 Artificial muscles restore ability to blink, save eyesight
 01.18.2010 16:00  5 views  0 comments
Tags: Artificial
 Surgeons have demonstrated that artificial muscles can restore the ability of patients with facial paralysis to blink, a development that could benefit the thousands of people each year who no longer are able to close their eyelids due to combat-related injuries, stroke, nerve injury or facial surgery. Read more »
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Loss of epigenetic regulators causes mental retardation
01.18.2010 16:00 2 views 0 comments
Tags: Love
 Developing neurons don't just need the right genes to guide them as they grow, they need access to the right genes at the right times. The improper functioning of one specific protein complex that normally suppresses gene activation is responsible for a mental retardation-like syndrome in mice. Read more »
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Genetic analysis disputes increase in Antarctic minke whales
01.18.2010 16:00 1 views 0 comments
 A new genetic analysis of Antarctic minke whales concludes that population of these smaller baleen whales have not increased as a result of the intensive hunting of other larger whales -- countering arguments by advocates of commercial whaling who want to "cull" minke whales. Read more »
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Discovery points toward anti-inflammation treatment for blinding disease
01.18.2010 16:00 2 views 0 comments
 The discovery of an inflammatory mediator key to the blinding effects of diabetic retinopathy is pointing toward a potential new treatment. Read more »
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Why mice develop 'knots' while exploring a new environment
01.18.2010 16:00 2 views 0 comments
 During exploration of a new environment, mice establish "knots" -- preferred places visited sporadically and marked by the performance of twists and turns, according to a new study. The research provides evidence that the formation of these places is increased by stress, and suggests that the tortuous movements improve the interpretation of the visual scene, enhance the memory of the place and provide the mouse with multiple views that turn the established places into navigational landmarks. Read more »
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Worrisome trends show eroding U.S. competitive advantage in world science and engineering environment
01.18.2010 16:00 2 views 0 comments
Tags: January, House, White House, America, Science
 The state of the science and engineering enterprise in America is strong, yet its lead is slipping, according to data released at the White House January 15. Science and Engineering Indicators provides information on the scope, quality and vitality of America's science and engineering enterprise. Read more »
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Physicists tie light in knots
01.18.2010 13:00 2 views 0 comments
 The remarkable feat of tying light in knots has been achieved. Understanding how to control light in this way has important implications for laser technology used in wide a range of industries. Read more »
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Concussions not taken seriously enough, researcher finds
01.18.2010 13:00 3 views 0 comments
Tags: Canada
 Despite growing public interest in concussions because of serious hockey injuries or skiing deaths, a researcher in Canada has found that we may not be taking the common head injury seriously enough. Read more »
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Low concentrations of oxygen and nutrients slowing biodegradation of Exxon Valdez oil
01.18.2010 13:00 2 views 0 comments
Tags: South, Prince, William
 The combination of low concentrations of oxygen and nutrients in the lower layers of the beaches of Alaska's Prince William Sound is slowing the aerobic biodegradation of oil remaining from the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill, according to researchers. Read more »
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New biomarkers for predicting the spread of colon cancer
01.18.2010 13:00 3 views 0 comments
Tags: Chief
 Scientists in China are reporting discovery of two proteins present in the blood of people with colon cancer that may serve as the potential biomarkers for accurately predicting whether the disease will spread. Read more »
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Best way to reduce emissions is to make cars smaller
01.18.2010 13:00 3 views 0 comments
Tags: Bebe
 A new study says the best way to reduce emissions in the short term is a 'drastic downscaling of both size and weight' of conventional gasoline and diesel cars. Read more »
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Self-control, and lack of self-control, is contagious
01.18.2010 13:00 2 views 0 comments
 A new study has revealed that self-control -- or the lack thereof -- is contagious. Read more »
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Walking robot switches gaits autonomously and flexibly
01.18.2010 10:00 3 views 0 comments
Tags: Ever
 Even simple insects can generate quite different movement patterns with their six legs. The animal uses various gaits depending on whether it crawls uphill or downhill, slowly or fast. Scientists have now developed a walking robot, which can flexibly and autonomously switch between different gaits. The success of their solution lies in its simplicity: a small and simple network with just a few connections can create very diverse movement patterns. To this end, the robot uses a mechanism for "chaos control." Read more »
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First successful use of expanded umbilical-cord blood units to treat leukemia
01.18.2010 10:00 3 views 0 comments
Tags: First
 Scientists have cleared a major technical hurdle to making umbilical-cord-blood transplants a more widely-used method for treating leukemia and other blood cancers. Read more »
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New genetic map will speed up plant breeding of the world's most important medicinal crop
01.18.2010 10:00 3 views 0 comments
Tags: That, University, Plank, York
 Plant scientists at the University of York have published the first genetic map of the medicinal herb Artemisia annua. The map is being used to accelerate plant breeding of Artemisia and rapidly develop the species into a high-yielding crop. This development is urgently needed to help meet escalating demand for effective malaria treatments. Read more »
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Psoriasis drugs put to the test
01.18.2010 10:00 2 views 0 comments
 Clinical trials to test the effectiveness of two prescription drugs for the debilitating skin condition psoriasis have revealed significant differences that should help inform physicians treating patients with the condition. Read more »
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Making microscopic worms into a more deadly insecticide
01.18.2010 10:00 2 views 0 comments
Tags: There
 Microscopic nematode worms can be a potent organic insecticide, killing crop-raiding bugs without without environmental side effects of chemicals. But when the worms are mass-bred for agriculture, they tend to "wimp out," and are not as deadly as their cousins that grow in the wild. A new study identified the genetic changes in lab-raised worms that make them less deadly to insects. These insights also provide a map for weakening worms that target humans. Read more »
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Migraine and depression may share genetic component
01.18.2010 10:00 1 views 0 comments
 New research shows that migraine and depression may share a strong genetic component. The study involved 2,652 people who took part in the larger Erasmus Rucphen Family study. All of the participants are descendants of 22 couples who lived in Rucphen in the 1850s to 1900s. Read more »
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Punishment important in plant-pollinator relationship
01.18.2010 7:00 2 views 0 comments
Tags: Five
 Figs and the wasps that pollinate them present one of biologists' favorite examples of a beneficial relationship between two different species. In exchange for the pollination service provided by the wasp, the fig fruit provides room and board for the wasp's developing young. However, wasps do not always pollinate the fig. Fig trees "punish" these "cheaters" by dropping unpollinated fruit, killing the wasp's offspring inside, report researchers. Read more »
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New gene variants associated with glucose, insulin levels, some with diabetes risk
01.18.2010 7:00 3 views 0 comments
Tags: Five, European
 Scientists have found 13 new genetic variants that influence blood glucose regulation, insulin resistance, and the function of insulin-secreting beta cells in populations of European descent. Five of the newly discovered variants increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes. Read more »
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