Story tips from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, August 2010

by bjs on July 29, 2010

To arrange for an interview with a researcher, please contact the Communications and External Relations staff member identified at the end of each tip. For more information on ORNL and its research and development activities, please refer to one of …

{ 0 comments }

Snake venom studies yield insights for development of therapies for heart disease and cancer

July 29, 2010

BETHESDA, Md., July 29, 2010 — Researchers seeking to learn more about stroke by studying how the body responds to toxins in snake venom are this week releasing new findings that they hope will aid in the development of therapies …

Read the full article →

Brown dwarf found orbiting a young sun-like star

July 29, 2010

Astronomers have imaged a very young brown dwarf, or failed star, in a tight orbit around a young nearby sun-like star.

An international team led by University of Hawaii astronomers Beth Biller and Michael Liu with help from University of …

Read the full article →

TNF blockers may increase the risk of malignancy in children

July 29, 2010

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received reports of malignancies in children using tumor necrosis factor a (TNF) blockers, raising concerns of an associated risk and prompting an investigation. Researchers from the FDA set out to identify all reports of …

Read the full article →

Scientists post lower speed limit for cell-signaling protein assembly

July 29, 2010

EAST LANSING, Mich. — The apparently random self-assembly of molecular threads into the proteins that make the body work is far less frantic than previously thought, Michigan State University scientists say. That discovery could be a key to help unlock …

Read the full article →

Resting brain activity associated with spontaneous fibromyalgia pain

July 29, 2010

A recent study from researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and University of Michigan provides the first direct evidence of linkage between elevated intrinsic (resting-state) brain connectivity and spontaneous pain intensity in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). This research shows an interaction …

Read the full article →

Mechanism uncovered behind Salmonella virulence and drug susceptibility

July 29, 2010

Researchers have discovered a novel mechanism in Salmonella that affects its virulence and its susceptibility to antibiotics by changing its production of proteins in a previously unheard of manner. This allows Salmonella to selectively change its levels of certain proteins …

Read the full article →

Behind the secrets of silk lie high-tech opportunities

July 29, 2010

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass. — Tougher than a bullet-proof vest yet synonymous with beauty and luxury, silk fibers are a masterpiece of nature whose remarkable properties have yet to be fully replicated in the laboratory.

Thanks to their amazing mechanical properties …

Read the full article →

Memory’s master switch

July 29, 2010

Neuroscientists have long wondered how individual connections between brain cells remain diverse and “fit” enough for storing new memories. Reported in the prestigious science journal Neuron, a new study led by Dr. Inna Slutsky of the Sackler School of Medicine …

Read the full article →

Study finds black carbon implicated in global warming

July 29, 2010

Increasing the ratio of black carbon to sulfate in the atmosphere increases climate warming, suggests a study conducted by a University of Iowa professor and his colleagues and published in the July 25 issue of the journal Nature Geoscience.

Black …

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries