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UCSB physicists move 1 step closer to quantum computing

November 20, 2009

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) -- -- Physicists at UC Santa Barbara have made an important advance in electrically controlling quantum states of electrons, a step that could help in the development of quantum computing. The work is published online today on the Science Express Web site.

New map of variation in maize genetics holds promise for developing new varieties

November 19, 2009

ITHACA, N.Y. - A new study of maize has identified thousands of diverse genes in genetically inaccessible portions of the genome. New techniques may allow breeders and researchers to use this genetic variation to identify desirable traits and create new varieties that were not easily possible before.

New maize map to aid plant breeding efforts

November 19, 2009

In a massive survey of genetic diversity in maize, also known as corn, researchers across the United States, have developed a gene map that should pave the way to significant improvements in a plant that is a major source of food, fuel, animal feed and fiber around the world.

Scripps research scientists find new link between insulin and core body temperature

November 19, 2009

LA JOLLA, CA -- November 19, 2009 ?A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered a direct link between insulin -- a hormone long associated with metabolism and metabolic disorders such as diabetes -- and core body temperature.

UCR plant scientist's research spawns new discoveries showing how crops survive drought

November 18, 2009

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Breakthrough research done earlier this year by a plant cell biologist at the University of California, Riverside has greatly accelerated scientists' knowledge on how plants and crops can survive difficult environmental conditions such as drought.

Residential design for persons with neurological disability

November 18, 2009

Amsterdam, November 18, 2009 -- IOS Press announces the November 2009 publication of a special issue of NeuroRehabilitation: An International Journal devoted to residential design for persons with neurodisability.

UCLA researchers create 'fly paper' to capture circulating cancer cells

November 18, 2009

Just as fly paper captures insects, an innovative new device with nano-sized features developed by researchers at UCLA is able to grab cancer cells in the blood that have broken off from a tumor.

Study: Sea stars bulk up to beat the heat

November 17, 2009

A new study finds that a species of sea star stays cool using a strategy never before seen in the animal kingdom. The sea stars soak up cold sea water into their bodies during high tide as buffer against potentially damaging temperatures brought about by direct sunlight at low tide.

Drug therapy more cost-effective than angioplasty for diabetic patients with heart disease

November 17, 2009

STANFORD, Calif. -- Many patients with diabetes should forego angioplasties for heart disease and just take medicine instead, according to a new National Institutes of Health study led by Stanford University School of Medicine researcher Mark Hlatky, MD.

Analyzing structural brain changes in Alzheimer's disease

November 16, 2009

In a study that promises to improve diagnosis and monitoring of Alzheimer's disease, scientists at the University of California, San Diego have developed a fast and accurate method for quantifying subtle, sub-regional brain volume loss using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

UT Southwestern scientist begins to unravel what makes pandemic H1N1 tick

November 16, 2009

DALLAS -- Nov. 16, 2009 -- As the number of deaths related to the pandemic H1N1 virus, commonly known as "swine flu," continues to rise, researchers have been scrambling to decipher its inner workings and explain why the incidence is lower than expected in older adults.

Accidental discovery produces durable new blue pigment for multiple applications

November 16, 2009

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- An accidental discovery in a laboratory at Oregon State University has apparently solved a quest that over thousands of years has absorbed the energies of ancient Egyptians, the Han dynasty in China, Mayan cultures and more -- the creation of a near-perfect blue pigment.

Researchers find potential treatment for Huntington's disease

November 15, 2009

Investigators at Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham), the University of British Columbia's Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics and the University of California, San Diego have found that normal synaptic activity in nerve cells (the electrical activity in the brain that allows nerve cells to communicate with one another) protects the brain from the misfolded proteins asso

Shape perception in brain develops by itself

November 13, 2009

Despite minimal exposure to the regular geometric objects found in developed countries, African tribal people perceive shapes as well as westerners, according to a new study.

The findings, published online this week in Psychological Science, suggested that the brain's ability to understand shapes develops without the influence of immersion in simple, manufactured objects.

Chromosomes dance and pair up on the nuclear membrane

November 13, 2009

Meiosis -- the pairing and recombination of chromosomes, followed by segregation of half to each egg or sperm cell -- is a major crossroads in all organisms reproducing sexually. Yet, how the cell precisely choreographs these chromosomal interactions is a long-standing question.



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