fast as possible, but relevance is determined by your current situation,” says Joy Geng, assistant professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis Center for Mind and Brain.

Walnuts may shrink prostate cancer risk

Dorsey Griffith-UC Davis — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:13:51 +0000

UC DAVIS (US) — Mice genetically programmed to develop prostate cancer had smaller, slower growing tumors when fed a walnut-rich diet, report researchers.

University of California, Davis scientists, working with colleagues at the USDA Western Regional Research Center in Albany, California, assessed tumor size in mice fed different diets for 9, 18 and 24 weeks.

Arthritis risk higher in poor neighborhoods

Rebecca Scott-Melbourne — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:48:57 +0000

U. MELBOURNE (AUS) — People living in poor neighborhoods are 42 percent more at risk of getting arthritis than those that live in affluent areas, new research shows.

Published in the journal Arthritis Care & Research, a study reveals that more than 30 percent of people living in socially disadvantaged areas reported having arthritis—as opposed to 18.5 percent in wealthier areas.

When mom nurtures, kids’ brains grow

Jim Dryden-WUSTL — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:39:24 +0000

WASHINGTON U.-ST. LOUIS (US) — Children whose mothers nurture them have brains with a larger hippocampus—a region vital for learning and memory.

The research by child psychiatrists and neuroscientists at Washington University in St. Louis is the first to show that changes in this critical region of children’s brain anatomy are linked to a mother’s nurturing.

Birth control shot risky for the obese?

Alison Trinidad-USC — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:02:06 +0000

USC (US) — A small study suggests obese women may increase their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by using the Depo-Provera birth control shot.

The first to examine the drug’s effect on obese women, the University of Southern California study suggests that other forms of long-term birth control, namely intrauterine contraception, may be a more effective choice for overweight women.

Vitamin B6 may beat malaria pathogen

Andrew Duff-Southampton — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:13:26 +0000

U. SOUTHAMPTON (UK) — New research on vitamin B6 could lead to drugs that target the pathogen that causes malaria.

The University of Southampton research will enable scientists to learn more about the nature of the enzymes required for vitamin biosynthesis by the malaria-causing pathogen Plasmodium.

Plant enzyme works day and night shifts

Layne Cameron-Michigan State — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:01:29 +0000

MICHIGAN STATE (US) — Researchers have discovered a plant enzyme that switches from storing energy during the day to transporting energy in the roots at night.

The discovery, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academies of Science, shows that plants evolved a new function for this enzyme by changing merely one of its protein building blocks.