Futurity.org » Johns Hopkins University

Flyby radar maps Saturn’s Earth-like moon

Michael Buckley-Johns Hopkins — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:27:13 +0000

JOHNS HOPKINS (US) — Using a radar imager to peer through the soupy atmosphere of Saturn’s moon Titan, scientists have created the first topographic map of one of the most Earth-like worlds in the solar system.

The map, identifying surface features and elevations, is a valuable new tool for researchers seeking to know more about Saturn’s largest moon, which, at 1,600 miles across, is bigger than Mercury and the second-largest moon in the solar system. The map and a paper on the project appear in the journal Icarus.

Scientists care about Titan because it’s the only moon in the solar system known to have clouds, surface liquids, and a thick atmosphere. The cold atmosphere is mostly nitrogen, like Earth’s, but methane on Titan acts the way water vapor does on Earth, forming clouds, falling as rain, and carving the surface with rivers. Organic chemicals, derived from methane, are present in Titan’s atmosphere, lakes, and rivers and may offer clues about the origins of life.

Heavy metal cadmium tied to liver disease

Stephanie Desmon-JHU — Fri, 10 May 2013 18:55:00 +0000

JOHNS HOPKINS (US) — People with more chronic environmental exposure to cadmium appear to be nearly 3.5 times more likely to die of liver disease than those with less of the heavy metal in their bodies.

The findings don’t prove that cadmium from such sources as industrial emissions or tobacco smoke directly causes liver disease, but suggest an association that needs more investigation.

Vaccinate mosquitoes to stop malaria?

Layne Cameron-Michigan State — Fri, 10 May 2013 17:37:42 +0000

MICHIGAN STATE (US) — Mosquitoes are deadly and efficient disease transmitters, but they also can be equally good at spreading a cure for diseases they transmit, such as malaria, new research suggests.

A study in the current issue of Science shows that the transmission of malaria via mosquitoes to humans can be interrupted by using a strain of the bacteria Wolbachia in the insects. In a sense, Wolbachia would act as a vaccine of sorts for mosquitoes that would protect them from malaria parasites.

3D printed ear binds biology with electronics

John Sullivan-Princeton — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:35:18 +0000

PRINCETON (US) — Using 3D printing tools, scientists have created a functional ear that can “hear” radio frequencies far beyond the range of normal human capability.

The researchers’ primary purpose was to explore an efficient and versatile method of merging electronics with tissue. The scientists used 3D printing of cells and nanoparticles—with an off-the-shelf printer purchased off the Internet—followed by cell culture to combine a small coil antenna with cartilage, creating what they term a bionic ear.

Block one gene to make cancer less aggressive

Shawna Williams-Johns Hopkins — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:00:25 +0000

JOHNS HOPKINS (US) — Repressing a critical control gene can stop runaway cancer cell growth and the processes that spread tumors around the body, researchers report.

They hope that this so-called “master regulator” gene may be the key to developing a new treatment for tumors that resist current drugs.

Menopause skills fall short for new ob/gyns

John Lazarou-JHU — Thu, 02 May 2013 18:04:45 +0000

JOHNS HOPKINS (US) — Not even one in five trainee obstetrics and gynecology doctors in the United States receives formal training in menopause medicine, training most of them say they want.

A new survey, published in the journal Menopause, shows that some American ob/gyn residency programs fail to offer trainees any formal curriculum or clinical experience focused primarily on women’s pre- and post-menopausal health.

Coaches shape attitudes about sexual assault

Anita Srikameswaran-Pittsburgh — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:00:50 +0000

U. PITTSBURGH (US) — Young male athletes who took part in a program led by coaches were less likely to engage in abusive behaviors toward their female partners.

A year-long evaluation study looked at more than 2,000 male athletes in 16 California high schools from October 2009 to October 2011 who participated in the Coaching Boys into Men program.

How ‘jail-breaker’ cancer cells escape

Catherine Zandonella-Princeton — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 20:16:08 +0000

PRINCETON (US) — Cancer cells that can break out of a tumor and invade other organs are more aggressive than nonmalignant cells and are nimble enough to maneuver their way into small spaces.

A systematic comparison of metastatic breast cancer cells to healthy breast cells revealed dramatic differences between the two cell lines in their mechanics, migration, oxygen response, protein production, and ability to stick to surfaces.

Interns spend ‘shockingly’ little time with patients

Stephanie Desmon-JHU — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:13:21 +0000

JOHNS HOPKINS (US) — Hospital interns spend just 12 percent of duty time examining or talking with patients, far less than they spend on paperwork and computer time.

Indeed, the study found interns’ availability for bedside interaction only modestly exceeds the time—7 percent of their workday—they spend walking from place to place.

Tiny tools get a grip for better biopsies

Phil Sneiderman-JHU — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 20:13:25 +0000

JOHNS HOPKINS (US) — Magnetic stars—each the size of a speck of dust—can get to the body’s tightest spaces and collect tissue samples to screen for disease.

In two recent journal articles, the researchers report successful animal testing of the tiny tools, which require no power source or wires as they seize internal tissue samples.

The team calls the devices “mu-grippers,” incorporating the Greek letter that stands for “micro” in scientific language. Instead of relying on electric or pneumatic power, the star-shaped tools are activated by body heat, which causes their tiny “fingers” to close on and capture cell clusters. Because the tools also contain a magnetic material, they can be retrieved through an existing body opening with a magnetic catheter.