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Health

New understanding about mechanism for cell death after stroke leads to possible therapy

Scientists at the Brain Research Centre, a partnership of the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, have uncovered new information about the mechanism by which brain cells die following a stroke, as well as a possible way to mitigate that damage. The results of the study were recently published online in Nature Medicine.

Nov 22, 2009

Earth & Environment

International expedition investigates climate change, alternative fuels in Arctic

(Washington, DC ? Nov. 20, 2009) -- Scientists from the Marine Biogeochemistry and Geology and Geophysics sections of the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL)…

Nov 20, 2009

Uncategorized

Help requested: Please take a survey on science blogging for my graduate research

Hi science bloggers - If you can spare 10-12 minutes, would you take my survey about the needs and habits of science bloggers? If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Thank you.

Nov 20, 2009

Technology

New method to measure snow, vegetation moisture with GPS may benefit farmers, meteorologists

A research team led by the University of Colorado at Boulder has found a clever way to use traditional GPS satellite signals to measure snow depth as well as soil and vegetation moisture, a technique expected to benefit meteorologists, water resource managers, climate modelers and farmers.

Nov 20, 2009

Health

UAB researchers discover antibody receptor identity, propose renaming immune-system gene

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have uncovered the genetic identity of a cellular receptor for the immune system's first-response antibody, a discovery that sheds new light on infection control and immune disorders.

Nov 20, 2009

Health

Rare pancreatic cancer patients may live longer when treated with radiation therapy

Radiation therapy is effective in achieving local control and palliation in patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNTs), despite such tumors being commonly considered resistant to radiation therapy, according to a largest of its kind study in the November 15 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of the American Society fo

Nov 20, 2009

Health

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

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.

Nov 19, 2009

Earth & Environment

Paleontologists find extinction rates higher in open-ocean settings during mass extinctions

Arnie Miller, University of Cincinnati professor of paleontology in the McMicken College of Arts & Sciences, and co-author Michael Foote of the University of Chicago publish their research in the Nov. 20 issue of Science with their paper, "Epicontinental Seas Versus Open-Ocean Settings: The Kinetics of Mass Extinction and Origination."

Nov 19, 2009

Health

Reference genome of maize, most important US crop, is published by team co-led by CSHL scientists

Cold Spring Harbor, NY -- A four-year, multi-institutional effort co-led by three Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) scientists culminated today in publication of a landmark series of papers in the journal Science revealing in unprecedented detail the DNA sequence of maize (Zea mays).

Nov 19, 2009

Health

Smithsonian scientists find the frog legs trade may facilitate spread of pathogens

Most countries throughout the world participate in the $40-million-per-year culinary trade of frog legs in some way, with 75 percent of frog legs consumed in France, Belgium and the United States. Scientists at the Smithsonian Institution and colleagues have found that this trade is a potential carrier of pathogens deadly to amphibians.

Nov 19, 2009

Health

Causative gene of a rare disorder discovered by sequencing only protein-coding regions of genome

For the first time, scientists have successfully used a method called exome sequencing to quickly discover a previously unknown gene responsible for a mendelian disorder.

Nov 19, 2009

Health

Highlighting racial disparities increases coverage and effectiveness of health news

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Effective communication of health news is needed to raise awareness and encourage behavior changes in populations who experience health disparities, or inequalities in health status, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Nov 19, 2009

Health

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

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.

Nov 19, 2009

Uncategorized

Spanish biotechnology should focus on food and plant sectors to be more competitive

Spain and Latin American countries have an opportunity to take the lead in two small biotechnology sectors. Researchers from the University of Valencia (UV), working together with the IDICHUS Foundation, have studied the productive fabric of the Spanish biotechnology industry. Their conclusion is that Spain's food and plant sectors have more clout than those in English-speaking countries.

Nov 19, 2009