AP - The Bush administration, under legal pressure from three environmental groups, will propose listing polar bears as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, The Washington Post reported. Read more…
STATUS REPORT Date Released: Tuesday, December 26, 2006 Source: ESA Broadcast Centre ESA TV coverage of the COROT launch / 27 December 2006 The Soyouz-2 launcher which will put the European satellite COROT in orbit, was transferred to its launch at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazachstan, on Sunday... Read more…
Potentially deadly influenza outbreaks in nursing homes are less likely to occur when large numbers of staff and residents get flu shots, according to a study issued today by the RAND Corporation. The study by the nonprofit research organization found that nursing homes were 60 percent less likely to have a cluster of influenza-like illnesses if more than 55 percent of the staff and more than 89 percent of the residents were vaccinated for influenza. Read more…
A detailed evaluation conducted at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Australia into a possible new cancer drug suggests that it may prove to be more effective and less toxic than current chemotherapeutic drugs. Read more…
Use of the drugs proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for the treatment of acid-related diseases such as gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD) is associated with a greater risk of hip fracture, according to a study in the December 27 issue of JAMA. Read more…
To your left runs a high-voltage power cable that is worn, but still physically sound. To your right runs a cable that looks identical, but damaged insulation means the cable is vulnerable to a short. Can you tell the difference? Even most power companies don't know the weak points in their electrical grids. And although lights get turned on after a storm, the long-term effects of hurricanes, landslides or wind storms lie unnoticed. Now a robot can roll along the miles of cable, performing a utilities' equivalent of check-ups. Read more…
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered that commonly occurring variations of a gene trigger a domino effect in chronic pain disorders. The finding might lead to more effective treatments for temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD) and other chronic pain conditions. Read more…
Two new studies from Rockefeller University and the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center (ADARC) show that the immune cells in other body tissues may never rebound after HIV infection, suggesting the need for additional ways to monitor immune system health, and the need for hypervigilance as HIV-positive patients live into their forties, fifties, sixties and beyond. Read more…
Stronger quadriceps muscles in the legs can help protect against cartilage loss behind the kneecap, according to Mayo Clinic researchers presenting preliminary study data at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting on Nov. 15. Read more…
Analyses of a classic, slow-rupturing tsunami earthquake whose massive waves devastated the coast of Java, Indonesia, this past summer are providing insight to seismologists and engineers, who want to better understand these rare events, recommend strategies to improve safety and perhaps provide long-range forecasts of potential danger zones worldwide. Read more…
As public health officials around the world keep a nervous eye on the spread of avian influenza, the University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization has uncovered a key step in how the influenza virus causes infection. Read more…
A team of researchers, led by scientists at Dartmouth, have identified and tested a gene that dramatically alters both muscle metabolism and performance. Read more…
The National Institute of Mental Health, part of the National Institutes of Health, is funding five new research projects that will shed light on antidepressant medications, notably selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and their association with suicidal thoughts and actions (suicidality). Read more…
A geologist at Washington University in St. Louis and his collaborator at Oxford University have interpreted data that Lewis and Clark collected during their famous expedition and found that the Missouri River has markedly narrowed and its water levels have become more variable over the past two hundred years. This narrowing, or channeling, has put the Missouri River at an increased risk of more damaging floods. Read more…
Stem cells grew, multiplied and differentiated into brain cells on a new three-dimensional scaffold of tiny protein fragments designed to be more like a living body than any other cell culture system. Read more…
Researchers at MIT's Lincoln Laboratory are developing a highly pinpointed sound beam that can detect buried land mines from a safe distance. The new beam will use sound to seek out land mines like a bat uses sonar to hunt its prey. Read more…
A common perception is that pet owner is a young person who is full of action, exercises a lot, and actively plays with a pet, particularly with a dog. The reality is different, however. Read more…
By age 10, some black children already have high nighttime blood pressure, an early signal of impending cardiovascular disease, a new study shows. Read more…
A new study has suggested a novel way of combating diseases related to the immune system, including cancer and autoimmune diseases such as type I diabetes and arthritis. The study, funded by the Wellcome Trust, appears online in the journal Nature. Read more…
A research team at UT Southwestern Medical Center has for the first time identified several genes whose expression is lost in four of the most common solid human cancers -- lung, breast, prostate and colon cancer. Read more…
Active individuals lacking in B-vitamins -- including college athletes and other elite competitors -- may perform worse during high-intensity exercise and have a decreased ability to repair and build muscle than counterparts with nutrient-rich diets, a new study concludes. Read more…
NASA moved forward in 2006 to extend humanity's exploration of the solar system and learn more about the universe and our home planet. Read more…
SPACE.com - Progress is being made on defining a human mission to an asteroid. Experts at several NASA centers are sketching out a prospective piloted stopover at an asteroid--a trek that could return samples from a targeted space rock as well as honing astronaut proficiency and test needed equipment for other space destinations. Read more…
AP - Even though he goes to college in the shadow of the Kennedy Space Center, Adam Humphries can't name any of the astronauts who just returned home on space shuttle Discovery. Read more…
AP - When scientists explain the practice of cloning livestock, they describe clones as genetic twins born at different times. Cloning companies say it's just another reproductive technology, such as artificial insemination. Read more…
