Science
Scientist apologizes for hurtful remarks (AP)
AP - James Watson, the 79-year-old scientific icon made famous by his work in DNA, has set off an international furor with comments to a London newspaper about intelligence levels among blacks. Read more…
Pre-flight drinking report irks spacemen (AP)
AP - This weekend as the seven astronauts relax before Tuesday's blastoff into space, the beer will be cold and waiting at crew quarters at Kennedy Space Center. No one will monitor how much they drink, no breath tests given. Read more…
Mass. aquarium houses pregnant anaconda (AP)
AP - Man-made rain and flooding, along with some extra food, were enough to convince the trio of anacondas at the New England Aquarium to breed in captivity for the first time. One of the aquarium's two female anacondas is confirmed pregnant by the lone male. Read more…
Sage grouse hunted despite concerns (AP)
AP - While biologists and politicians fight over whether the greater sage grouse should be labeled an endangered species, 10 Western states allow hunters to take aim at the reclusive, ground-dwelling bird. Read more…
Scientist Watson returns to U.S. over race row (Reuters)
Reuters - Nobel Prize-winning DNA authority Dr. James Watson cut short a book tour in Britain on Friday and returned to the United States over racially insensitive comments attributed to him in a British newspaper. Read more…
Dawn Of Animal Vision Discovered
By peering deep into evolutionary history, scientists have discovered the origins of photosensitivity in animals. The researcher said that anti-evolutionists often argue that mutations, which are essential for evolution, can only eliminate traits and cannot produce new features. He goes on to say, "Our paper shows that such claims are simply wrong. We show very clearly that specific mutational changes in a particular duplicated gene (opsin) allowed the new genes to interact with different proteins in new ways. Today, these different interactions underlie the genetic machinery of vision, which is different in various animal groups." Read more…
Acupuncture Reduces Pain, Need For Opioids After Surgery
Using acupuncture before and during surgery significantly reduces the level of pain and the amount of potent painkillers needed by patients after the surgery is over, according to anesthesiologists who combined data from 15 small randomized acupuncture clinical trials. Read more…
Measuring Carbon Nanotube Interactions At Atomic Level
Carbon nanotubes have been employed for a variety of uses including composite materials, biosensors, nano-electronic circuits and membranes. While they have proven useful for these purposes, no one really knows much about what?s going on at the molecular level. For example, how do nanotubes and chemical functional groups interact with each other on the atomic scale? Answering this question could lead to improvements in future nano devices. Read more…
New Approach Builds Better Proteins Inside A Computer
With the aid of more than 70,000 home computer users throughout the world, researchers have, for the first time, accurately predicted the 3-D structure of a small, naturally occurring globular protein using only its amino acid sequence. The accomplishment was achieved with a newly refined computational method for predicting protein structure. Read more…
Severely Mentally Ill At High Risk For Cardiovascular Disease
Although mortality from cardiovascular disease has declined in the US over the past several decades, patients with severe psychiatric illness are not enjoying the benefits of that progress. Read more…