AFP - NASA on Tuesday gave the go-ahead for the October 23 launch of the space shuttle Discovery, despite an independent panel's recommendation to first replace three thermal tiles on the shuttle. Read more…
AFP - The Soyuz rocket, carrying an American, a Malaysian and a Russian, was a study in world peace as it thundered toward the stars on the latest mission to the International Space Station. Read more…
AP - NASA's senior managers cleared space shuttle Discovery for liftoff Tuesday, overruling a safety group that called for further studies and wing repairs, if necessary, before next week's launch. Read more…
SPACE.com - A Chinese satellite plunged into the Earth's atmosphere and destroyed itself this week to end an extended mission studying the planet's magnetic field. Read more…
AP - Mars' aging twin rovers will explore the red planet for at least two more years under an extension approved by NASA. Read more…
NASA has launched a user-friendly Web site designed to connect media with Earth science experts from across the agency. Read more…
NASA officials will hold a media teleconference Thursday, Oct. 18, at 4 p.m. EDT in advance of the World Radiocommunication Conference 2007 in Geneva, Switzerland. Read more…
A five-minute eye exam might prove to be an inexpensive and effective way to gauge and track the debilitating neurological disease multiple sclerosis, potentially complementing costly magnetic resonance imaging to detect brain shrinkage -- a characteristic of the disease's progression. Read more…
A new service, developed in the framework of an ESA-supported project, is using satellite images to compare agricultural crop sites across Europe in order to ensure the more efficient use of pesticides. Read more…
Despite its deadly reputation, the gas carbon monoxide could actually save lives and boost health in future as a result of leading-edge UK research. The researchers have developed innovative water-soluble molecules which, when swallowed or injected, safely release small amounts of CO inside the human body. Read more…
Who would have thought that the secrets to long life might exist in the naked, wrinkled body of one of the world's ugliest animals? Probably not many, but current research may be leading seekers of the Fountain of Youth to a strange little beast -- the naked mole rat. The naked mole rat is certainly not one of nature's cuddliest species. These small rodents are hairless, wrinkled, blind and buck-toothed. Read more…
Scientists used functional brain imaging to assess resting-state brain activity in chimpanzees as a potential window into their mental world and to compare chimpanzee brain activity to that of humans. Results suggest chimpanzees may engage in thought processes similar to those of humans at rest as well as thought processes that are quite different. The findings are significant because they show the uniqueness of humans as well as our similarity to our closest living primate relative. Read more…
Searching for digital photographs could become easier with a new software system that not only automatically tags images as they are uploaded, but also improves those tags by 'learning' from users' interactions with the system. Read more…
Glue is the latest product to go green. Researchers have developed a new, environmentally friendly adhesive made with renewable natural resources. The glue, which replaces current adhesives that release cancer-causing chemicals into the air, will improve the environment and human health, as well as provide new markets for U.S. soybean farmers. Since the 1940s, adhesive products used to make wood products, such as plywood, particleboard and fiberboard, contained cancer causing-chemicals, such as phenol--formaldehyde and urea--formaldehyde resins. Read more…
The next time you think about throwing out those aging strawberries or very ripe grapes, consider this: Belgian scientists report that fruits and vegetables do not lose any antioxidant content in the days after purchase, even as tell-tale signs of spoilage appear. In some cases, antioxidant levels actually rise. Read more…
Determining the structure of a protein called hemagglutinin on the surface of influenza B is giving researchers clues as to what kinds of mutations could spark the next flu pandemic. Read more…
Experts warn that an unseemly race to report organic solar cells with world record efficiencies is leading to a significant number of published papers claiming unrealistic and scientifically questionable results and performances. Read more…
The ability to ramp up testosterone production appears to drive male dark-eyed juncos to find and win mates, but it comes with an evolutionary cost. Big fluctuations in testosterone may also cause males to lose interest in parenting their own young, scientists have learned. Read more…
Scientists have just solved the structure of the first mammalian GRP94 protein implicated in immune diseases such as sepsis, AIDS and certain cancers. The new study confirms the hypothesis that this protein -- GRP94 -- is from the same family as the better known HSP90 proteins. The HSP90 proteins have been the subject of increasing international interest as scientists have discovered that they can be targeted therapeutically with drugs. Read more…
When crop scientist Fred Below began growing tropical maize, the form of corn grown in the tropics, he was looking for novel genes for the utilization of nitrogen fertilizer and was hoping to discover information that could be useful to American corn producers. Now, however, it appears that maize itself may prove to be the ultimate US biofuels crop. Read more…
Lab tests are planned to determine whether lignin, a co-product of ethanol produced from plant fiber, could be mixed with soil to improve soil strength in roadbeds. Read more…
Scientists propose that blood may help us think, in addition to its well-known role as the conveyor of fuel and oxygen to brain cells. The new theory has implications for understanding brain diseases such as Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy. Read more…
Herpes viruses, though not life-threatening, are usually considered to be embarrassing and annoying. Researchers have now found a way to use the virus to potentially fight breast cancer, which, according to the American Cancer Society, is the most common cancer among women. In fact, excluding cancers of the skin, breast cancer accounts for nearly one in three cancers diagnosed in U.S. women. Read more…
In the jungles of Central and South America, a group of birds has evolved a unique way of finding food -- by following hordes of army ants and letting them do all the work. Read more…
Scientists have found that the f and m type plant thioredoxins previously thought to be localized only in chloroplasts are found in other, nonphotosynthetic, tissues, where they may have multiple functions. They have now established the presence of these redox proteins in tissues other than the chloroplast. Read more…
